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The Gifted Child's Struggle
Giftedness can create problems and conflicts; being a gifted child can also mean difficulty socializing with age peers, thinking styles that don't always mesh well with the demands from the environment, even children who see themselves as little adults, challenging teachers and parents.
"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him... a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - - - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating."
-Pearl Buck-

Video preview: https://vimeo.com/131701761

Obviously, children who are gifted are going to surprise you early in their development by such characteristics as talking early with a vocabulary well beyond their age-peers, learning to read before kindergarten, understanding addition and subtraction by early in kindergarten, intense curiosity, reduced need for sleep and increased energy level. Not all gifted children develop the same or show all of these characteristics.

(Scroll down to skip the story and see characteristics that interfere with proper identification and even misdiagnosis)

I remember being in the second grade with Mrs. Hefty. At the time I was very interested in learning about all of the creatures living outdoors; insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds. I remember struggling to stay still and pay attention to the boring once upon a time stories the teacher read during reading circle, and wondering why we couldn't be outside experiencing life and learning about what was real. If the teachers are so smart, I remember thinking, why don't they give the answers while the students ask the questions. I got in trouble a lot. "Mrs. Mason, Bradley doesn't sit still during reading circle, he wanders away, he asks off-topic questions, and SOMEBODY put a live snake in the top drawer of my desk," her notes and requests for conferences read.

Then next year I was placed in a very large classroom with about 40 students and two teachers, one for language arts, one for math and science. We were separated into two groups, the Turtles and the Roadrunners. Can you believe it? Oh, and I was a turtle. I felt indignant. Well, guess what, by the middle of third grade things still weren't going very well. I was moved to a very structured classroom with an older teacher, Mrs. Rosenthal. BORING! No room to wiggle or explore at all.

Fortunately, I came up with a solution. My great aunt recognized my intense interest in nature's creatures, sending me field guides so I could identify and learn the living habits belonging to many of nature's inhabitants; insects, butterflies especially (Yeah, I was a butterfly chaser), amphibians and reptiles, birds. I still wasn't reading well, but in the structured classroom with the desks lined up, I was able to open one of my prized books and hide it behind the kid in front of me while the teacher droned on. When she caught me and took away the book, I had a backup ready in my backpack for the moment she became more interested in the academic material and quit attending carefully to the students in front of her.

So I learned to read. Suddenly, like crazy, I was reading everything. I read 146 books and won the book reading contest. I taped numbers on the spines of my books, organized them on shelves, made 3 x 5 index cards with notes about them like in the library. I was first runner up in the spelling bee for grades 1-5, misspelling aardvark. I took the leading role in the school play, rewriting some of the lines to make them more poetic. I wasn't a turtle anymore!

In fourth grade my parents moved from Detroit to El Paso. I learned to speak Spanish very quickly. My teacher had some kind of breakdown and was replaced. The last time I saw her was when she dragged my friend Michael out of the class by his hair, came back into the room, everybody was talking not listening and she yelled "Shit," right before the principal came in and led her away. The new teacher let me read ahead and do research as soon as I quickly finished my boring worksheets, so I was very good for her. We had a deal. I began doing the UIL competitions and getting to talk more with kids who had interests and analytical minds like me, which was a relief. I had a hard time understanding why some of my age-peers had the interests and conversation topics that I could not find interesting or worthy.

As time went on, I had teachers that I did both well and poorly for in terms of behavior and attitude. The grades and academic work were never a problem again. For the teachers who seemed to like and understand me, who challenged me with more difficult and advanced projects, I was a helpful and grateful student. For other teachers, it seemed my divergent thinking style, my questing of the status quo, was seen as a threat and an aberration, something to be disciplined out of me and not allowed in the classroom. These teachers did not like me, I did not like them, we made each other uncomfortable the whole school year long.

I started high school at Klein High, recognized statewide for academic excellence. I had already taken advanced science and math classes customary for the HS freshman year in middle school. In the middle of my freshman year we moved to Boerne, a small mostly agricultural and ranching community. I was in classes with sophomores and juniors, some smart kids I could identify with. They all graduated and my senior year I took Home Economics Cooperative Education and Honors English IV, leaving about 11am to go work and make money to fuel my hot rod habit. I regarded my last two years of high school as a waste of time. I did learn how to make cars go fast and how to party and not get caught, I was tutored by the adults at the restaurant I worked in. I graduated third in my class.

I started college adrift with no sense of purpose. I had received no advice or guidance about declaring a major or choosing a vocation. It was a difficult and senseless period of time, I was in college because that was the next step but my goals were vague and unelaborated. My grades were mediocre. I switched schools to SWT because I had friends there and the girls were pretty when I visited. I was very lucky because I found two professors in the psychology department who took an interest in me, challenging me with advanced classes and the opportunity to work with them outside of classes on research design. Our projects were difficult, interesting, and socially relevant. My grades became A's. I got my name on work that was published, got to present work at some large conferences, travelling with my professors. They encouraged me to go to graduate school and wrote outstanding letters of recommendation.

I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English and Psychology. One of my English professors offered me a job and a stipend of 600.00 per month to pursue a Master's degree in Creative Writing. I felt pressure to get out of the restaurant business and get a real job making real money, so I took the first professional job I was offered, personnel consulting for commissions pay when applicants are placed into high-tech jobs. I was a headhunter, and I hated it. Adrift again, I think the only thing that steered my back to a path of purpose, productivity, and engagement with life was my memories of those teachers who clearly saw me as good, valuable, someone who could make contributions at a level of surprise, creativity, and excellence. Thanks Mrs. Billie Hoffman, Dr. Archer, Dr. Ogletree. You didn't know it at the time, but you made all the difference.

The reason I share this life story with you is to illustrate the importance of a positive attitude, a nurturing and encouraging relationship, and a willingness to accept differences and accommodate for the student who is different. I wanted to convey the impact both of the harm caused by mismatched inflexible social and academic environments and a rejecting teacher or parent attitude and of the soul-sustaining impact of a few parents or teachers who can look past the shortcomings and light a fire to the potential of a student by encouraging not dousing their aptitudes and interests.

Oftentimes gifted children excel intellectually with broad leaps in vocabulary, academics, and abstractions, but socially and emotionally remain at chronological age level development or even lag behind (called asynchronous development). These children can appear defiant, self-centered, manipulative, morally inept, they can be seen as making bad choices on purpose, lazy, and disrespectful of authority. What follows is a list of some of the types of problems that can arise.

Gifted Child Characteristics

Social/Emotional Issues:

-Hard to fit in and find friends

-Problems intensified by the same characteristics that make them gifted

-Asynchronous development

-Anxiety; intense concerns about death, sex, the future, adult level of prediction and comprehension coupled with child level of emotional coping and wisdom

-Physical development may lag behind the minds ability to envision an outcome, resulting in extreme frustration made worse by perfectionism
Advanced Verbal Reasoning:
-Debate, argument, manipulative little lawyer

-Insecurity arises in children allowed to manipulate their parents

-Advanced sense of humor can result in rejection by peers due to their lack of appreciation

-Tendency to seek adults or older peers for discussion leaves them out of synch with age-peers
Perfectionism and Emotional Sensitivity
-Fear of failure and refusal to try

-May require full details before venturing a reply making them appear shy

-May stay at the periphery of a group trying to analyze all of the details for meaning before engaging and appear withdrawn

-Caught by the tension between how things are and how things could or should be

-Comments and criticism taken VERY personally

-May become preoccupied with issues of social injustice; war, starvation, bullying, if overloaded by this type of information can create "existential depression" or an apocalyptic worldview

Five Domains of overexciteability: they may have insatiable appetite for input in these domains as well as become overwhelmed by their heightened sensitivity and input

Psychomotor- rapid speech and abundant physical energy

Sensual- sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, captured by sensory experiences, attends to details unnoticed by others

Intellectual- love of ideas and learning, what if and why? perfectionist

Imaginational- imaginary friends, rich fantasy life, creative

Emotional- intense feelings, heightened sensitivity to others' feelings
Misdiagnosis
Medical and mental health professionals rarely receive training in identification and treatment of gifted individuals as ADHD, ODD, Bipolar, OCD, Anxious, or having Asperger Syndrome. Managed care has created a push for a quick diagnoses and medication. Few exceptional children fit any diagnostic categories well and may sort of fit many diagnostic categories, creating confusion and dis-abling labels.

Sometimes it's not the child but the environment that creates the problems. Some children and adults may be twice exceptional, having both a learning disability or difference, as well as being gifted. These two conditions may mask one another resulting in inappropriate or lack of proper treatment.

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Gifted Child characteristics that interfere with proper identification:
Boredom with and refusal of rote and routine tasks, like homework

Self-critical and frustration with mistakes

Difficulty shifting from one topic or activity to the next

Critical of others and authority figures

Inapproprate jokes

Emotionally over-reactive

Lack of interest in details, don't turn in homework

Stubborn and non-conforming

Dominating or controlling of others

Defiant of authority

Excessive focus on topic of interest

Weak follow through when they have learned what they were after

Resentment of working with those of lesser ability

Weak ability to organize time and assignments
Signs of Perfectionism:
Worries over small mistakes

Difficulty making choices

Focuses on the one thing that's wrong

Fiercely competitive

Carried away with details

Own worst critic

Never satisfied with own work

Makes excuses or blames others for mistakes

Overly upset when a skill or activity doesn't come easily

Skips time to rest, play, or socialize because there is too much work

Puts off big projects

Trouble letting go and finishing big projects

These people believe; you are what you do, the world is watching, failure would be totally humiliating, perfect performance gives them a sense of control that they think will relieve their anxiety
Tempering Perfectionism
Attunement: don't disagree, describe wishes or fears, offer affection until they are less upset, you can reflect but downgrade with semantics to help shift perspective; "I'm an idiot" = "You are frustrated with your mistake."

