Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

I really enjoyed reading about Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences because it takes into account other measures of intelligence other than just basing human intelligence on test scores.  His research in child development, brain damaged individuals, and extremely talented individuals, led him to expand the categories of intelligence well beyond the traditional theories of linguistic, logical-mathematical, and spatial categories.  Humans are all unique individuals with unique talents, and intelligence should not be based solely on how well we do at language and mathematical skills.  The world would be such a boring place if this was the case.  I like how the authors used Carlos Santana as an example of an exceptional guitar player, representing the musical intelligence category, and Oprah Winfrey representing the interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence categories.  Can you imagine the world without music?  I can't!  Oprah's show and her magazine have helped so many people learn about their strengths and weaknesses ( including myself), plus she has really reached out to other countries, like Africa, where she established a school for girls, so they could become educated, in order to have a better life.  I think that everyone of us falls into one of these nine categories (if not more), and that's what makes the world such a diverse, creative, entertaining place.  Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences seems to make common sense to me; we are all human beings and our unique talents and gifts that we offer individually to the world, come together collectively, whether it's to entertain us, teach us, or inspire us. 

Gender roles

I just had to laugh when I was listening to Leah’s podcast and she started talking about our gender roles and what was expected, according  to the home ec textbook from the 1950’s.  All I can say is we sure have come a long way!!  It was amazing to me how women were expected to put everyone and everything ahead of their needs.  I understand it was a completely different world back then; the men  went to work and financially took care of the family, while the women  were usually stay-at-home-moms, taking care of the house and their children.  However, what I can’t understand is that the husband/father went to work every day, and even if it was a stressful job, I bet he didn’t have to multi-task like the wife/mother had to 24/7.  So, how come he was waited on hand and foot when he returned home?  It seems to me that instead of the mother trying to keep the kids quiet and also herself, just so he could relax, in peace, before she could speak to him and get ready to serve him dinner, he should be the one happy to see his children, play with them for while before dinner, so his wife could have a while to relax after doing all the errands, all the chores around the house, getting the kids ready for school, cooking dinner, serving everyone dinner and cleaning –up the kitchen (probably by herself), then getting the children ready for bed and then getting to do it all over again the next day!  WOW!!  Something just doesn’t seem quite right to me!! 

Klinefelter's Syndrome

In Chapter 2, after reading the section about abnormal chromosomes, I decided to do some more research on the subject.  I delved further into the Klinefelter's syndrome, which is a disorder that was listed on page 47 of our textbook.  This is a syndrome that can happen to male infants that  are born with an extra X chromosome.  Apparently it is somewhat common, occurring one in every 500 births. 

Even though male infants are born with this disorder, most of the symptoms do not show up until puberty begins.  The main characteristics of Klinefelter's syndrome are being tall with long arms and legs, small testicles, below-normal intelligence, and passivity.  In addition, usually when boys reach puberty they develop facial hair, but in boys with this disorder, facial hair is often sparse.  They also might have a condition called gynecomastia, in which their breasts become enlarged.

Many boys have reading / language  problems and poor organizational skills.  They also fail to consider consequences or outcomes of their behavior based on previous mistakes, which can lead them into trouble or bad situations.

There are some very serious complications with this syndrome, such as infertility, as well as, being more prone to diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, varicose veins, hypothyroidism, and breast cancer compared with men that do not have this disorder.

Not only is an extra X chromosome an issue, but some males can have up to 5 X chromosomes along with their Y chromosome.  It seems the more they have, the more severe symptoms they experience, such as mental retardation and physical abnormalities.  It has been found that each additional X chromosome can lower their IQ by about 15 points, which, in turn mainly affects their language skills.

Language and speech therapy can help boys with this disorder and some men take testosterone supplements, for life, to stimulate a more masculine appearance.

Human Development

     I realize that there are many factors that contribute to human development after reading through all the different theories in Chapter 1.  My personal belief is that psychological forces and sociocultural forces are the two most important ones.  I know that biological forces play a big role as well, but as noted in the text, certain lifestyle factors like a healthy diet and exercise plan can overcome different conditions or health issues of the body.
    The reason I believe psychological forces and sociocultural forces are so important is because in life our environment can impact our emotions either positively or negatively.  If everything is positive, that's great!  However, if negative situations or events are happening around us, I feel we have a choice, we can either succumb to them and become an emotional wreck or we can choose to rise above the situation.  My motto is: it's not the situation, it's how you react to the situation.  If you can change your thinking about something you can change your life.  Looking at a negative situation or event with a different perspective can be enlightening.  You could ask yourself questions like "What can I learn from this experience?" or "How will this help me grow and develop into a stronger, more confident person?"  It's a good thing to know that you are the one that ultimately can control your emotions and not the other way around, where you let your emotions control you.  If you know you can change your thinking at anytime, you will develop into a strong person with a positive attitude and be able to handle anything that life throws your way!