Daniel Davis, LMFT

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Genius and Intelligence

November 21, 2017 By Daniel Davis, LMFT 1 Comment

What is your gift?  What can you do that no other human being can do just like you?”

“There is nothing special about me!” said the character, Jack Lucas, in the film, The Fisher King.  “I control my own destiny.”

Life is mysterious. Yet I believe that we all have a certain genius. The word genius comes from the root of gignere which was to ‘beget.’  We bring forth or give birth to something, according to this definition of genius.

In the late 16th century, the word genius had evolved to mean natural ability.  By the mid 17th century, genius came to mean ‘exceptional natural ability.”

The evolution of the word genius seems to reflect our cultural perception that we are not all gifted as individuals.  There are special people who are different than average humans, like you and me.

It is my experience that everyone has unique gifts.  School can be confusing, because of its emphasis on language and mathematical ability.  Often we see a person’s I.Q. (Intelligence Quotient) as a number which defines whether she or he has genius or not.  Further, our I.Q. is too often seen as fixed and never changing.

Alfred Binet originally developed the intelligence test to identify which French students would have difficulty in school to assist them.  It is ironic that we now use the concept of IQ to label and shame others.  IQ scores have a long history of gender and cultural bias.

Fortunately, Howard Gardner developed the ideas of Multiple Intelligence.  He asserted that there are nine different types of intelligence:

1.  language (Verbal-Linguistic)
2.  mathematics (and logic)
3.  science (Naturalist)
4.  artistic (Visual-Spatial)
5.  athletic (Bodily/Kinesthetic)
6.  musical
7.  interpersonal (social)
8.  intrapersonal (self-awareness)
9.  existential (meaning of life)

Your IQ score will not reveal your creativity, your common sense, or your social skills.  The singer, Lady Gaga has high Musical Intelligence.  The tennis player, Serena Williams has great physical abilities.  The teacher, Thich Nhat Hahn has high intrapersonal Intelligence.

Yet one does not need to be famous to have genius.  I think each of us has unique gifts with which we are born.  It is our opportunity and privilege to develop these talents.  The saddest thing is when families and schools fail to recognize the uniqueness of each child, leaving one to feel insignificant, powerless, or unlovable.

If we work hard at developing our natural gifts, then we are able to experience the joy of expressing our gifts in sophisticated ways.  Richard Bolles writes, “where your great passion meets the great need of the world, that is where your work lies.”

May each of us have the courage to take the heroic journey of individuation.  May we work and struggle to develop the natural gifts with which we are born.

Charles Baudelaire writes that “genius is childhood recaptured.”  A healthy relationship with our inner child may assist us in developing our unique talents in love and work.  Please watch this video by Judith Peterson,M.A., on the Inner Child:

Keywords:
Blog 66
Blogs by Daniel Davis, Genius and Intelligence
Alfred Binet
Richard Bolles
Lady Gaga
Howard Gardner
Thich Nhat Hahn
Serena Williams
“The Fisher King,” Movie
“Jack Lucas,” character from Fisher King
ability
exceptional natural
special people
average humans
School
I.Q. (Intelligence Quotient)
Multiple Intelligence
language
Verbal
Linguistic
mathematics
logic
science
Naturalist
artistic
Visual
Spatial
athletic
Bodily
Kinesthetic
Musical
interpersonal
social
intrapersonal
self-awareness
existential
meaning of life
“What Color is Your Parachute?,” book
Charles Baudelaire
Genius and Intelligence

Filed Under: Becoming Aware (Consciousness), Blog, Career Development, Dialogue Tagged With: “What Color is Your Parachute?, ability, Alfred Binet, artistic, athletic, average, Bodily, book, character, Charles Baudelaire, exceptional, existential, Fisher King, Genius, Howard Gardner, humans, I.Q., intelligence, Intelligence Quotient, interpersonal, intrapersonal, Jack Lucas, Kinesthetic, Lady Gaga, language, Linguistic, logic, mathematics, meaning of life, movie, Multiple, Musical, natural, Naturalist, Richard Bolles, school, Science, self-awareness, Serena Williams, social, Spatial, special people, The Fisher King, Thich Nhat Hahn, Verbal, Visual

The Self

January 10, 2017 By Daniel Davis, LMFT Leave a Comment

“It is not the end of the world,” my dad would say. Often, the crises we perceive as so ominous are not the end of our life as we know it. Sometimes an event, such as disease, divorce, or death can deliver a blow so severe that our life changes. Life can then seem meaningless.

Yet amidst this devastation, we may find something of value. Carl Jung said, “There is nothing so bad that some good can’t come of it.”

That which breaks our hearts, makes it larger. In this breaking, we may find a mysterious wholeness or – in other words – The Self.