Identify what went right and praise effort and persistence over outcome

Don't correct their homework

Allow failures and disappointments

Teach smart self-talk and coping strategies but not when they are upset

Focus on reasonable effort rather than "Doing your best."

Conclusion

The gifted child will feel different. They may see themselves as little adults, noticing adults who are not as smart as they are, believing if they are not treated as adults it is grossly unfair. They may appear bossy, rude, and demanding. They may be perfectionists in some areas and disorganized slobs in other areas. They may have trouble sleeping because they are so busy thinking. Try expressing understanding of their perspective, offer respect and choices, give reasons but don't debate about rules and adult expectations. Group them with like minds, don't downplay their feelings, help them create an emotional scale and learn how to manage their feelings. Gifted children often need special help like counseling just like children with disabilities can, gifted children also often have problems with ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and dysgraphia. The literature is full of famous people who made brilliant contributions but were deemed a failure in school. Obviously, the gifts and talents of these people such as Einstein and Edison were overlooked while they were ostracized and rejected for their differences. It is still possible to identify a child as having problems due to a mental or behavioral disorder and overlook that the problems are secondary to or occur with giftedness and the ability to excel under the right conditions. I have often considered that giftedness in public education can present a handicapping condition created by a mismatch in environmental demands and an individual's unique profile of strengths and weaknesses.
Gifted Child Course
Resources/helpful websites:
www.Giftedkids.about.com
www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html
www.brainy-child.com
Sign up for the newsletter by clicking here. You will also get the free Mindgarden mini-course which will help you teach kids how to manage thoughts, temper perfectionism, deal with teasing, and more.

If you would rather have a course in dealing with oppositional-defiant behavior and managing behavior effectively, click here.

Daniels, S. & Piechowski, M. (2009). Living With Intensity. Tuscon, Arizona: Great Potential Press

Delisle, J. & Galbraith, J. (2002). When Gifted Kids Don't Have all the Answers. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.

Elgin, S. (1996). The Gentle Art of Communicating with Kids. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kennedy-Moore, E. & Lowenthal, M. (2011). Smart Parenting for Smart Kids. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.

Shenk, D. (2011) The Genius in all of Us. New York: Anchor books.

Walker, S. (2002). The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.

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Gifted Child- Can they be hard to teach and parent? - Intensive Care for You

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The Gifted Child's Struggle Giftedness can create problems and conflicts; being a gifted child can also mean difficulty socializing with age peers, thinking styles that don't always mesh well with the demands from the environment, even children who see themselves as little adults, challenging teachers and parents.

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Forgetfulness and lack of organization are two of the most common problems associated with ADHD. These traits are even more frustrating in the case of a gifted student because it's tempting to believe that the child is gifted enough to know better. But as a concerned mom, you know that just "knowing better" doesn't make it any easier!

The person who diagnosed your child with ADHD has probably explained to you already all the reasons for the difficulties. If not, let me refer you to the following books: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment by Russell Barkley, Driven to Distraction by Ed Hallowell and John Ratey, and It's Nobody's Fault: New Hope and Help for Difficult Children by Harold Koplewicz. Each book provides at least a chapter on the medical bases for the symptoms of ADHD. The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented also carries some outstanding monographs that summarize research on the topic.

As to your questions about what you can expect from the schools and where to get help, let me start by asking you to take a few preliminary steps: Is your son forgetful primarily in one class or is it in all his classes? In some types of assignments but not others? Does the problem appear to be random or is it consistent? What does the problem "look" like? Does he leave materials at school when they are supposed to be brought home, or does he leave things at home that are supposed to be brought to school? Is he usually late? In other words, try to look at the problems as specifically as you can.

Another way of thinking about disorganization and forgetfulness is that these are issues related to inefficiency, not inability. And if that is true, you need to know the tasks in which he is particularly inefficient. From there you can go on to remedy the problem in concrete and logical ways. For example, if the problem is that he always forgets take-home papers at school, you can give him a three-hole punch to keep at his desk. That way, any paper that crosses his hands gets immediately punched and put into a notebook that he can sort out later. What needs to happen is that your son must learn to create new habits. Before he can do that, however, he needs to know which behaviors and situations he should focus on. You need to be as creative as possible in establishing new habits -- as you know, what may work for students who do not have ADHD might not necessarily be effective for those who do. So try to think broadly about the solutions, even if some of your ideas are unconventional. Remember to get your son's assistance in this. He may himself have some intuitions about possible solutions, even if he can't think of them at the time he's confronted with the challenging situation!

Many books about ADHD have excellent strategies that target specific behaviors -- there are so many on the market that I hesitate to recommend just one or two. A trip to a nearby bookstore or library should give you some good ideas. For accounts of real-life experience with real kids, you might also want to check the following websites:
Our own LD/ADHD homepage,
or www.oneaddplace.com.
These sites have information and resources for and by parents who have faced the kinds of issues you are asking about and some of their solutions might work for you.

As for the school's responsibility in assisting you with these problems, you might want to ask the school counselor or principal about your son's 504 plan, which outlines the accommodations to which students are legally entitled. Accommodations such as extended time may help your son with some of his disorganization problems (Remember, if this is a problem of inefficiency, more time to do his work might help). Or you might want to consult the previously mentioned websites to find out more about your son's rights, as well as the school's responsibilities. In addition, such organizations as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) would be able to give you information about people in your area who might be of help, including the names of some professionals who could provide extra tutoring in organization and time management if the school is not able to offer sufficient accommodations. Incidentally, the annual CHADD conference always includes a great vendor area that has all kinds of products to assist students with disorganization and forgetfulness! Good luck!

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Forgetfulness and lack of organization are two of the most common problems associated with ADHD. These traits are even more frustrating in the case of a gifted student because it's tempting to believe that the child is gifted enough to know better. But as a concerned mom, you know that just "knowing better" doesn't make it any easier!

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Time Management for Gifted Kids

Learn to Tame Time

Gifted kids find it especially difficult to manage their time. When a child is so interested and stimulated by her world, school projects and after-school programs can easily become overwhelming. Highly motivated minds may tend towards perfectionism and idealism, leading many gifted kids to overcommitment and even burnout. You are your child's best resource, so become her time-management expert now and launch into a smooth back-to-school routine.

Know Your Child

More specifically, know your child's learning style. Is he an analyzer or a visualizer? Does he think step-by-step or more holistically?

Knowing how your child learns and thinks will help you choose the tool that's right for him to get organized. Will it be a grid or a picture? A to-do list or a flow-chart?

Many gifted kids don't want to structure their time, so prepare yourself to be flexible and creative. Organizing just one day might be a good way to show him the limitations of his time and the priority-setting he'll need to do.

Before you sit down with him, know your own plan for homework rules, regular routines, and free-time choices.

Know Your Plan

Before your child can master time, you'll need to set some ground rules.

What happens after school? You can take this time to talk about the school day in a relaxed way. Have a snack and get all the news. Plus, you can help your child decide if the rest of the day holds enough time for everything he wants and needs to accomplish.

Schedule homework first thing. This may be difficult, but your child needs this type of structure to learn priorities.

Find your child's homework space with his needs in mind. Some kids need a quiet environment with no distractions; others can work just as well at the kitchen table with music playing. If you haven't already, read the Know Your Child section.

Make sure reference books are within easy reach of her study spot.

Offer her this learning tip: Studying smaller amounts of information for several days is more effective than one marathon all-nighter.

Stay involved. Find the mid-point between paying no attention to your child and overbearing watchfulness. Younger children need more supervision than older children, who are developing self-discipline. When your child is in middle school, if you are still helping with daily homework, it's time to let go. Be a resource she can go to, not a constant crutch.

Too much work? There will be times when she'll have more work than she can accomplish, or when a project is going so well she doesn't want to put it aside. This is an ideal time to teach perfectionists to prioritize -- not everything deserves a maximum amount of time. Sometimes, it's okay to "skim the surface," especially when she's feeling overwhelmed or the project isn't high priority. Then you can establish consequences for not completing assignments that are important.

Plan ahead for relaxing activities like television, books, and play. Zoning out can be refreshing and can give him time to incubate ideas. Review your child's hobbies and interests. What helps him best recharge his batteries: time alone; time with friends; time with books, a favorite TV show, a pet, or a pet project? Help him set aside time every day for this. Choosing TV programs or video games in advance will balance his needs for other kinds of fun and self-care.
Time Tools

Setting up a way to manage your gifted child's time depends in large part on how your child thinks.

Logical, analytical thinkers keep neat notebooks and like to organize. Their sock drawers are neat. Creative, holistic, or "feeling" thinkers have looser ways of keeping organized. They might keep their socks on the floor, over the door, and in the drawer -- but they know where they are!

Keeping your gifted child's mind in mind, here's your jumping off point for finding the right time-management tool. Play and experiment with the following examples. You and your child will have time right where you want it.

Charts and Pictures

Planning by Picture
One way to engage kids who are visual learners is to make a time chart that looks like a favorite topic.

For example, start with a large multi-tiered hamburger. In a 24-hour day, how much lettuce, cheese, or ketchup will he need? Is cheese the homework? Is the sauce his free time? Let your child have fun deciding.

Planning by Pie Chart
Try planning by pie chart! Here's an example.

Print out your own blank pizza chart to schedule on!

Use anything that will serve the end goal: a system for time management that keeps your child involved in her own successful planning.

Ready for more Resources? Try These:
CEC Approved and Suggested Books

Grids and Lists

Here are some examples for setting up a schedule. The priorities for each activity will change daily. One day, for example, the long-term research paper might not be as important as practicing for an upcoming recital. And remember to "plan for planning." Balancing long- and short-term goals takes energy, thought, and time!

Choose a few of the designs below, try them out with your gifted child, and decide together what's best for now. If you need to, you can reinvent your tool anytime. What's important is that you get started before school does.

