Intelligence: Why Is It Important in Young Adulthood?

Young adulthood is a critical developmental stage in which individuals shape their identities, gain independence, and determine their career paths (Arnett, 2000). Like every developmental period, this stage comes with its own set of responsibilities. Career choice, social relationships, entering the workforce, and achieving financial independence are among the most prominent responsibilities. Beyond academic knowledge or cognitive skills, multidimensional aspects of intelligence such as emotion regulation, problem-solving, and social adaptation also influence career success in young adulthood. In this regard, examining intelligence from different theoretical frameworks contributes to a better understanding of young adulthood.

The Triarchic Theory of Intelligence and Career Success

Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence addresses intelligence in three components: analytical, creative, and practical intelligence (Sternberg, 1985).

1. Analytical Intelligence: This aspect of intelligence includes the mental components used to solve problems (e.g., selecting and applying formulas, choosing problem-solving strategies, and generally drawing on previously learned knowledge).

2. Creative Intelligence: The experiential component refers to the relationship between prior experience and the ability to cope with novel situations. It represents the insightful side of intelligence that enables individuals to relate what they already know to new situations and realities they have never encountered before.

3. Practical Intelligence: The contextual component takes into account the demands of real-world settings. It involves adapting to social environments, applying knowledge in daily life, and grasping implicit rules. For example, it includes adapting to professional demands in the workplace (Sternberg, 2005, 2015).

Traditional IQ tests tend to focus on the analytical dimension of intelligence. However, increasing evidence suggests that, especially when comparing adult success, the contextual component—referred to as practical intelligence—provides a more useful measure.

Practical and Emotional Intelligence

According to Sternberg, traditional IQ scores are associated with academic success. While success in the business world does require a certain level of IQ, career advancement and ultimate success among business leaders are only marginally related to IQ scores (Feldman, 2021).

Sternberg argues that career success requires practical intelligence because it involves skills learned through experience, often referred to as “tacit knowledge” (Sternberg et al., 2000).

Academic success relies largely on knowledge acquired through reading and listening, while practical intelligence is primarily learned by observing others and modeling their behaviors. Individuals with practical intelligence have a strong “social radar.” Even when faced with new situations, they can effectively analyze and respond, drawing insightful interpretations of people and circumstances based on prior experiences (Feldman, 2021). In this context, for young adults, practical intelligence is not just about possessing knowledge but about applying it flexibly and appropriately to the situation.

Another related form of intelligence is emotional intelligence, which involves the ability to recognize and regulate one’s own emotions as well as understand others’ emotions and manage social relationships (Salovey & Mayer, 1990). It enables individuals to get along with others, perceive what they feel and experience, and respond appropriately to their needs.

Thus, emotional intelligence is as decisive as technical skills for both personal and career success in young adulthood.

• Teamwork: Individuals with high emotional intelligence can work harmoniously with diverse personalities (Jordan & Troth, 2004).

• Leadership: High emotional intelligence is associated with effective leadership and motivation (Côté et al., 2010).

• Stress Management: As young adults enter the workforce and face intense stress, emotional intelligence helps them cope more effectively.

Research shows that emotional intelligence enhances both job satisfaction and job performance (O’Boyle et al., 2011). This highlights emotional intelligence as a key factor in the career success of young adults.

Creative Productivity

Although creative productivity often peaks in the late 30s to early 40s and gradually declines thereafter, young adulthood is a period marked by higher levels of creative output. One reason is that many professional challenges encountered during this period are novel. Another is that as individuals age, they often become less cognitively flexible and less inclined to adopt unconventional hypotheses and assumptions (Feldman, 2021).

A major component of creativity is the willingness to take risks. Creative individuals can be compared to stock investors who follow the “buy low, sell high” rule. They develop and support ideas that are initially overlooked or dismissed (“buying low”), assuming that eventually their value will be recognized by others (“selling high”). They are flexible enough to move away from tried-and-true methods and to evaluate new approaches.

Conclusion

Young adulthood is a critical period during which the future takes shape, and individuals construct both their personal and professional identities. In this stage, career and personal success depend not only on cognitive skills covered by analytical intelligence but also on practical adaptability, emotional regulation, and creative thinking. Sternberg’s triarchic theory demonstrates that young adults need practical intelligence and creative intelligence alongside analytical intelligence in the workplace, while emotional intelligence enables essential social skills such as collaboration, leadership, and stress management, ensuring sustainability in their careers.

Therefore, career success in young adulthood should be evaluated and supported through a multidimensional understanding of intelligence. When employers and individuals themselves value not only cognitive abilities but also the development of practical, emotional, and creative intelligence, both personally fulfilling careers and an innovative, productive workforce at the societal level will emerge.

References

• Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480.

• Sternberg, R. J., Forsythe, G. B., Hedlund, J., Horvath, J. A., Wagner, R. K., Williams, W. M., … & Grigorenko, E. L. (2000). Practical intelligence in everyday life. Cambridge University Press.

• Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185–211.

• Jordan, P. J., & Troth, A. C. (2004). Managing emotions during team problem solving: Emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. Human Performance, 17(2), 195–218.

• Côté, S., Lopes, P. N., Salovey, P., & Miners, C. T. (2010). Emotional intelligence and leadership emergence in small groups. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(3), 496–508.

• O’Boyle, E. H., Humphrey, R. H., Pollack, J. M., Hawver, T. H., & Story, P. A. (2011). The relation between emotional intelligence and job performance: A meta‐analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(5), 788–818.

• Feldman, R. S. (2021). Discovering the life span (5th ed.). Pearson.

• Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence. Cambridge University Press.