Intelligence Quotient scores have always been a subject of debate amongst common people as well as amongst scholars and experts. The question of human intelligence raises million other ones.
We are still uncertain about what the intelligence represents as a whole. We know what it serves us and are, of course, capable of comprehending its basics, but it is difficult to give a complete definition and decide what parameters and criteria we should use.
Intelligence is, many would say, what makes us different from other forms of life in our own realm called earthly one. Moreover, many are certain there were no other forms of the intelligent life in the outer space; at least, we have not discovered it so far. However, the question arises.
Could there be some forms of the intelligent life to abstract for us to comprehend? We have been talking about mysterious forces, deities and spirits since ever.
In modern day, we focus on rational explanation although in recent times it seems we have been slowly returning to more abstract thinking. Newest ideas on the existence, the world, the energies of cosmos seem to be an amalgam of both strictly scientific and more spiritual ideas.
Although our spacecrafts and satellites have not registered any other living beings that could match our intelligence, it is not entirely impossible.
Some rather futuristic and unconventional thinkers suggest there were other intelligent species, but their level of intelligence is well beyond ours. They are so intellectually supreme that they perhaps do not even require physical embodiment in order to exist and function.
Our perception is so narrow that we could not recognize it. We are incapable of such perception.
However, our own intelligence, they claim, is just one step on the ladder of the intellectual evolution. One day, we would most likely reach higher levels.
Well, if you think in terms of contemporary strivings towards artificial intelligence, digitalization and everything else, it does not seem so unbelievable that one day we would perhaps be capable of existing only in an abstract, immaterial form.
These are all bold and curious ideas, but we are still where we are. We try to discover depths of our own mind and mark capabilities and potentials of our intellectual being. Therefore, we also try to evaluate and measure our intelligence as it is.
Let us talk then about our earthly, humane intelligence and see whether it could be measured and if it could, how.
How Would You Define Human Intelligence?
We all need to ask ourselves this question. If we want to talk about IQ scores and measuring intelligence, we have to understand what the intelligence, human intelligence, represents.
Human intelligence represents mental capability of reasoning, acquiring knowledge and applying it in reality. Many would agree on this, but was it sufficient to describe human intelligence as a whole? Not exactly.
Human intelligence comes instead instincts, some argue. Some even claim it comes in place of instincts, as a ‘product’ of the evolution. Animals are still instinctive beings, while we are intellectual.
Therefore, we could even dare to call the intelligence our ‘new instincts’. Of course, we are not completely deprived of instincts, just as animals are not all completely deprived of the intelligence.
Certain species present with impressive intellectual capacities, in terms of our own perception of the intelligence quality, to say.
Intelligence could also be observed as a specific survival mechanism. Some notable scientists and authors have argued human intelligence represents our capability of adaptation.
Through reasoning, understanding the world, experiencing changes, we are capable of learning, of gathering knowledge and using it in order to adapt to new conditions. This is a simple, but very stable idea about intelligence and its purpose.
Moreover, our intelligence offers us something impressive, the ability to create. Therefore, we do not use it only after passively experiencing changes, in order to adapt to them and survive.
No, we use it to create new setting; we use it to implement our own changes. Our intelligence has a creative and imaginative potential, which makes it quite amazing. We greatly exceed animals in creating things on our own and affecting the surroundings.
Take, for example, a bird building a nest. It could not do such a thing without being inventive by nature. It means, besides instincts, a bird has something else that helps it make a wonderful shelter.
There were many examples in the animals’ kingdom. We admire it try to copy their work. The ability of looking up to certain examples is also an impressive thing, not to mention what comes after it.
We like to think of ourselves as superior, at this point. We will not argue that or try to debunk or confirm it. This is simply an example to show how human intelligence functions and what could come out of it.
However, nothing of it gives us clue on evaluation of human intelligence, let alone measuring it, scoring and scaling it. The question we have to ask is what parameters we should take into consideration.
Measuring Human Intelligence
The question of parameters that would be fitting to decide on ‘quality’ and ‘quantity’ of an individual’s intelligence has been ongoing ever since.
While IQ tests use only several parameters, defining intelligence very close to what in common talk people would call the intellect or identify with being smart in terms of basic logic, verbal comprehension and drawing conclusions, many would disagree on their reliability.
Some authors argue IQ tests and parameters used are too strict, too limiting and too narrow. Such parameters are insufficient, they claim, to reveal all the potentials one possesses.
Well, the question is whether this was, in fact, the intention of an IQ test. IQ test are reliable to certain point. They mostly tell about parameters mentioned. The most widespread WAIS-IV test operates by analyzing several parameters.
Parameters IQ tests include are usually verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and task processing speed. Logical, mathematical thinking, the ability to gather knowledge and apply it are all common places in IQ tests.