Planning by Activity

Planning by Time

Planning by To-Do List

Wednesday

Priority

Activity

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Learn to Tame Time Gifted kids find it especially difficult to manage their time. When a child is so interested and stimulated by her world, school projects and after-school programs can easily become overwhelming. Highly motivated minds may tend towards perfectionism and idealism, leading many gifted kids to overcommitment and even burnout.

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Many gifted students struggle with time management and organization skills due to the intense, quick-paced nature of their thoughts and ideas. Kids who work with advanced subject matter or less structured lesson plans may be more susceptible to chaotic disorganization that prevents them from achieving at their full potential. There are many ways parents and teachers can help their gifted students get organized and stay on track of assignments without constraining them.

Be a good example. Disorganized kids won't improve their time management or organizational skills if their teachers and parents don't have good skills themselves. Kids look up to the adults in their lives for guidance, so set a high standard for how you clean up after yourself and get things done on time.

Write things down. Getting a gifted student his or her own agenda or online calendar can encourage that student to take control of how he or she plans ahead and prepares for upcoming due dates, tests, and social events. It may take some support and practice, but when kids get into the habit of writing things down and seeing their month's schedule laid out, they may become more inclined to keep track of what's going on.

Set specific routines. Whether at home or in the classroom, doing daily activities at the same time every day can give students a nice, dependable structure that keeps them aware of the time. Once a kid gets into the routine of brushing his or her teeth every day at 8 or reading a book at 2:30, they will understand how to set and maintain consistent habits.

Be patient. More often than not, it'll take a bit of work to get scatterbrained kids to believe in the importance of organization and actually begin to do it on their own. Let them maintain some control over what they do and how they do it, but offer guidance and motivation for staying clean and in order.

Assign tasks. Giving kids the duty of organizing their binders once a week or setting the table before dinner each night lets them know that they have a part to play in how the classroom or house runs. This helps them see that when they manage their time and keep things in check, it helps others complete what they need to do.

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Many gifted students struggle with time management and organization skills due to the intense, quick-paced nature of their thoughts and ideas. Kids who work with advanced subject matter or less structured lesson plans may be more susceptible to chaotic disorganization that prevents them from achieving at their full potential.

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We are a K-12, Collaborative Learning Committee comprised of VBCPS Gifted Resource Teachers who are working in tandem to support the goals outlined in the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted and the VBCPS Compass to 2020 Strategic Framework.

Please contact your child's Gifted Resource Teacher, should you wish to make an individual appointment regarding any of the strategies shared in this newsletter:

Barbara Kimpan, Glenwood ES

Valerie Frederick, Rosemont Forest ES

Sunny Betancourt, New Castle ES

Melissa Knight, Providence ES

Michelle Eastlake, Salem MS

Angela Boubouheropoulos, Salem HS

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We are a K-12, Collaborative Learning Committee comprised of VBCPS Gifted Resource Teachers who are working in tandem to support the goals outlined in the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted and the VBCPS Compass to 2020 Strategic Framework.

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Gifted advocacy is a mixed bag. It is also an education.

Advocacy, that unexpected, uninvited guest in the lives of a gifted child's family, is thrust upon them with little warning. Parents of gifted children find that they must educate themselves about giftedness - and that it falls upon them to speak up for their child's needs. They must grasp the enormity of their child's intellectual and social/emotional needs (and sometimes, twice-exceptional challenges); assess the local school's limitations, the community's resources, and the state's gifted ed regulations and laws; and decide how to proceed with their child's schooling. Parents of gifted children receive a fast-track education into the world of giftedness and quickly develop a surprising level of expertise. They never bargained for this, yet find that they must assume the role of advocate. Frustrating, demanding, eye-opening, disheartening - and occasionally rewarding - advocacy becomes an endurance challenge. They are in it for the long haul.

Advocacy sometimes receives a bad rap - especially when it relates to giftedness. Advocating for educational needs associated with disabilities, deficits, learning challenges, or disadvantages is justifiably applauded and much deserved. But gifted advocacy is often misunderstood and imbued with stigma, stereotypes and outdated perceptions of what gifted children need. Advocate parents are sometimes unfairly viewed as pushy, entitled tiger moms, eager to ensure that their precious snowflakes receive advantages beyond what "average" kids are allotted. Gifted children are often portrayed as hot-housed, test-prepped rich kids, who are merely high achievers striving to get ahead, and no different than anyone else. Even those who excel are disparaged by the media. Some disavow the concept of giftedness altogether.

Gifted education is not legally protected or mandated in many states in the U.S., depriving parents (and supportive teachers) of any authority to insist on an appropriate education. Even when there are legal supports, many school districts create roadblocks, or plead financial hardship. Some claim gifted programs are elitist or promote wealth inequality. Others recommend disbanding gifted education programs. Rather than identifying creative solutions for addressing inequity, the excellence gap, or underidentification of gifted minority and low-income students, advanced academic programming is sometimes slated for elimination.

Given the startling amount of misinformation, bias, and heated emotion that accompanies this debate, it falls upon parents to be advocates and educators. Yes, educators. You may not have signed up for the job, but you must take up this mantle. Wherever you go, and wherever your child goes - it will fall upon you to tactfully, assertively, insistently educate others about giftedness.

Advocacy may be necessary, for example, with teachers, administrators, school board members, classmates' parents, neighbors, family members, coaches, camp counselors, babysitters, music/dance/acting teachers, physicians, your religious community, counselors, and the person at the grocery check-out counter. Even if your child attends a school for gifted children, or you homeschool, biases and misunderstanding still persist within the greater community, and your insight is needed.

Advocacy education can include any or all of the following explanations and examples:

1. Gifted individuals have advanced intellectual abilities found among only 1-5% of the population, identified through formal IQ testing. This means that their thinking is different, and they grasp information with greater depth and complexity, and at a faster pace. This is unrelated to motivation or achievement. You cannot push, hot-house or test-prep yourself to be gifted.

2. Giftedness does not discriminate. Individuals of all ethnic, racial and socio-economic backgrounds are gifted Some are not as readily identified due to flawed screening tools or impoverished early learning environments. Gifted education is not elitist and is not intended to only target wealthy families. Eliminating gifted programming will not create equity; it will merely abolish gifted education for all students who would benefit, including disadvantaged students.

3. Some gifted children struggle with emotional intensities, and react strongly to situations. They may be highly sensitive, possess a strong sense of fairness and social justice, and may question everything. Asynchronous development may affect their maturity level, and interfere with social skills, social judgment in the classroom, or fitting in with peers. (Your young child may talk a blue streak, and although that meltdown in aisle six might be a surprise to store personnel, you may need to explain that your child's intellect does not equate with his/her behavior.)

4. "Gifted" may be a controversial term, as the word evokes emotional reactions and stereotypical images. Unfortunately, we're stuck with it for now, and need to ensure that the educational/diagnostic term is distinguished from any lay terminology or assumptions. No, not every child is "gifted" - even though, hopefully, all parents view their child is a joyful gift. We all may possess certain gifts and talents; however, giftedness is a distinct label that reflects an intellectual difference from the norm. It is not a choice, and cannot be taught or achieved through hard work.

5. Gifted education is a right and not a privilege. It is not an elitist construct. Gifted kids are not "just fine" when they are relegated to tutoring their peers, or resort to reading novels at their desks while waiting for the class to catch up. Ignoring their intellectual needs can be destructive. Without an appropriate education, they act out, underachieve, feel disconnected from school, fail to learn executive functioning skills, develop a distorted view of "hard work" or what they might achieve, and their potential is wasted. They may become anxious, depressed, hopeless, and resentful toward authority. What is sometimes incorrectly labeled as "outgrowing giftedness" is often the result of inertia, underachievement, or the impact of an inadequate education.

You are not hovering or "helicoptering" when you advocate for your gifted child - or for the rights of all gifted children. Advocacy is not "bragging," trampling on other parents' and students' rights, eliminating your child's autonomy or need for personal responsibility, or "coddling" your child in order to avert any hardship. Gifted children's intellectual needs lie outside the norm and they deserve an appropriate education tailored to their abilities. They also deserve society's understanding and compassion, rather than disdain, envy and, at best, neglect.

You bear witness as your gifted child's intellect and sensitivities unfold, and can best educate others about these unique differences and essential need for services. Educate yourself through books, articles, online forums and parent advocacy groups. Challenge your own fears and hesitation about your "right" to advocate. Then, get out there and help educate others about giftedness!

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Gifted advocacy is a mixed bag. It is also an education. Advocacy, that unexpected, uninvited guest in the lives of a gifted child's family, is thrust upon them with little warning. Parents of gifted children find that they must educate themselves about giftedness - and that it falls upon them to speak up for their child's needs.

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By Maria Blackburn

Sending a child who loves to learn off to school with a roomy backpack and a healthy lunch means you've prepared them to face the day. But for many parents of bright kids, their child's success in school also requires a dose of advocacy.

Whether it's speaking with a teacher about one second grader's ability to learn algebra or lobbying for education policy changes affecting thousands of students, parents play a critical role in advocating for the needs of advanced pre-college learners, says Jonathan Plucker, president of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and the Julian C. Stanley professor of talent development at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and School of Education.

It's not easy work. "There is still the prevailing stereotype that you don't need to worry about gifted students because they'll be fine without your help," says Plucker. Additionally, "unless you live in a big school district, there may not be many parents and educators in your area who are really concerned about gifted education."

Fortunately, there are effective advocacy strategies to share, Plucker says. In advance of the annual NAGC Leadership & Advocacy Conference held March 15-17 in Alexandria, Va., he offers this advice about being a successful advocate for advanced learners:

It's about relationships. When seeking assistance on an issue at your child's school, start with your child's classroom teacher and approach them as a partner. NAGC has resources on how to make classroom meetings successful. When working with a policymaker, "always remember to thank them for helping and try to bring them well-researched solutions, instead of just telling them that things have to change," Plucker says.