The Self is the whole or total personality. A whole personality embraces the unconscious part of our mind which includes our spiritual center. A connection between our self awareness (also called “ego”) and this spiritual (psychic) center is of vital importance for our health and well-being, asserts John Sanford.

Please watch this video by Manuel Costa about the Self and living with a sense of purpose:

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Filed Under: Balancing Your Brain, Becoming Aware (Consciousness), Whole Brain State Tagged With: Carl Jung, death, devastation, disease, divorce, ego, Event, John Sanford, Manuel Costa, psychic center, Self, self-awareness, spiritual center, the Self, total personality, tragedy, value, whole personality

What Makes a Leader Effective?

September 15, 2015 By Daniel Davis, LMFT Leave a Comment

“Leadership is anything that helps the organization achieve its purpose or improve its ability to achieve its purpose.”  Gervase Bushe

“The highest performing managers show more warmth and fondness toward others then do the bottom 25 percent. They get closer to people, they are significantly more open in sharing thoughts and feelings then their low-performing counterparts … All things being equal, we will work harder and more effectively for people we like. And we like them in direct proportion to how they make us feel.” Jim Kouzes and Barry Pozner

Leadership is both formal and informal. Every member of an organization can provide leadership by showing up, being observant, and offering their ideas constructively. Those who chose to take on a formal role of manager, often take on stress that exceeds the additional pay. Yet managing is one of the most important jobs because a manager’s attitude and choices affect her or his employees and by extension their family and friends.

The tasks of leadership is made more difficult by the confusion of organizational life. Often we hide things as employees of organizations. We carefully conceal the faults of our own work as we criticize the performance of others. I say that it is your fault that my work is not done well, even when I know that some of the fault is my own.

Of course, these lies are part of human life at work and at home. We can live our entire life and never honestly see and accept who we are in actuality. In Leo Tolstoy’s short story, “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” the main character asks at the end of his life: “What if my whole life has been wrong?”

We can live our life in a fog, not realizing so much of who we are. The saddest part of this reality is that we do not see the immensity of our own potential as a human being. As a result, our families and organizations are typically filled with inaccurate and confusing communication. Gervase Bush writes that most discussions, especially at work, are “best described as two or more people having different experiences while making up stories about what is going on in each other’s minds: stories that are never checked out.”

Our perception is limited as human beings. We only see and hear so much. Our mind is left guessing, filling in the blanks. We are usually not taught the skills of self-awareness in school or home. The basic tasks of the mind are to monitor and modify. We are forming maps of reality based on our assumptions. Most people do not talk about their assumptions or their mental maps with anyone, but especially at work. Leaders have a tough job, making decisions with a great deal at stake with poor information to base it upon.

Each person has different maps of reality. These maps have different types of scripts. One map is a world where I fear being abandoned. From this perspective, I manage others in order to calm my anxiety. Operating from this point of view, I have poor boundaries and do not distinguish the differences between myself and others.

Another map of reality is one of distrust. I separate myself from others, because I have a fear of being swallowed up if I get too close to anyone. Therefore, I chose extreme individuality and chose not to connect to others. With this world view, I have rigid boundaries. Little information passes in or out of my boundaries. All information will be given on a need to know basis.

The optimal position is called differentiation. This point of view perceives it to be safe to be closely connected to others as well as being unique as an individual. A person operating from this point of view has clear boundaries. I am clear about what my experience is – my thoughts, feelings, and sensations. I can tell the difference between my personal experience and your experience. I look at and examine my assumptions.

Bushe writes that self-awareness has three parts. The first skill is being able to know your experience moment to moment. The second skill is being able to use words to describe your experience. Another part of this second skill is being able to use words to distinguish your experience from others’ experience. The last skill is the ability to know the how my view of reality (also called mental maps) is different from reality itself. An analogy is an actual road map. Road maps are not exact, but approximation of the streets and highways of the area depicted. There remains a difference between a map and reality. So it is within us as well.

Bushe recommends working on being aware of oneself, improving the accuracy of communication, increasing ones curiosity in others, and increasing appreciation of others. These qualities enable leaders to be more effective. Bob Epperly, former Exxon Vice-President, and an expert in alternative energy as he discusses the specific challenges with managing a difficult subordinate. Please watch this video as Bob explores with you the evolution of leadership:

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Filed Under: Blog, Leadership Tagged With: differentiation, Gervase Bushe, Leo Tolstoy, maps of reality, mental maps, poor boundaries, scripts, self-awareness, The Death of Ivan Ilyich

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About Daniel Davis, LMFT

I create an environment where clients experience their unique significance, authentic empowerment, and profound acceptance and collaborate with clients to identify solutions to their current crises. For more information on how I can help you, contact me today by calling 408-249-0014 or emailing info@danieldavislmft.com. I look forward to speaking with you! Read More…

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Daniel Davis, M.A., LMFT
Counselor in Santa Clara, CA
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