Mensa ( lat. Mensa "table") - the largest, oldest and most famous organization for people with a high coefficient of intelligence [1] [2] [3] . It is a nonprofit organization open to anyone who has passed standardized IQ tests better than 98% of the population. The test should be given in the presence of observers. The organization has national groups in 50 countries, and the number of members exceeds 120 thousand people from about 100 countries [1] [2] [3] .
| Mensah Mensa international | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Year of foundation | |
| Founders | and |
| Location | |
| Representation | the whole world |
| Number of members | more than 120 thousand |
| Site | |
Content
Name origin history
Initially, it was planned to designate the name of the company Mens (from lat. - “reason”), but to avoid disagreements, the society was called Mensa (from lat. - “table, feast”). The idea of a round table is implied, where race, nationality, political views, etc. does not matter. The logo of the organization shows a square table, the so-called Parsons table, with only three legs visible.
Organization History
Ronald Barryl, an Australian barrister , and Professor Lancelot Wyer, an English scholar and lawyer, founded Mens in England in 1946. They had the idea of creating a society for smart people, with the only requirement for entry is a high IQ.
They wanted to create a non-political community free of all social differences (race, religion, and so on). The community was open to all people, regardless of their origin, whose IQ met the specified requirements, so that people could enjoy communicating with each other and participate in various social and cultural events.
Mensa accepts participants who score more than 98% who pass certain standard tests (for example, Stanford-Binet ). Since different tests show a different number of points, it makes no sense to compare the number of IQ points, only percentages. For example, the minimum acceptable result for taking the Stanford-Bean test at Mens is 132, and the Cattell test is 148.
In addition to the goal of enabling smart people to communicate with each other, Mensa also has other goals and objectives. For example, an organization participates in programs for gifted children, literacy development, and provides scholarships.
Mensa's Goals
The organization’s charter defines the following three objectives:
- support and development of human intelligence for the benefit of mankind;
- supporting research on the nature, characteristics and use of intelligence;
- providing members of society with an environment that enables them to develop intellectually.
Mensa’s charter also states that “Mensa is made up of members representing many different points of view. Therefore, Mensa cannot express Mensa’s opinion, get involved in any political actions, except to publish the results of her research, or have any ideological, philosophical, political or religious beliefs. ”
Mensa has published many books, including Mensa's Poetry (1966), an anthology of poems written by Mensa members from around the world, in different languages. Mensa Foundation , a separate American charitable corporation, edits and publishes its own Mensa research journal, which prints articles from both members and non-Mensa members, articles on various topics that discuss the concept and dimension of intelligence. National groups also publish various periodicals, such as Belyuteno Mensa, the monthly edition of American Mensa, and Mensa Magazine, and the monthly edition of English Mensa.
On the 50th anniversary of Mensa, Professor Wire, one of the founders of the organization, addressed its members with a statement that he hoped that "Mensa will have a role in society when she leaves the age of infancy and childhood." He also said: “I am very disappointed that so many members of society spend so much time solving problems,” and expressed his desire that members of Mensa solve real problems that exist in the world.
Organization Structure
Mensah International consists of more than 120 thousand members in fifty national groups. People who live in countries where there is a group can join it, and those who live in a country where there is no organization yet can join directly to the International Mens. The two largest organizations are the American Mensah, in which there are more than 56 thousand members, and the British Mensah, in which about 25.5 thousand members. Large groups are divided into smaller ones. For example, Mensah USA is divided into 134 local groups, the largest of which has more than 2 thousand members, and the smallest has less than a hundred.
In addition, members of Mensah can organize interest groups ( English Special Interest Group or SIGs) at the international, national or local level. These groups show a wide range of interests, from simple to very unusual, from a motorcycle club to entrepreneurial cooperations, which is the result of a wide variety of members of the organization, their professions and differences in social origin. Some interest groups belong to geographic groups, while others operate independently of the official hierarchy. There are also many electronic interest groups (eSIGs), which basically act as email newsletters; members of these groups can sometimes meet each other or never meet.
Meetings
There are many events in Mens for members, both local and international. Many countries hold an annual meeting. It takes place every year in different cities, with reports, dances and popular games among Mensa ( Garnelli , Poker , Mafia , Scrabble , chess ) and other entertainments. American and Canadian Mensah usually gather on US Independence Day and Canada Day .
Similar events take place at the regional level in different cities to attract members from a larger geographic area. The largest event takes place annually in the Chicago area, in time - around Halloween . One of the highlights of the event is a costume ball and competition for the best joke. Many members of Mensah plan their holidays so that they have the opportunity to attend a regional meeting in another part of the country (such as in Chicago) and make this a family annual tradition. Some members of Mensah attend 6 regional meetings annually.
In 2006, Mensah’s worldwide meeting took place from August 8 to August 13 in Orlando , Florida [4] to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the organization. Approximately 2,500 members from more than 30 countries gathered for this holiday. Mensa's international board of directors also held a formal meeting there.
The 2006 English annual meeting was held in Nottingham from September 28 to October 2 . It included the celebration of the 60th birthday of Mensah on October 1, 2006 ( October 1, 1946 is the day on which Berrill and Weir filled out papers for the organization of society).
See also
- Intertel , which requires a stay in the upper percentage.
- Societies of the International Society for Philosophical Inquiry and the Triple Nine Society , which require a stay above the 99.9th percentile .
- Mega Society - 1 in 1,000,000.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Percival, Matt The Quest for Genius . CNN (September 8, 2006). Date of treatment October 30, 2007. Archived on August 25, 2011.
- ↑ 1 2 Moore, Hilary American Mensa and Activepackets Team to Provide Mobile Users With Mensa Genius Challenge . American Mensa . Date of treatment October 30, 2007. Archived on August 25, 2011.
- ↑ 1 2 Sharma, Mukul . IQ tests are about innate intelligence , The Times of India (January 30, 2007). Date of treatment November 3, 2007.
- ↑ The Mensa World Gathering (link not available) . Date of treatment July 9, 2006. Archived July 4, 2006.