Connect with others. There are no federal requirements for gifted students, which means that families may encounter a range of gifted education policies and resources from state to state and district to district. However, there are other advocates in your state who share your cause. Find them through your state's gifted education association or NAGC. In addition, the Council for Exceptional Children also has advocacy resources.

Do your homework. "Know your child's test scores and any other relevant data when advocating at school,"Plucker says."It's also important to know your state's statues and policies, which are available on your state's education department web site. Having this knowledge can be helpful when making your case wherever you are."

One size does not fit all. "This work is more of an art than a science - there is no single argument that's effective for everyone," he says. One argument Plucker has not found to be effective is that advanced students have special needs. "I don't know anyone who doesn't think their child is special," he says. "I've found it's more effective to make the argument about gifted students needing resources in terms of the issue being about economic and cultural development - and that students need to be challenged so they can compete at an international level."

Don't give up. "Advocacy is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash," Plucker says.You're going to get a lot of no's, but it's important to keep going. "Advocacy is the long game. If you can help your child immediately, that is awesome," he says. "It you want go on to advocate on the state and federal level, that's even better. The goal here is that we change the system."

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Advocating for your gifted child: advice from NAGC President Jonathan Plucker

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By Maria Blackburn Sending a child who loves to learn off to school with a roomy backpack and a healthy lunch means you've prepared them to face the day. But for many parents of bright kids, their child's success in school also requires a dose of advocacy.

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Educational Advocacy for Gifted Students

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This article by Julia Osborn is the third in a series of three articles on the processes parents go through in raising an exceptionally gifted child. This article, based upon a study of 12 exceptionally gifted students, discusses the experiences of these parents in advocating for appropriate school placement for their children.

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After discovering your child needs something different in school, your child's teacher is your first contact. Though the thought of approaching the teacher can be daunting, there are several actions you can take to increase the chances of a successful outcome:

Talk with your child about exactly what happens in the classroom and what she might like to see change.

Collect information about the options in your state, district, and school. Contact your state's gifted association or go to the state pages of the NAGC website to see what the education policy is in your state. Talk with the district curriculum coordinator or gifted coordinator, if there is one, about options for advanced learners in your district and school.

Develop a description of what it is you want to happen. Is it for testing for admission in a gifted program, or for more challenging work in a specific discipline(s)? Try to narrow down the specific skills your child is ready to tackle and how he might do that. Be specific.

Think about how you can be a partner with your child's teacher. Differentiating for many types of learners is difficult. Are you able to spend some time in the classroom? Can you bring in mentors?

Approach the teacher as an ally in your child's education, not a roadblock. Be open to what he says, acknowledge the limitations in the system, but be firm in moving towards your goals.

Make sure you walk out of your meeting with clearly defined "next steps" and a timetable.

If the teacher does not have the ability to help, you will be ready to talk with the principal, superintendent, and, if necessary, the school board. You might find you need a bigger voice. Parent Groups can be more effective in creating change than individual parents.

Remember to speak positively at home about your child's teacher and school. Complaining about the teacher or school allows your child to blame the teacher for his own lack of effort.

You are the most important advocate for your child's education, so don't be shy; just do it with tact and flexibility.

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After discovering your child needs something different in school, your child's teacher is your first contact. Though the thought of approaching the teacher can be daunting, there are several actions you can take to increase the chances of a successful outcome: Talk with your child about exactly what happens in the classroom and what she might like to see change.

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#5 Affective eTip on Anxiety and Depression

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By Cheryl Ackerman.
In a society that largely considers gifted adults to be those who have achieved some significance in their field, and which focuses almost all of its attention (when it pays any at all) on gifted children, it is challenging to think about gifted adults in other ways. Even among professionals working with the gifted, there is a lack of attention paid to gifted adults. Because of this lack of attention, most information available on gifted adults focuses on those who have achieved great eminence. However, the gifted adult community is much broader than that. But who are gifted adults? Are they the grown-ups who were involved in gifted programs when they were in school? Are they the ones who were considered prodigies in math, music, or some other culturally valued endeavor? Are they the people who live next door to you and appear to live a normal lifestyle? The answer, as you might have guessed, is: Yes. They can be any of these people. It is important to remember that just because a person was not identified as gifted when they were in school, doesn't mean she isn't a gifted individual. In addition, something that may seem as benign as whether or not a person was identified as gifted can have significant effects on the development of his self-concept and self-esteem. While the fundamental characteristics of gifted adults are the same regardless of whether or not they were identified earlier in life, those who were not identified face the challenge of making sense of their gifted characteristics without the gifted label to guide them in any way. Those who were identified are challenged to make sense of themselves in light of that label. While there is limited literature available on gifted adults and how to help them understand and manage their social and emotional needs, there are three articles on the SENG website that address these issues. Each focuses on something different and compelling. Tolan's article, Discovering the gifted ex-child focuses on the developmental trajectory of gifted individuals from childhood to adulthood. She also addresses some of the challenges gifted adults experience, such as: Lovecky, in her article and includes both positive and negative aspects of each. Lovecky also offers recommendations for self-growth - nurturing the self and nurturing interpersonal relationships. Can you hear the flowers sing? Issues for gifted adults- Acknowledging your own gifts; - Nurturing your identity development; - Giving yourself permission to be a growing, changing imperfect person; - Taking advantage of and coping with overexcitabilities; - Learning practical coping skills (recognizing and dealing with stress and learning and using effective communication skills). Also of interest is her brief discussion of how adults often become more in-tune with their own giftedness when they begin addressing their children's giftedness, in some cases, discovering their own giftedness, which was never identified during their school years. While limited, these three articles provide excellent information if you are looking to understand yourself better in light of your existing or emerging identification as gifted. The material may also be useful as you try to understand other adults, or help your children as they transition into adulthood. , describes five characteristics of gifted adults:
Lind offers suggestions on how gifted adults can develop their own giftedness in her article Fostering adult giftedness: Acknowledging and addressing affective needs of gifted adults. She focuses on five important social and emotional needs:

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In a society that largely considers gifted adults to be those who have achieved some significance in their field, and which focuses almost all of its attention (when it pays any at all) on gifted children, it is challenging to think about gifted adults in other ways.

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By Deirdre V. Lovecky.
Citation: Copyright © American Counseling Association. Reprinted with permission from Journal of Counseling and Development, May 1986. No further reproduction authorized without written permission of the American Counseling Association.
There has been comparatively little focus in the literature on the characteristics and social and emotional needs of gifted adults. Using observational data, the author attempts to delineate some of the positive and negative social effects of traits displayed by gifted adults. Five traits (divergency, excitability, sensitivity, perceptivity, and entelechy) seem to produce potential interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict. Unless gifted adults learn to value themselves and find support, identity conflicts and depression may result. Emphasis on self-growth through knowing and accepting self leads to the discovery of sources of personal power. Nurturing relationships through realistic expectations and learning to share oneself provides a supportive environment in which gifted adults can grow and flourish.

Although the personality traits and social and emotional needs of gifted children have been widely described (Erlich, 1982; Terman, 1925; Torrance, 1962; Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan, 1982), there has been comparatively little focus on gifted adults. Numerous longitudinal studies have indicated that the early advantage experienced by gifted children continues into adulthood and that gifted children become adults of superior vocational achievement, generally satisfied with themselves and their lives (Oden, 1968; Terman & Oden, 1947,1959). Nevertheless, by age 62, most gifted men have experienced the same dissatisfactions with family life as have most people (R.R. Sears, 1977). The gifted women reported to be happiest have been those with the best coping skills, which are dependent on early experience (P.S. Sears & Barbee, 1977). In fact, the effects of early experience, particularly in terms of early educational advantage, seem to be one of the most important contributory factors in later adult achievement (Bloom, 1964; Oden, 1968; Terman, 1925).

In studies of male scientists (Roe, 1952), creative artists and writers (Cattell, 1971), female mathematicians (Helson, 1971), and architects (MacKinnon, 1962), among others, the predominant characteristics found included impulsivity, curiosity, high need for independence, high energy level, introversion, intuitiveness, emotional sensitivity, and nonconformity.

For the most part, the literature on gifted adults does not address the social impact of the various traits described. Piechowski and Colangelo (1984) indicated that certain modes of mental functioning are not socially valued because their expression causes discomfort in others. These traits were termed overexcitabilities, that is, wider and more intense experiences in psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional areas. Gifted adults seem to be characterized by imaginational, intellectual, and emotional overexcitabilities.

In this article I attempt to delineate some of the social aspects (both positive and negative) of traits displayed by gifted adults. I selected gifted adults from among my colleagues, acquaintances, friends, and psychotherapy clients. Of the 15 gifted adults included, 6 were therapy clients. There were 8 women and 7 men ranging in age from 20 to 79. Of these, 6 were doctoral-level professionals, 4 were master's-level professionals, and 3 were students. Fields of endeavor included the social sciences, education, medicine, the biological sciences, business and computers, art, literature, and history. Identification of giftedness was based on a variety of criteria, including identification of giftedness in childhood, memory of scores on achievement or IQ tests, SAT scores, current professional achievement, or attainment of national recognition for achievement.

Using anecdotal and observational material as a basis, I describe five traits that seem to be present in gifted adults and that seem to be central features of their giftedness. The goal is to generate a group of hypotheses about gifted adults and their interactions with others. Further explorations of these preliminary ideas, using more refined research methodology, will undoubtedly provide a more elaborate explanation of the impact of giftedness on the lives of those concerned.

Characteristics of Gifted Adults There seem to be five traits that produce potential interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict: divergency, excitability, sensitivity, perceptivity, and entelechy. The first three traits have been derived from Torrance's (1961, 1962, 1965) descriptions of creatively gifted children. The last two traits were developed from discussions with gifted adults. These traits seem to be an integral part of giftedness; however, the behavioral manifestations of these traits may vary depending on other physiological and personality factors, such as tolerance for ambiguity, degree of introversion or extroversion, and preference for particular types of sensory input. Gifted adults may exhibit several of the traits. The gifted adults who served as a basis for this article all exhibited at least three (divergency, excitability, and sensitivity).

