Multiple intelligences and minds as attributes to reconfigure PR—A critical analysis

• This analysis critiques diverse theories of intelligence and the notion of multiple minds.
• Some contemporary concepts are revealed as ‘pop psychology’ and marketing hype.
• Nevertheless, ‘multiple minds’ the need for mindfulness of plurality of perspectives.
• Standpoint theory provides a framework to critique organization-centricity in PR.
• PR needs to shift its standpoint to be socially orientated, dialogic and ethical.

The fields of business and management with which public relations interacts and in which it is often located are rife with concepts, models and theories on leadership, performance, and effectiveness. Recently, these have turned attention to alleged multiple forms of intelligence, such as Howard Gardner’s claims for eight types of intelligence, which have been expanded by others to as many as 150. Gardner also proposed that humans have five minds and claimed that application of these diverse intelligences and minds can enhance human interactions and relationships. This article critically reviews the potential of these concepts and theories to reconfigure PR, identifying some useful insights, but also raising fundamental theoretical questions.