However, other authors believe intelligence is much more than that. The theory of multiple intelligences enlists not only parameters mentioned, but includes also skills and talents others would never characterize as related to our intelligence.
This approach acknowledges talents and additional skills as parameters of human intelligence, besides those ‘logical ‘ones. Musical talent, visual spatial intelligence, physical and kinesthetic abilities, even interpersonal and intrapersonal skills are to be taken into consideration.
Some add spiritual or existential and moral aspect as another type of the intelligence. Naturalistic intelligence is also one of those multiple intelligences.
All these types or aspects are associated through the category of general intelligence.
However, you could take them separately. This is a challenging approach, which allows one to be above average in one filed, yet very average or even below it in another.
Let us give a plastic example, a brilliant musician does not have to be extremely eloquent person, yet he or she could be very successful and highly above the average ion their field of interest.
This is a common problem regarding the use of IQ tests. They are meant to be predictors of life success.
Well, they could speak about one’s potentials in terms of fields they were related to. An IQ score would tell something about an individual’s potentials and opportunities in terms of academic and professional paths. However, even in these it is insufficient to tell about the future success.
Exceptional IQ scores
In other words, an exceptional IQ does not guarantee extreme success. You could, in fact, have an IQ of a genius, but it would not mean much if you do not use it.
High IQ score does not mean you are going to be successful, just as a lower score does not mean one would be a failure. It would be cruel and unfair to speak in these terms, especially since in practice and reality there have always been variations of both.
On one side, it depends on an individual’s personality. If you wonder how the two were connected, we would say they were intertwined.
Very high IQ would definitely affect one’s personality, while one’s personality profile would, by all means, affect the actual manifestation of someone’s IQ score. They cannot be separated from one another.
However, each of these dimensions has their own additional characteristics and nature, to call it so, that makes things even more complicated.
An exceptionally high IQ score naturally makes one curious, eager to learn, discover, experience new things, explore daring ideas et cetera. However, it would depend on the person’s nature, how they would, for example obtain knowledge.
Some would be adventurous, courageous people, ambitious to experience everything in vivo; others would be a stereotype of a scholar with a nose deep into the books. Each one could come up to amazing ideas, conclusions and solutions.
Highly intelligent people need exceptional intellectual stimulation; it is in their nature.
We could say their high intelligence make them intellectually restless, which could turn out both good and bad in an individual’s case. It depends on how you perceive it all. It depends on one’s attitude towards life.
For example, one high scorer could be very optimistic and their wide and much deeper than the average perception makes them think about how many wonderful and new opportunities lie before themselves and humankind as a whole.
The other of the same high score could be utterly pessimistic. He or she would see only the cruel reality to the last detail and dwell upon catastrophic and hopeless scenarios average people would never think about.
Each of them could be successful in academic circles; each could come up to original ideas. It depends on your attitude what would you do with your intelligence.
IQ 138 Score Meaning
Let us talk more on high scores, IQ 138 in particular. This is, by all means, an exceptional score. On WAIS-IV scale, it exceeds all other scores and stands for ‘very superior’ intelligence.
On most of scales, this score is a qualification for Mensa membership. Mensa is the world’s largest community of exceptionally intelligent individuals, engaged with the mission of research into further capabilities of human intelligence.
Mensa uses only one criterion for admission, an IQ score. It offers support to its most prominent members, good stipends and new opportunities. It is a global community that invests into discovering new potentials of human intelligence and its application for the greater good. High intelligent quotient score represents all of the above.
If we are to talk about IQ score 138 and real life functioning, we could say this score makes you belong to a very small percentage of population.
This score corresponds with PhD degrees and it is considered that of ‘gifted’ individuals, in range from 130 to 139, in one of the modern scales. It would be useful to mention that on old Lewis Terman’s scale, IQ 140 is considered that of a genius.
Therefore, IQ 138 is very high. What would it mean in your case, depends entirely on your personality and additional factors.
We could say that such a high score definitely opens up amazing opportunities in terms of high education and profession. It would definitely make you a person in need for a lot of intellectual stimulation.
You are very likely a curious individual, who is capable of seeing things from many angles. People with such high scores are capable of excellent verbal and linguistic comprehension, of abstract linguistic and logical thinking, which allows for much deeper and better understanding of the world as a whole.
The frequently mentioned downside of high IQs is that it would probably make one stand out and be a loner.
While many define this as a downside, it does not have to be so in your case. People of very high IQs, such as that of 138, are usually self-sufficient and not in need of too much interaction, because of their rich inner-life.
It may make you a loner, but not a lonely one. As we have stressed before, this would depend on one’s characteristics as a person.