Although the traits in themselves are neutral, their behavioral manifestations make them socially and emotionally significant. For example, the trait of sensitivity can be manifested as empathy, commitment, touchiness, intensity, or vulnerability. Thus, in any individual, the sum of the behavioral manifestations may be viewed as positive or negative.

Trait Descriptions Divergency. A preference for unusual, original, and creative responses is characteristic of divergent thinkers. The positive side of the trait includes people who are often high achievers, innovative in a number of fields, task committed, self-starters, and highly independent. Many theoretical scientists, writers, artists, composers, and philosophers are divergent thinkers. Einstein, Freud, and the French impressionists are examples of gifted adults successful in using their divergent thinking ability.

Divergent thinking has positive social and emotional value. Gifted adults possessing this trait are able to find creative solutions to a wide variety of problems, including interpersonal problems, and are able to see several aspects of any situation. In an organization, they are often the "idea" people who bring challenge and enthusiasm to others. They find deep personal satisfaction in the development of new ideas. Divergent thinkers challenge stereotypes. Socially, they bring color to the lives of others, who may use their example to find the courage to break the bonds of conformity and decrease the effects of prejudice.

On the negative side, divergent thinkers encounter difficulty in situations in which group consensus is important. They are often dedicated to their own ideas and find it difficult to support ideas they find foolish. The usual rewards may not motivate divergent thinkers. In fact, they may ignore a reward system imposed by others to work on their own. In social situations, divergent thinkers may not fit in. Common social rules, such as not criticizing others publicly or not disagreeing with one perceived by the majority to be influential, may be disregarded. The dilemma of the divergent thinker is one of maintaining identity in the face of pressure to conform. A highly divergent thinker is often a minority of one. If no one else hears the flowers singing, the divergent thinker may experience alienation and eventually an existential depression.

Excitability. High energy level, emotional reactivity, and high nervous system arousal characterize the trait of excitability. Although excitability and hyperactivity may seem to be similar, they are fundamentally different in that gifted adults with the trait of excitability are able to focus their attention and concentration for long periods of time, to use their energy productively in a wide variety of interests, and to do many things well. These gifted adults enjoy the excitement of taking risks and meeting challenges. This risk taking is dissimilar to that found in mania or impulsivity in that the gifted adult (a) is aware of the consequences of the risk, (b) takes risks in the form of challenges rather than reckless activities, and (c) knows when to stop.

The high energy level of these gifted adults allows them to produce prodigiously in whatever most captures their interest. They often pave the way for others to follow with refinements of their innovative ideas. Many inventors and entrepreneurs have the trait of excitability. Thomas Edison and Leonardo da Vinci are examples of people who possessed this trait.

The trait of excitability has positive social and emotional value. Productivity and risk taking create new ideas and innovations. There is energy to spend on a variety of projects and personal concerns without the necessity of choosing whether to expend energy on work or self. Finally, these gifted adults know their feelings, act on the basis of these feelings, and are unafraid of the appropriate expression of feelings.

On the negative side, gifted adults with this trait may find it difficult to self-regulate. Boredom and the need for stimulation can produce a habit of constant activity. Some gifted adults may be unable to follow through on projects because they crave novelty. A cycle of high interest and activity for a new venture, followed by loss of interest when the novelty decreases and details must be addressed, can leave others feeling frustrated and angry. In addition, some gifted adults may feel little satisfaction with what has been achieved. Their dilemma is one of always doing but feeling little gratification because others often reap the rewards accruing from the long-term development of their initial ideas. A chronic depression that triggers more activity may be the result. These gifted adults may know that the flowers sing but may never have a chance to enjoy them.

Sensitivity. A depth of feeling that results in a sense of identification with others characterizes the trait of sensitivity. Gifted people form deep attachments and react to the feeling tone of situations; they think with their feelings. People who are highly sensitive make commitments to other people and to social causes. They can be enthusiastic and intensely single-minded about their dedication. Poets, Investigative reporters, Peace Corps workers, and political and religious leaders are often gifted in sensitivity. Examples of such people include St. Francis of Assisi, Elizabeth Blackwell, Emily Dickinson, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Virginia Woolf.

People gifted with the trait of sensitivity find positive social and emotional benefit in their deep concern for the needs and rights of others, their empathy for the feelings of others, and their desire to help even at significant cost to themselves. These gifted adults may be unusually aware of the feeling tone of situations and of the more sensual aspects of the environment, such as color and shading. They are often aware of their own shortcomings. Some gifted adults feel a sense of unity with the cosmos, an experience of a universal sharing of self. Adults gifted with sensitivity tend to be highly moral people concerned with giving and with doing what is right for others.

On the negative side, these gifted adults may not understand that others do not feel so deeply or intensely or that others may have different priorities. They may be very intolerant of the needs of others when they perceive those needs to be superficial.

Adults gifted in sensitivity may be so sensitive that others may hesitate to share problems with them. In fact, other people may believe that the gifted adult experiences their pain more intensely than they do, and they may feel robbed of their own feelings. These gifted adults must learn to guard their vulnerability while still remaining sensitive to others, to continue caring in the face of rejection, and to moderate emotional responsiveness so that they feel "with" rather than "for." The risk is that they will become isolates who avoid relationships that could nurture them. They hear the flowers singing, feel a unity with the universe, and want everyone else to hear the song as well.

Perceptivity. An ability to view several aspects of a situation simultaneously, to understand several layers of self within another, and to see quickly to the core of an issue are characteristic of the trait of perceptivity. These gifted adults are able to understand the meaning of personal symbols and to see beyond the superficiality of a situation to the person beneath. Skilled at understanding motivations, they may be able to help others to understand themselves. Adults gifted with perceptivity are those who can hear the flowers singing within others not yet aware of their own gifts. Their intuition and ability to understand several layers of feeling simultaneously help them to assess people and situations rapidly. In fact, they are often skilled at sensing the incongruency between exhibited social facades and real thoughts and feelings. Another aspect of perceptivity concerns the recognition of and need for truth. Social facades displayed by others may seem to this gifted adult to be a sort of lie. Adults gifted in this way detect and dislike falsehood and hypocrisy.

People who are gifted at "seeing" often seem to have a touch of magic about them. Religious and political leaders, philosophers, creative therapists, writers, and poets may be especially gifted with perceptivity. Jane Austen, Langston Hughes, Anne Hutchinson, William Shakespeare, and Henry David Thoreau are all examples.

Positive social and emotional correlates of the trait of perceptivity include the ability of these gifted adults to view their own behavior somewhat objectively, to assess their own as well as others' motivations, and to base their responses on perceptions of underlying dynamics. They are aware not only of what their own needs are but also of the necessity of avoiding internal stress by learning to use their perceptions to know what they truly want. Often, they will decide to do what is best for themselves despite the disapproval of others.

On the negative side, this trait can present difficulties in interpersonal relationships because others, unaware of what the gifted adult sees so clearly, feel both vulnerable and threatened. For the gifted adult, seeing several layers of a person may be confusing. It may be difficult to pair the response obtained with what the situation seemed to indicate was required. The more discrepancy between the inner self and outer face, the more uncomfortable the gifted adult may feel.

The dilemma of this gifted adult is whether to hide the insights and respond superficially to the social facade or to use the gift and risk rejection. Either course may produce constraint and difficulty with spontaneity. Finding interpersonal support is a major priority for these gifted adults; the risk is fear of closeness and intimacy.

Entelechy. From the Greek word for having a goal, entelechy bespeaks a particular type of motivation, inner strength, and vital force directing life and growth to become all the self is capable of being. Adults gifted in entelechy are highly attractive to others who feel drawn to openness, warmth, and closeness. Being near someone with this trait gives others hope and motivation to achieve their own self-actualization. Teachers, therapists, physicians, and social reformers may be among those so gifted. Examples include Helen Keller, Carl Rogers, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

People gifted in entelechy bring deep feelings to a relationship. By spontaneously expressing feelings, they encourage others to do so as well. Their example of overcoming obstacles and their continuing support and interest encourage others to grow. They not only hear the flowers singing but invite others to hear them too.

People gifted in entelechy are capable of creating "golden moments" of friendship, those special times when two people are truly their best selves and able to share on a deep level (N. Jenckes, personal communication, December 26, 1984). Gifted adults may find sources of rare intimacy; however, they may also find an overwhelming number of people who want contact but have little to offer in return. They may feel vulnerable to and intruded on by the demands of others who may feel cheated that the promise implied in the initial sharing cannot continue. The dilemma of these gifted adults is to find ways to nurture the self through others while avoiding the expenditure of vital personal resources on others' needs. The risk is anxiety about requests from others and avoidance of closeness in interpersonal relationships.

Options For Self Growth The five traits described may lead to crises; gifted adults continuously face choices that seem to lead either to denial of gifts or rejection by others. Unless they learn to value self and find support from others, these adults will experience identity crises whenever the conflict resurfaces. This process entraps creative energy, which is then lost to creative production.

Gifted adults can learn to deal creatively with their conflicts. Although many use the resources of psychotherapy, one of the primary traits of adult giftedness is a need for independence. Thus, they may wish to find their own unique ways to nurture themselves and to develop supportive relationships. Some options to be considered might include the following.

Nurturing the Self. Knowing and loving all aspects of oneself enables one to find and use sources of personal power.

Knowing oneself. Discovering personal symbols can help gifted people understand and value their insights and intuitions. Personal symbols can be explored in a variety of ways, including daydreaming, analysis of dreams, poetry writing, sketching, and the use of imagery and visualization techniques. Lazarus (1977) described visualization techniques and Moffat and Painter (1974) described the use of journal writing to define and maintain self in a sometimes hostile world.

