Elements for a Proposal for Training Programs in Spiritual Intelligence: Hope and Trust

This article offers guidelines for the promotion of spiritual intelligence in theoretical-practical training programs in the educational field. After Howard Gardner recognized spiritual intelligence as one of the dimensions of his theory of multiple intelligences, it constitutes a necessary reference within the educational field, as it invites us to transcend challenges and facilitates coping with hopelessness and suffering, making our life meaningful. In our article, this proposal is made based on the definition of spiritual intelligence and the description of its competencies offered by Antonia Martín-Sánchez, based on our research with informants from different beliefs and using the framework of Abraham Maslow’s humanistic psychology and in the more confident and hopeful humanism of relational psychoanalysis. In this context, we analyze trust and hope, having examined components identified by authors such as Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall, Yosi Amram or M. Maxim as two competencies that allow the use of spiritual intelligence in these training programs. These competencies are classified as transcendental emotions and their conceptualization and relevance are analyzed not only in educational environments, but also in social, economic and political milieus.