Creative Intelligence and I.Q.: Part 2

Creative Intelligence and I.Q.: In yesterday’s post, I told you that I.Q. is not the true test of whether a person is a genius. I told  you about Albert Einstein, and how not-very-bright he seemed growing up.

I also told  you that the key to tapping into your inner Einstein, or your innate genius capability, is using your creative intelligence, which is a combination of creative thinking, logical thinking and imagination.

Now I want to talk about this more, and discuss two types of tests.

Test Your Intelligence

An I.Q. test is what is called a convergence test. It is where you sort through the answers and converge on the right answer.

To test your creative intelligence you would take a divergence test. A divergence test asks you to use your creative intelligence and take your mind in many different directions. There is no single right answer in this kind of test.

In a divergence test, the tester is looking for the number and uniqueness of your responses.

Here is a question from a divergence test. Try it out yourself:

A Brick, a Blanket and Two Students

Write down as many different uses that you can think of for the following objects:

1. a brick

2. a blanket

This question comes from an actual divergence test that an English researcher named Liam Hudson used for a study of creative intelligence and I.Q.  He found that average students had much more diverse answers than students with high I.Q.’s. Here’s an example of answers:

A student named Poole said for a brick:

To use in smash-and-grab raids. To help hold a house together. To use in a game of Russian roulette if you want to keep fit at the same time (bricks at ten paces turn and throw – no evasive action allowed). To hold the eiderdown on a bed tie a brick at each corner. As a breaker of empty of Coca-Cola bottles.

And this same student said for a blanket:

To use on a bed. As a cover for illicit sex in the woods.  As a tent. To make smoke signals with. As a sail for a boat, cart or sled. As a substitute for a towel. As a target for shooting practice for short-sighted people. As a thing to catch people jumping out of burning skyscrapers.

Pretty creative, wouldn’t you say?  This student with an average I.Q. has really high creative intelligence.  (Then again, we all have high creative intelligence).

Now, another student named Florence, who had one of the highest I.Q.’s in the school,  answered the question with these answers:

Brick: Building things, throwing.

Blanket: Keeping warm, smothering fires, tying to trees and sleeping in (as a hammock), improvised stretcher.

And that’s all his answers to the two. He was very functional, but he lacked creative intelligence – he showed no imagination with his answers.  And this was from a high schooler who was considered one of the top students, based on his I.Q.

Use Your Intelligence

I.Q. isn’t it.  Creative intelligence is.  I.Q. tells you how smart a person is within a limited scope.  But it tells you nothing of their imagination and their range of thought.

You want to use your innate genius potential? Forget trying to raise your I.Q.  Instead raise your C.Q. – your creative intelligence.  You do this by thinking creatively, thinking logically and using your imagination.

Using your creative intelligence – how radical a thought.

Living a Low Density Lifestyle – how radical a thought too.