Yes! Intrapersonal and Existential Intelligence Are Related
Most people know the word "intelligence." But very few know it comes in many forms.
Dr. Howard Gardner, a famous American psychologist, changed the way we think about how the human mind works. He believed that people do not process information in just one way. Instead, he said we have multiple ways of doing it. This gave birth to his well-known Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
According to this theory, there are eight core types of intelligence. Each one works on its own. They do not overlap. But one type was left out of the original list. That type is existential intelligence, also called the ninth intelligence.
Now here is where things get interesting. Two of these intelligences share a deep, quiet bond. They are intrapersonal and existential intelligence. Understanding how they connect can change how you see yourself and the world.
What Is Intrapersonal Intelligence?
Intrapersonal intelligence is about knowing yourself. It means being aware of your own feelings, values, beliefs, and thought patterns.
People with high intrapersonal intelligence know what they want. They know why they feel the way they do. They understand their own strengths and limits. This is why it is often called "self-smartness."
It is not about being quiet or introverted. It is about being in touch with your inner world. You might think deeply. You might journal, meditate, or reflect. These are all signs of strong intrapersonal awareness.
What Is Existential Intelligence?
Existential intelligence is rarer. It is the ability to ask the big questions.
Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? What happens after death? Does God exist?
People with this type of intelligence do not shy away from these questions. In fact, they are drawn to them. They think deeply about humanity, religion, and the nature of reality.
This is why existential intelligence is often called "life-smartness." It does not give you fixed answers. It gives you the ability to hold big, open questions with courage and calm.
The Hidden Link Between the Two
At first, these two types of intelligence seem very different. One is about the self. The other is about the universe. But that is exactly where the connection lives.
You cannot truly understand the universe without first understanding yourself. And you cannot fully know yourself without looking at the bigger picture of life.
Think about it this way. To ask "Why do I exist?" you must first be deeply aware of the fact that you exist. That awareness is intrapersonal. The question itself is existential.
This is why intrapersonal and existential intelligence work together like two sides of the same coin. One turns your gaze inward. The other turns it outward. But both are searching for the same truth.
What Western Philosophers Thought
Great thinkers in the West saw this connection long ago.
Plato believed the self was not just the body or the mind. He saw it as something much deeper, linked to the soul and to a higher purpose. His philosophy pushed people to look inward before they could understand the world outside.
Einstein is another example. He was not just a scientist. He was a deeply reflective man. His inner world of curiosity and wonder led him to ideas that changed science forever.
Both of these men had high intrapersonal awareness. And both asked existential questions that most people were afraid to touch.
What Eastern Philosophies Add
Eastern thought goes even further on this path.
In Hinduism, the self is known as the Atman or eternal self. It is beyond ego. It is beyond the thinking mind. It is the part of you that is connected to the entire universe.
Chinese philosophy also speaks of a deep inner life that must be cultivated before one can understand the outer world.
Both traditions say the same thing: to understand life, look inward first. The universe outside is a mirror of the world within. This is not just poetry. It is a complete philosophy of living.
Existentialism Through a Personal Lens
Philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Friedrich Nietzsche were famous existentialists. They spent their lives asking what it means to be human.
But here is the thing. They did not arrive at these questions by studying the stars. They arrived by studying themselves.
Nietzsche and Kierkegaard both wrote deeply about the inner world. They believed that your reality is shaped by what you perceive. In other words, the universe you live in is partly built inside your own mind.
As Kierkegaard put it, life is not a problem to be solved. It is a reality to be experienced. That experience starts within.
Why This Matters in Real Life
People with strong intrapersonal and existential intelligence share some key traits.
They are curious. They are reflective. They do not need everyone to agree with them. They form their own views based on deep thinking and lived experience.
They also handle the unknown better. Big questions do not scare them. In fact, those questions fuel them.
In society, these are the people who push ideas forward. They are the writers, the philosophers, the scientists, the spiritual leaders. They do not just live life. They examine it.
Your own level of self-awareness shapes how you see the world around you. When you know your values, your beliefs, and your motivations, you can face the big questions of life with more clarity and courage.
Intrapersonal knowledge and existential thinking are not separate skills. They grow together. The deeper you go inside yourself, the wider your view of the world becomes.
As Sri Aurobindo once said, true knowledge is not something you think. It is something you become.
That journey of becoming starts with self-awareness. It leads to a deeper understanding of life, purpose, and reality.
If you want to explore this topic further, read this in-depth piece on intrapersonal and existential intelligence and discover how these two forms of intelligence shape the way we understand ourselves and the universe.