Accepting oneself. Valuing their uniqueness is necessary for gifted adults in accepting themselves. Valuing and accepting negative traits can be a means of freeing energy to deal creatively with life. If the gifted adult is able to accept faults and vulnerabilities, then the positive sides of these traits can come to light. Energy will not be focused on feeling unhappy about self or on denying faults and failings. Most creativity develops from the energy found in discontent; using discomfort as a sign that creative energy is available allows for the taking charge of self rather than for feeling fated to misfortune.

Finding sources of personal power. Freeing self the constraints that inhibit use of creativity by listening to inner messages is one means of finding personal power. Learning to use loneliness rather than avoiding or fearing it can be an important means of increasing personal power (C.A. Martin, personal communication, June 12, 1984). Many gifted adults are lonely because of a lack of true peers. Feeling comfortable with oneself, having a wide variety of interests, knowing that there are some people who value at least parts of themselves, and viewing lonely times as a chance of further self-care and self-exploration are ways of growing in personal power.

Nurturing Interpersonal Relationships. Having realistic and sensitive expectations for oneself and others and being able to share oneself with others are vital to the development of supportive interpersonal relationships. Gifted adults often have high expectations for themselves and others. Sometimes they forget that other people are not gifted in the ways they are. In fact, gifted adults may need to develop an appreciation for the talents of others. Recognition of others' talents can lead to warm friendships in which different talents can complement each other. The lives of Salieri and Mozart might have been completely different had each been able to value the other.

Understanding the effects of one's giftedness on others entails a realization that the same behaviors may elicit different responses from different people and from the same people at different times. For example, emotional intensity can be energizing at one time but exhausting at another. Different limits may have to be negotiated with individuals (D.K. Baker, personal communication, December 22,1984). Just as sensitive gifted adults may cause others to feel robbed of deep feelings, the anxiety expressed by others may cause the gifted person to feel robbed of the chance to make decisions about the relationship. Learning to set clear boundaries and to negotiate particular limits on giving, expenditure of time and energy, and individual needs for distance and expression of uniqueness can help gifted adults feel some sense of choice in a relationship.

Because of their inner depth and complexity, gifted adults may need to find a large number of friends, each of whom can meet some needs and reflect some aspects of self. Gifted adults sometimes expect to share everything with one person and over-look the special relationships that can develop around one interest or one facet of self.

Sharing one's particular gifts with another can be a source of both self-sustenance and connectedness to others. Some gifts are easier to share with individual friends; others may require a larger audience. A special kind of sharing occurs in the writing of poetry, as described by Harrower (1972). She discussed the need to communicate as an integral part of the experience of writing a poem. Writing poetry is a self-enhancing process that occurs by connecting the writer in some new way to other people, it is from this sort of sharing that emotional growth is fostered.

Gifted adults can use their special talents to help others find their own creativity and their own sources of inner power. Finding ways of sharing self can enhance both people in a relationship and bring depth to that relationship as it grows and changes over time.

Conclusion Gifted adults, perhaps more than any other group, have the potential to achieve a high degree of self-actualization. Despite the problems that being gifted can bring, the positive social and emotional aspects of giftedness can more than compensate for the problems. To continue to hear the flowers singing and to turn visions and dreams to reality throughout an entire lifetime is a goal to be desired by every gifted adult.

References Bloom, B.S. (1964). Stability and change in human characteristics. New York: Wiley. Cattell, R.B. (1971). Abilities: Their structure, growth and action. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Erlich, V.Z. (1982). Gifted children. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Harrower, M. (1972). The therapy of poetry. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Helson, R. (1971). Women mathematicians and the creative personality. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 36, 210-219. Lazarus, A. (1977). In the mind's eye. New York: Guilford Press. MacKinnon, D.W. (1962). The nature and nurture of creative talent. American Psychologist. 17, 484-495. Moffat, M.J., & Painter, C. (1974). Diaries of Woman. New York: Random House. Oden, M.H. (1968). The fulfillment of promise: Forty-year follow-up of the Terman gifted group. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 77, 3-93. Piechowski, M.M., & Colangelo, N. (1984). Developmental potential of the gifted. Gifted Child Quarterly. 28, 80-88. Roe, A. (1952). The making of a scientist. New York: Dodd, Mead. Sears, P.S., & Barbee, A.H. (1977). Career and life satisfaction among Terman's gifted women. In J.C. Stanley, W.C. George, & C.H. Solano (Eds.). The gifted and the creative: A fifty-year perspective. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Sears, R.R. (1977). Sources of life satisfaction of the Terman gifted men. American Psychologist, 32, 119-128. Terman, L.M. (1925). Mental and physical traits of a thousand gifted children. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Terman, L.M., & Oden, M.H. (1947). The gifted child grows up. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Terman, L.M., & Oden. M.H. (1959). The gifted group at midlife. Stanford. CA: Stanford University Press. Torrance, E.P. (1961). Problems of highly creative children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 5, 31-34. Torrance, E.P. (1962). Guiding creative talent. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Torrance, E.P. (1965). Gifted children in the classroom. New York: Macmillan. Webb, J.T., Meckstroth, E.A., & Tolan, S.S. (1982). Guiding the gifted child. Columbus: Ohio Psychology Publishing Company

By Deirdre V. Lovecky.
Citation: Copyright © American Counseling Association. Reprinted with permission from Journal of Counseling and Development, May 1986. No further reproduction authorized without written permission of the American Counseling Association.
There has been comparatively little focus in the literature on the characteristics and social and emotional needs of gifted adults. Using observational data, the author attempts to delineate some of the positive and negative social effects of traits displayed by gifted adults. Five traits (divergency, excitability, sensitivity, perceptivity, and entelechy) seem to produce potential interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict. Unless gifted adults learn to value themselves and find support, identity conflicts and depression may result. Emphasis on self-growth through knowing and accepting self leads to the discovery of sources of personal power. Nurturing relationships through realistic expectations and learning to share oneself provides a supportive environment in which gifted adults can grow and flourish.

Although the personality traits and social and emotional needs of gifted children have been widely described (Erlich, 1982; Terman, 1925; Torrance, 1962; Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan, 1982), there has been comparatively little focus on gifted adults. Numerous longitudinal studies have indicated that the early advantage experienced by gifted children continues into adulthood and that gifted children become adults of superior vocational achievement, generally satisfied with themselves and their lives (Oden, 1968; Terman & Oden, 1947,1959). Nevertheless, by age 62, most gifted men have experienced the same dissatisfactions with family life as have most people (R.R. Sears, 1977). The gifted women reported to be happiest have been those with the best coping skills, which are dependent on early experience (P.S. Sears & Barbee, 1977). In fact, the effects of early experience, particularly in terms of early educational advantage, seem to be one of the most important contributory factors in later adult achievement (Bloom, 1964; Oden, 1968; Terman, 1925).

In studies of male scientists (Roe, 1952), creative artists and writers (Cattell, 1971), female mathematicians (Helson, 1971), and architects (MacKinnon, 1962), among others, the predominant characteristics found included impulsivity, curiosity, high need for independence, high energy level, introversion, intuitiveness, emotional sensitivity, and nonconformity.

For the most part, the literature on gifted adults does not address the social impact of the various traits described. Piechowski and Colangelo (1984) indicated that certain modes of mental functioning are not socially valued because their expression causes discomfort in others. These traits were termed overexcitabilities, that is, wider and more intense experiences in psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional areas. Gifted adults seem to be characterized by imaginational, intellectual, and emotional overexcitabilities.

In this article I attempt to delineate some of the social aspects (both positive and negative) of traits displayed by gifted adults. I selected gifted adults from among my colleagues, acquaintances, friends, and psychotherapy clients. Of the 15 gifted adults included, 6 were therapy clients. There were 8 women and 7 men ranging in age from 20 to 79. Of these, 6 were doctoral-level professionals, 4 were master's-level professionals, and 3 were students. Fields of endeavor included the social sciences, education, medicine, the biological sciences, business and computers, art, literature, and history. Identification of giftedness was based on a variety of criteria, including identification of giftedness in childhood, memory of scores on achievement or IQ tests, SAT scores, current professional achievement, or attainment of national recognition for achievement.

Using anecdotal and observational material as a basis, I describe five traits that seem to be present in gifted adults and that seem to be central features of their giftedness. The goal is to generate a group of hypotheses about gifted adults and their interactions with others. Further explorations of these preliminary ideas, using more refined research methodology, will undoubtedly provide a more elaborate explanation of the impact of giftedness on the lives of those concerned.

Characteristics of Gifted Adults There seem to be five traits that produce potential interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict: divergency, excitability, sensitivity, perceptivity, and entelechy. The first three traits have been derived from Torrance's (1961, 1962, 1965) descriptions of creatively gifted children. The last two traits were developed from discussions with gifted adults. These traits seem to be an integral part of giftedness; however, the behavioral manifestations of these traits may vary depending on other physiological and personality factors, such as tolerance for ambiguity, degree of introversion or extroversion, and preference for particular types of sensory input. Gifted adults may exhibit several of the traits. The gifted adults who served as a basis for this article all exhibited at least three (divergency, excitability, and sensitivity).

Although the traits in themselves are neutral, their behavioral manifestations make them socially and emotionally significant. For example, the trait of sensitivity can be manifested as empathy, commitment, touchiness, intensity, or vulnerability. Thus, in any individual, the sum of the behavioral manifestations may be viewed as positive or negative.

Trait Descriptions Divergency. A preference for unusual, original, and creative responses is characteristic of divergent thinkers. The positive side of the trait includes people who are often high achievers, innovative in a number of fields, task committed, self-starters, and highly independent. Many theoretical scientists, writers, artists, composers, and philosophers are divergent thinkers. Einstein, Freud, and the French impressionists are examples of gifted adults successful in using their divergent thinking ability.

