Extraordinary Achievements: A Developmental and Systems Analysis

Purpose in Life: A Brief Review of the Literature and Its Implications for School Guidance Programs

“…Lastly, pro-social reasoning moderates intention and engagement by weighing in mind the consequences of one's intentions that may affect others. One important contribution of Moran's (2009) work is that clear purpose and intention in the pro-social domain could be regarded as a form of 'interpersonal intelligence' often accompanied by a sense of morality or 'moral giftedness' (Moran, 2010;Moran & Gardner, 2006). For example, an individual who has developed a clear purpose in life is aware not only of how he or she can set personal goals and pursue a particular path, but can also anticipate how their decisions and actions could affect others.…”

Life Purpose in Youth: Turning Potential Into a Lifelong Pursuit of Prosocial Contribution

“…In particular, life purpose brings interpersonal intelligence under the guidance of intrapersonal intelligence by considering the impact of one’s efforts on others (Moran & Gardner, 2018). Intertwined in this way, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences could catalyze each other to create an amplifying feedback loop of empathy, perspective-taking, and moral concern in purposeful people (Moran, 2014a; Moran & Gardner, 2006b).…”

“…Exemplary life purpose fundamentally depends on a person’s proclivity to see ambiguous situations in terms of how others might benefit, then to do something that promotes prosocial outcomes (Moran & Gardner, 2006b). Purpose exemplars view themselves and their life through their effects on others (e.g., Colby & Damon, 1992; Daloz et al, 1996).…”

“…Precocity means starting earlier, progressing faster, or achieving a milestone younger than the norm. For example, several studies found that intellectually gifted students can be precocious in sensing moral issues within a situation (Roeper & Silverman, 2009) or reaching higher moral judgment stages (Moran & Gardner, 2006b). Exemplar studies suggested that a “trigger event” early in life can launch precocious purposes (Bronk, 2012; Matsuba & Walker, 2005; McAdams et al, 1997).…”

Measuring Multiple Intelligences and Moral Sensitivities in Education

“…Studies have shown moderate correlations among I.Q., grades and status of one's work field (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994;Sternberg, 1985;Subotnik & Arnold, 1994). However, this expectation that a high score on an intelligence test equates with school and life success has been called into question by findings that suggest people with high scores (1) do not necessarily "score" higher in the workplace in terms of salary or work satisfaction (Rode, Arthaud-Day, Mooney, Near & Baldwin, 2008); (2) endure alienation, frustration, and unhappiness (Hollingworth, 1942;Sears & Barbee, 1977), and (3) fail to live up to expectations for extraordinary achievements such as leadership and creativity (Moran & Gardner, 2006a;Terman & Oden, 1947).…”