Spiritual intelligence is defined as the adaptive use of spiritual information to solve problems and achieve goals. It involves the ability to transcend the physical world, experience heightened states of consciousness, find meaning in everyday experiences, and use spiritual resources. While some see it as a type of intelligence, others argue it does not fit the definition of an intelligence and is more related to traits like adaptability. Spiritual intelligence can be developed through constant questioning, inquiry, and practice and is said to lead to spiritual maturity and compassionate actions.

1. Spiritual Intelligence
Dr Shiva Shukla
Assistant Professor,
Central University of
Punjab, Bathinda

2. Gardner’s Eight Types of Intelligence

3. Spiritual Intelligence
Ability to solve problems related to meaning of
life and values, asses one’s course of action and
life path to be more meaningful than the other,
knowing multiple ways to integrating mind
and spirit with the outer world

4. Spiritual Intelligence
 Spiritual Intelligence is the adaptive use of spiritual
information to facilitate everyday problem solving and
goal attainment – Robert Emmons
 Like any other Intelligence Spiritual Intelligence is an
ability. It is an ability to-
a) Transcend physical and material world
b) Experience heightened state of consciousness
c) Sanctify every day experience
d) Utilize spiritual resources to solve everyday problems
e) To be virtuous (Emmons withdrew this claim due to
criticism as virtues are non-cognitive component of
personality)

5. How Spiritual Intelligence Works
 Brings ‘Personality Integration’ i.e. bringing resolution to
inner conflicts
 Improves overall quality of life and enhances Wellbeing
 Personal identity or ‘ego’ is replaced with the soul
 Spirituality is characteristic by traits like adaptability,
flexibility, capacity to deal with grief, faith, hope,
compassion etc.

6. A Case Against Spiritual Intelligence - Gardner
 The intellectual realm is the capacity to carry out certain kinds of
computations
 Linguistic intelligence computes the sounds and sights of language
 Spatial intelligence computes positions and perspectives of entities
in space
 Interpersonal intelligence computes the status, attitudes, and
motivations of other individuals in relation to oneself
 Each intelligence evolved because of the desirability of performing
these computations efficiently.
 One aspect of mind may have evolved to perform computations on
elements that transcend normal sensory perception, perhaps
because they are too large or too small to be directly apprehended.
This is Existential Intelligence because it is centred to the fact of
our existence as individuals in the cosmos and our capacity to
puzzle over that fact

7. A Case Against Spiritual Intelligence - Gardner
 Ability to realize certain physical stage i.e. meditation and
controlled consciousness involves control over one’s body and is
expression of Kinaesthetic Intelligence
 Those aspects of spirituality that have to do with phenomenological
experience i.e. experience oceanic state being one with universe is
a ‘felt’ state and experience and external to intellectual realm
 Spirituality to be a inheritable trait cannot serve as a basis for
conclusions about the brain or genetic basis of spirituality
 Emmons's overall claim for Spiritual Intelligence is plausible and he
raises many intriguing issues like sacredness, problem solving, the
unifying potential of religion etc. that merit further investigation
 Anthony Storr (1996) reported to face difficulty in distinguishing
between people using Spiritual Intelligence for creative or
destructive purpose

8. Spiritual Intelligence can be
developed by constant
a) questing, b) inquiry, and c)
practice.

9. Spiritual Maturitya) wisdom, and
b) Compassionate Actions

10. Reference
 Emmons, R. A. (2000). Is Spirituality an Intelligence? Motivation,
Cognition, and the Psychology of Ultimate Concern. International
Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 10(1), 3-26.
doi:10.1207/s15327582ijpr1001_2
 Emmons, R. A. (2000). Spirituality and Intelligence: Problems and
Prospects. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion,
10(1), 57-64.
doi:10.1207/s15327582ijpr1001_6
 Gardner, H. (2000). A Case Against Spiritual Intelligence.
International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 10(1), 27-34.
doi:10.1207/s15327582ijpr1001_3