Theories of Intelligence

Alfred Binet, in 1905, was requested by the French government to devise a method by which students who experienced difficulty in school could be identified. Binet and his colleague, Theodore Simon, began developing questions that focused on areas not explicitly taught in schools those days, such as memory, and attention skills related to problem-solving. Using these questions, Binet determined which were ones that served as the best predictors of school success.

Binet quickly realized that some children were able to answer more advanced questions than older children were generally able to answer and vice versa. Based on this observation, Binet suggested the concept of mental age, or a measure of intelligence based on the average abilities of children of a certain age group. This first intelligence test is referred to as the Binet-Simon Scale. He insisted that intelligence is influenced by many factors, it changes over time, and it can only be compared in children with similar backgrounds.

'My story about work-related stress'

Looking back on my life, I recognize that I have always struggled with anxiety. In relationships, friendships or at work.
However, I misunderstood those feelings for a long time, thinking that my hyper vigilance was a positive thing which made me more productive and in-tune with others. I remember a badge I bought for myself in my early 20s which I had on my desk at work. It said “I thrive on stress. Please hassle me.”
I was always on the go, feeling like I had an edge that motivated me. The truth was that I felt anxious almost all the time. I worked in the same organization for over 20 years. I loved managing my small team of staff and felt that I thrived on the stress of work. I was in a job which I perceived to be rewarding and stressful in equal measure. I was the problem solver, the one to volunteer for any task. I worked extra hours and felt a great sense of responsibility in my role.
However, in early 2012, I began to struggle to manage the stress of my job. Thoughts and worries about work seeped into every part of my life. I would wake up at night with palpitations, worrying about a task I had not completed, or trying to remember if I had sent an urgent email.
I found that my mind wandered to work whilst I was spending time with my family. I withdrew from friends as I didn’t have the headspace to switch off and relax.

When Srikanth Bolla was born, neighbours in the village suggested that his parents smother him. It was better than the pain they would have to go through their lifetime, some said. He is a "useless" baby without eyes; being born blind is a sin, others added. Twenty-three years later, Srikanth is standing tall living by his conviction that if the "world looks at me and says, Srikanth, you can do nothing, I look back at the world and say, I can do anything." Srikanth is the Founder and CEO of Hyderabad-based Bollant Industries, an organisation that employs uneducated and challenged employees to manufacture eco-friendly, disposable consumer packaging solutions, which is worth ₹50 crore. He considers himself the luckiest man alive, not because he is now a millionaire but because his uneducated parents, who earned ₹20,000 a year, did not heed any of the 'advice' they received and raised him with love and affection. "They are the richest people I know," says Srikanth.