Divergent thinking has positive social and emotional value. Gifted adults possessing this trait are able to find creative solutions to a wide variety of problems, including interpersonal problems, and are able to see several aspects of any situation. In an organization, they are often the "idea" people who bring challenge and enthusiasm to others. They find deep personal satisfaction in the development of new ideas. Divergent thinkers challenge stereotypes. Socially, they bring color to the lives of others, who may use their example to find the courage to break the bonds of conformity and decrease the effects of prejudice.

On the negative side, divergent thinkers encounter difficulty in situations in which group consensus is important. They are often dedicated to their own ideas and find it difficult to support ideas they find foolish. The usual rewards may not motivate divergent thinkers. In fact, they may ignore a reward system imposed by others to work on their own. In social situations, divergent thinkers may not fit in. Common social rules, such as not criticizing others publicly or not disagreeing with one perceived by the majority to be influential, may be disregarded. The dilemma of the divergent thinker is one of maintaining identity in the face of pressure to conform. A highly divergent thinker is often a minority of one. If no one else hears the flowers singing, the divergent thinker may experience alienation and eventually an existential depression.

Excitability. High energy level, emotional reactivity, and high nervous system arousal characterize the trait of excitability. Although excitability and hyperactivity may seem to be similar, they are fundamentally different in that gifted adults with the trait of excitability are able to focus their attention and concentration for long periods of time, to use their energy productively in a wide variety of interests, and to do many things well. These gifted adults enjoy the excitement of taking risks and meeting challenges. This risk taking is dissimilar to that found in mania or impulsivity in that the gifted adult (a) is aware of the consequences of the risk, (b) takes risks in the form of challenges rather than reckless activities, and (c) knows when to stop.

The high energy level of these gifted adults allows them to produce prodigiously in whatever most captures their interest. They often pave the way for others to follow with refinements of their innovative ideas. Many inventors and entrepreneurs have the trait of excitability. Thomas Edison and Leonardo da Vinci are examples of people who possessed this trait.

The trait of excitability has positive social and emotional value. Productivity and risk taking create new ideas and innovations. There is energy to spend on a variety of projects and personal concerns without the necessity of choosing whether to expend energy on work or self. Finally, these gifted adults know their feelings, act on the basis of these feelings, and are unafraid of the appropriate expression of feelings.

On the negative side, gifted adults with this trait may find it difficult to self-regulate. Boredom and the need for stimulation can produce a habit of constant activity. Some gifted adults may be unable to follow through on projects because they crave novelty. A cycle of high interest and activity for a new venture, followed by loss of interest when the novelty decreases and details must be addressed, can leave others feeling frustrated and angry. In addition, some gifted adults may feel little satisfaction with what has been achieved. Their dilemma is one of always doing but feeling little gratification because others often reap the rewards accruing from the long-term development of their initial ideas. A chronic depression that triggers more activity may be the result. These gifted adults may know that the flowers sing but may never have a chance to enjoy them.

Sensitivity. A depth of feeling that results in a sense of identification with others characterizes the trait of sensitivity. Gifted people form deep attachments and react to the feeling tone of situations; they think with their feelings. People who are highly sensitive make commitments to other people and to social causes. They can be enthusiastic and intensely single-minded about their dedication. Poets, Investigative reporters, Peace Corps workers, and political and religious leaders are often gifted in sensitivity. Examples of such people include St. Francis of Assisi, Elizabeth Blackwell, Emily Dickinson, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Virginia Woolf.

People gifted with the trait of sensitivity find positive social and emotional benefit in their deep concern for the needs and rights of others, their empathy for the feelings of others, and their desire to help even at significant cost to themselves. These gifted adults may be unusually aware of the feeling tone of situations and of the more sensual aspects of the environment, such as color and shading. They are often aware of their own shortcomings. Some gifted adults feel a sense of unity with the cosmos, an experience of a universal sharing of self. Adults gifted with sensitivity tend to be highly moral people concerned with giving and with doing what is right for others.

On the negative side, these gifted adults may not understand that others do not feel so deeply or intensely or that others may have different priorities. They may be very intolerant of the needs of others when they perceive those needs to be superficial.

Adults gifted in sensitivity may be so sensitive that others may hesitate to share problems with them. In fact, other people may believe that the gifted adult experiences their pain more intensely than they do, and they may feel robbed of their own feelings. These gifted adults must learn to guard their vulnerability while still remaining sensitive to others, to continue caring in the face of rejection, and to moderate emotional responsiveness so that they feel "with" rather than "for." The risk is that they will become isolates who avoid relationships that could nurture them. They hear the flowers singing, feel a unity with the universe, and want everyone else to hear the song as well.

Perceptivity. An ability to view several aspects of a situation simultaneously, to understand several layers of self within another, and to see quickly to the core of an issue are characteristic of the trait of perceptivity. These gifted adults are able to understand the meaning of personal symbols and to see beyond the superficiality of a situation to the person beneath. Skilled at understanding motivations, they may be able to help others to understand themselves. Adults gifted with perceptivity are those who can hear the flowers singing within others not yet aware of their own gifts. Their intuition and ability to understand several layers of feeling simultaneously help them to assess people and situations rapidly. In fact, they are often skilled at sensing the incongruency between exhibited social facades and real thoughts and feelings. Another aspect of perceptivity concerns the recognition of and need for truth. Social facades displayed by others may seem to this gifted adult to be a sort of lie. Adults gifted in this way detect and dislike falsehood and hypocrisy.

People who are gifted at "seeing" often seem to have a touch of magic about them. Religious and political leaders, philosophers, creative therapists, writers, and poets may be especially gifted with perceptivity. Jane Austen, Langston Hughes, Anne Hutchinson, William Shakespeare, and Henry David Thoreau are all examples.

Positive social and emotional correlates of the trait of perceptivity include the ability of these gifted adults to view their own behavior somewhat objectively, to assess their own as well as others' motivations, and to base their responses on perceptions of underlying dynamics. They are aware not only of what their own needs are but also of the necessity of avoiding internal stress by learning to use their perceptions to know what they truly want. Often, they will decide to do what is best for themselves despite the disapproval of others.

On the negative side, this trait can present difficulties in interpersonal relationships because others, unaware of what the gifted adult sees so clearly, feel both vulnerable and threatened. For the gifted adult, seeing several layers of a person may be confusing. It may be difficult to pair the response obtained with what the situation seemed to indicate was required. The more discrepancy between the inner self and outer face, the more uncomfortable the gifted adult may feel.

The dilemma of this gifted adult is whether to hide the insights and respond superficially to the social facade or to use the gift and risk rejection. Either course may produce constraint and difficulty with spontaneity. Finding interpersonal support is a major priority for these gifted adults; the risk is fear of closeness and intimacy.

Entelechy. From the Greek word for having a goal, entelechy bespeaks a particular type of motivation, inner strength, and vital force directing life and growth to become all the self is capable of being. Adults gifted in entelechy are highly attractive to others who feel drawn to openness, warmth, and closeness. Being near someone with this trait gives others hope and motivation to achieve their own self-actualization. Teachers, therapists, physicians, and social reformers may be among those so gifted. Examples include Helen Keller, Carl Rogers, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

People gifted in entelechy bring deep feelings to a relationship. By spontaneously expressing feelings, they encourage others to do so as well. Their example of overcoming obstacles and their continuing support and interest encourage others to grow. They not only hear the flowers singing but invite others to hear them too.

People gifted in entelechy are capable of creating "golden moments" of friendship, those special times when two people are truly their best selves and able to share on a deep level (N. Jenckes, personal communication, December 26, 1984). Gifted adults may find sources of rare intimacy; however, they may also find an overwhelming number of people who want contact but have little to offer in return. They may feel vulnerable to and intruded on by the demands of others who may feel cheated that the promise implied in the initial sharing cannot continue. The dilemma of these gifted adults is to find ways to nurture the self through others while avoiding the expenditure of vital personal resources on others' needs. The risk is anxiety about requests from others and avoidance of closeness in interpersonal relationships.

Options For Self Growth The five traits described may lead to crises; gifted adults continuously face choices that seem to lead either to denial of gifts or rejection by others. Unless they learn to value self and find support from others, these adults will experience identity crises whenever the conflict resurfaces. This process entraps creative energy, which is then lost to creative production.

Gifted adults can learn to deal creatively with their conflicts. Although many use the resources of psychotherapy, one of the primary traits of adult giftedness is a need for independence. Thus, they may wish to find their own unique ways to nurture themselves and to develop supportive relationships. Some options to be considered might include the following.

Nurturing the Self. Knowing and loving all aspects of oneself enables one to find and use sources of personal power.

Knowing oneself. Discovering personal symbols can help gifted people understand and value their insights and intuitions. Personal symbols can be explored in a variety of ways, including daydreaming, analysis of dreams, poetry writing, sketching, and the use of imagery and visualization techniques. Lazarus (1977) described visualization techniques and Moffat and Painter (1974) described the use of journal writing to define and maintain self in a sometimes hostile world.

Accepting oneself. Valuing their uniqueness is necessary for gifted adults in accepting themselves. Valuing and accepting negative traits can be a means of freeing energy to deal creatively with life. If the gifted adult is able to accept faults and vulnerabilities, then the positive sides of these traits can come to light. Energy will not be focused on feeling unhappy about self or on denying faults and failings. Most creativity develops from the energy found in discontent; using discomfort as a sign that creative energy is available allows for the taking charge of self rather than for feeling fated to misfortune.

Finding sources of personal power. Freeing self the constraints that inhibit use of creativity by listening to inner messages is one means of finding personal power. Learning to use loneliness rather than avoiding or fearing it can be an important means of increasing personal power (C.A. Martin, personal communication, June 12, 1984). Many gifted adults are lonely because of a lack of true peers. Feeling comfortable with oneself, having a wide variety of interests, knowing that there are some people who value at least parts of themselves, and viewing lonely times as a chance of further self-care and self-exploration are ways of growing in personal power.

