Intellect

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Intellect (disambiguation).

The intellect comprises the rational and the logical aspects of the human mind.

In the study of the human mind, intellect refers to, describes, and identifies
the ability of the human mind to reach correct conclusions about what
is true and what is false in reality; and how to solve problems. Derived from
the Ancient Greek philosophy term nous, intellect derived from the
Latin intelligere (“to understand”), from which derives the term intelligence in the
French and English languages. The discussion of intellect is in two areas
of knowledge that concern the relation between intelligence and intellect. [1]

 In classical philosophy and in medieval philosophy the intellect (nous) is the

subject of the question: How do people know things? In Late Antiquity and in
the Middle Ages, the intellect was the conceptual means of reconciling the
religious faith of monotheism with the facts of philosophy and science
about Nature, a reconciliation that would make the intellect the conduit
between the human soul, and the divine intellect of the cosmos. In the Late
Middle Ages, philosophers developed the distinction that intelligence is in
two modes passive intellect and active intellect.[2]

 In psychology and in neuroscience, the controversial Theory of Multiple

Intelligences applies the terms intelligence (emotion) and intellect (mind) to
describe how people understand the world and reality.[3]

Intellect and intelligence[edit]

As a branch of intelligence, intellect concerns the logical and
the rational functions of the human mind, and usually is limited
to facts and knowledge.[4] Additional to the functions of linear logic and the
patterns of formal logic the intellect also processes the non-linear functions
of fuzzy logic and dialectical logic.[5]
Intellect and intelligence are contrasted by etymology; derived from the
Latin present active participle intelligere, the term intelligence denotes “to gather
in between”, whereas the term intellect, derived from the past
participle of intelligere, denotes “what has been gathered”. Therefore,
intelligence relates to the creation of new categories of understanding, based
upon similarities and differences, while intellect relates to understanding
existing categories.[6]

Development of intellect[edit]

The Structure of Intellect (SI) model organizes intellectual functions in three dimensions: (i)
Operations, (ii) Contents, and (iii) Products. (Joy Paul Guilford, 1955)

A person's intellectual understanding of reality derives from a conceptual

model of reality based upon the perception and the cognition of the material
world of reality. The conceptual model of mind is composed of the mental and
emotional processes by which a person seeks, finds, and applies logical
solutions to the problems of life. The full potential of the intellect is achieved
when a person acquires a factually accurate understanding of the real world,
which is mirrored in the mind. The mature intellect is identified by the person's
possessing the capability of emotional self-management, wherein he and she
can encounter, face, and resolve problems of life without being overwhelmed by
emotion.[7]
Real-world experience is necessary to and for the development of a person's
intellect, because, in resolving the problems of life, a person can intellectually
comprehend a social circumstance (a time and a place) and so adjust their
social behavior in order to act appropriately in the society of other people.
Intellect develops when a person seeks an emotionally satisfactory solution to a
problem; mental development occurs from the person's search for satisfactory
solutions to the problems of life. Only experience of the real world can
provide understanding of reality, which contributes to the person's intellectual
development.[8]
Structure of intellect[edit]
In 1955, the psychologist Joy Paul Guilford (1897–1987) proposed a Structural
Intellect (SI) model in three dimensions: (i) Operations, (ii) Contents, and (iii)
Products. Each parameter contains specific, discrete elements that are
individually measured as autonomous units of the human mind.[9] Intellectual
operations are represented by cognition and memory, production (by divergent
thinking and convergent thinking), and evaluation. Contents are figurative
and symbolic, semantic and behavioral. Products are in units, classes,
and relations, systems, transformations, and implications.[10]

Intellect in psychotherapy[edit]
Intellectualization is a psychotherapeutic method based of intense intellectual
focus in order to avoid dealing with a problem that occupies the attention of a
person. In psychological praxis, intellectualization is a defense mechanism that
blocks feelings in order to prevent anxiety and stress from acting upon and
interfering with the psyche of the person, which otherwise would interfere with
their normal functioning in real life. As psychotherapy, intellectualization is a
rational, dispassionate, and scientific approach towards dealing with and
resolving mental problems, which psychologically disturb the person.
The functions of intellectualization involve the Id, ego, and super-ego.
The Ego is the conscious aspect of human personality; the Id is the
unconscious, animal-instinct aspect; and the super-ego is the control
mechanism that mediates and adjusts a person's thoughts and actions and
behavior in accordance with the social norms of society. The purpose of
intellectualization is to isolate the Id from the real world, and so make the
conscious aspects of a person's life the only object of reflection and
consideration. Therefore, intellectualization defends and protects the Ego from
the Id, the unconscious aspect of human personality that usually is impossible
to control.[11]
Socially, intellectualization uses technical jargon and complex scientific
terminology instead of plain language; e.g. a physician uses the
word carcinoma instead of cancer to lessen the negative impact of a diagnosis
of terminal disease — by directing the patient's attention away from the bad
news. The different registers of language, scientific (carcinoma) and plain
language (cancer), facilitate the patient's acceptance of medical fact and
medical treatment, by avoiding an outburst of negative emotions that would
interfere with the successful treatment of the disease.[12]
Moreover, the defense mechanism of intellectualization is criticized because it
separates and isolates the person from the painful emotions caused by the
psychological problem. As such, the defense mechanism subsequently leads to
the denial of intuition, which sometimes contributes to the processes
of decision-making; a negative consequence of the absence of emotional stimuli
can deprive the person of motivation, and lead to a mood of dissatisfaction,
such as melancholy; such “emotional constipation” threatens their creativity, by
replacing such capabilities with factual solutions.[13]