Macropsychology of Intelligence: Through Emotions to Theoretical Depth

Abstract

This article analyses methodological and ethical problems in the field of the macropsychology of intelligence and reviews the studies reported in the present issue of the journal. Macropsychology of intelligence studies relationships of intelligence with economic, military, social, and other achievements of large social groups, (populations of countries or regions within individual countries). These relationships were shown in numerous studies, the most important of which is that of Lynn and Vanhanen. The main problem with these studies is as follows: research in this domain can lead to a biologizing picture of the world in which a population’s genetics is directly associated with economic achievement. This possibility caused an emotional reaction in the academic community to the study of Lynn and Vanhanen and triggered superficial research in the field. In this situation, there is a need for a gradual theoretical deepening while separating research from politics. On the other hand, empirical evidence points to the complex nature of the relationship of intelligence and economic achievements: it is non-linear; the residuals of regression dependence grow linearly with the increase of national intelligence. The directions of future studies are outlined in the article: the development of accurate models of “transformation” of intellectual abilities into economic and social achievements, further research into the reproduction of  geographical patterns of intelligence and the study of the correlation between the extent of different abilities and achievements in selected areas. The clarification of empirical data and theoretical generalizations are inherent to papers presented in this issue.