Nurturing Interpersonal Relationships. Having realistic and sensitive expectations for oneself and others and being able to share oneself with others are vital to the development of supportive interpersonal relationships. Gifted adults often have high expectations for themselves and others. Sometimes they forget that other people are not gifted in the ways they are. In fact, gifted adults may need to develop an appreciation for the talents of others. Recognition of others' talents can lead to warm friendships in which different talents can complement each other. The lives of Salieri and Mozart might have been completely different had each been able to value the other.

Understanding the effects of one's giftedness on others entails a realization that the same behaviors may elicit different responses from different people and from the same people at different times. For example, emotional intensity can be energizing at one time but exhausting at another. Different limits may have to be negotiated with individuals (D.K. Baker, personal communication, December 22,1984). Just as sensitive gifted adults may cause others to feel robbed of deep feelings, the anxiety expressed by others may cause the gifted person to feel robbed of the chance to make decisions about the relationship. Learning to set clear boundaries and to negotiate particular limits on giving, expenditure of time and energy, and individual needs for distance and expression of uniqueness can help gifted adults feel some sense of choice in a relationship.

Because of their inner depth and complexity, gifted adults may need to find a large number of friends, each of whom can meet some needs and reflect some aspects of self. Gifted adults sometimes expect to share everything with one person and over-look the special relationships that can develop around one interest or one facet of self.

Sharing one's particular gifts with another can be a source of both self-sustenance and connectedness to others. Some gifts are easier to share with individual friends; others may require a larger audience. A special kind of sharing occurs in the writing of poetry, as described by Harrower (1972). She discussed the need to communicate as an integral part of the experience of writing a poem. Writing poetry is a self-enhancing process that occurs by connecting the writer in some new way to other people, it is from this sort of sharing that emotional growth is fostered.

Gifted adults can use their special talents to help others find their own creativity and their own sources of inner power. Finding ways of sharing self can enhance both people in a relationship and bring depth to that relationship as it grows and changes over time.

Conclusion Gifted adults, perhaps more than any other group, have the potential to achieve a high degree of self-actualization. Despite the problems that being gifted can bring, the positive social and emotional aspects of giftedness can more than compensate for the problems. To continue to hear the flowers singing and to turn visions and dreams to reality throughout an entire lifetime is a goal to be desired by every gifted adult.

References Bloom, B.S. (1964). Stability and change in human characteristics. New York: Wiley. Cattell, R.B. (1971). Abilities: Their structure, growth and action. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Erlich, V.Z. (1982). Gifted children. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Harrower, M. (1972). The therapy of poetry. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Helson, R. (1971). Women mathematicians and the creative personality. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 36, 210-219. Lazarus, A. (1977). In the mind's eye. New York: Guilford Press. MacKinnon, D.W. (1962). The nature and nurture of creative talent. American Psychologist. 17, 484-495. Moffat, M.J., & Painter, C. (1974). Diaries of Woman. New York: Random House. Oden, M.H. (1968). The fulfillment of promise: Forty-year follow-up of the Terman gifted group. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 77, 3-93. Piechowski, M.M., & Colangelo, N. (1984). Developmental potential of the gifted. Gifted Child Quarterly. 28, 80-88. Roe, A. (1952). The making of a scientist. New York: Dodd, Mead. Sears, P.S., & Barbee, A.H. (1977). Career and life satisfaction among Terman's gifted women. In J.C. Stanley, W.C. George, & C.H. Solano (Eds.). The gifted and the creative: A fifty-year perspective. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Sears, R.R. (1977). Sources of life satisfaction of the Terman gifted men. American Psychologist, 32, 119-128. Terman, L.M. (1925). Mental and physical traits of a thousand gifted children. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Terman, L.M., & Oden, M.H. (1947). The gifted child grows up. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Terman, L.M., & Oden. M.H. (1959). The gifted group at midlife. Stanford. CA: Stanford University Press. Torrance, E.P. (1961). Problems of highly creative children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 5, 31-34. Torrance, E.P. (1962). Guiding creative talent. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Torrance, E.P. (1965). Gifted children in the classroom. New York: Macmillan. Webb, J.T., Meckstroth, E.A., & Tolan, S.S. (1982). Guiding the gifted child. Columbus: Ohio Psychology Publishing Company

By Evelyn King Metcalf. It's times like these, after a day in the trenches of teaching gifted eight-year-olds to write a paragraph, in the midst of "be nice," "listen," "use your 'I' statements" or "y

By Carolyn Kottmeyer and Amy Harrington. Take some time during this holiday season to look back over the list of blogs we've reviewed so far in 2014. Then take some time to suggest other blogs for us

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Can You Hear the Flowers Sing? Issues for Gifted Adults

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By Deirdre V. Lovecky. There has been comparatively little focus in the literature on the characteristics and social and emotional needs of gifted adults. Using observational data, the author attempts to delineate some of the positive and negative social effects of traits displayed by gifted adults.

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By Noks Nauta and Frans Corten (Kumar Jamdagni , trans.).
Citation: From Tijdschrift voor Bedrijfs- en Verzekeringsgeneeskunde (Journal for Occupational and Insurance Physicians). 2002 10(11) 332-335. Reprinted with permission.
Gifted adults (people with a very high intelligence; 2% of the population) sometimes are not able to function adequately at work. Their high intelligence can cause them to dysfunction when adapting to the work situation, sometimes leading to absenteeism and disability. Hardly any scientific research on this topic has been performed. This article describes some characteristics of gifted people.

The problems at work are explained using examples from the work floor. Based on certain characteristics and signals, occupational health physicians and insurance doctors are able to recognize giftedness and to bring the subject out into the open. The solution can lie in a change in the job requirements or working conditions; medical or psychotherapeutic treatment is then rendered unnecessary.

When their motivation is restored, people with very high intelligence are capable of high-quality work and of solving complex problems. Thus, a gifted employee who is not functioning as required becomes a valued worker providing a unique contribution at work.

INTRODUCTION It is increasingly being realized that gifted individuals have the capacity to help solve complex problems1. Many are functioning at a high level. But just like a number of gifted schoolchildren, some gifted employees do not function adequately and are unhappy as a result2. Some become ill and even permanently occupationally disabled. What are the characteristics of the problems of the gifted at work. And what can occupational health physicians and insurance doctors do with this information?

To illustrate our point, we present two case studies.

CASE STUDY 1 Alice Wismeijer is a 38-year-old woman. She works as a researcher for a government service and has gained many qualifications through self-study in the evenings. She functions well in her work. However, a colleague has been bullying her for years. She tries to ignore this and hardly ever reports sick for work. One day, it all becomes too much for her. The occupational health physician diagnoses a burn-out. She becomes long-term sick. She goes in search of therapy, in the course of which much suffering during her youth is revealed. After a year, an occupational disability examination assesses that she is able to do work of a simple nature for 20 hours a week. Alice has the impression that she is very intelligent and knows that she will not be able to perform simple work for a lengthy period of time. However, she does not dare to voice her belief about this. During the surgery hours of the occupational health physician she bursts into terrible bouts of crying and the occupational health physician doesn't know how to help her. The reintegration process fails.

CASE STUDY 2 Joost Bakker is a 42-year-old automation expert. He suffers from neck problems, as a result of which he regularly stays off work. The occupational health physician has a lengthy interview with him. Joost is rather anxious and very preoccupied with his health. Additionally, he appears to be quite lonely, has little contact with his colleagues. He functions adequately, his manager is happy with him. The occupational health physician suggests that Joost be examined by a psychologist specialized in work-related problems at the working conditions service. After completing a detailed anamnesis, the psychologist performs a number of tests. The results show that Joost scores very high in analytical thinking, amongst other areas. Joost tells the psychologist that he had been tested at high school but that his parents had refused to tell him the results of the tests. The tests and interview do not reveal any severe problems. The psychologist advises Joost to request information from Mensa*, a worldwide association for very intelligent people. He overcomes his initial resistance to the idea and follows the advice. Based on the results of the tests he had already undergone, he is accepted as a member. He acknowledges a lot of what is contained in the documentation that he receives. Within the association, he establishes several valuable contacts. A year later, the occupational health physician observes that Joost appears to be relaxed. He still suffers from neck problems, but he hardly ever reports sick. He has started studying again and is happy with the advice the psychologist gave him.

A generally accepted definition of "gifted" does not exist3. According to the definition used by Mensa, this means having an IQ that lies in the uppermost 2%, scored on an approved IQ test. Depending on the kind of test, this is an IQ ranging between 140 and 150. There are many kinds of intelligences. Gardner distinguishes eight: verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, bodily, naturalistic, emotional and intrapersonal4. The two last-named intelligences are sometimes referred to by others as emotional intelligence. The most attention in the literature and in tests is paid to the first three mentioned intelligences. The usual intelligence tests do not seem to predict work performance very accurately5. How effectively someone will be able to solve problems in the real world is determined not only by intelligence, but also by the knowledge and skills that that individual has acquired 3. The environment (parents, school, etc) also plays a role in an individual's development6.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GIFTED Although of course all gifted individuals are unique, they do share certain characteristics. Some of these are present naturally, others have come into existence gradually through interaction with the environment. Cause and effect can therefore not always be distinguished from each other.

Speed of thinking. Gifted individuals think more quickly than others. They make many mental switches, associate rapidly and give the impression that they jump from one subject to the next.

High sensitivity. A higher development potential often is accompanied by high sensitivity7. This high sensitivity manifests itself in different areas: psychomotoric, sensorial, intellectual, imaginative, emotional,7 and can resemble ADHD.

Over-stimulation of the senses manifests itself auditively (machines, radios, smacking lips), visually (light sources) or sense of touch (certain fabrics, labels in clothing, or touching). Currently, there is a high level of interest being shown in high sensitivity in general8.

Introversion. The internal world of the gifted is particularly well-developed. They are quickly and easily hurt, which is why they tend to keep people at a distance. Some avoid parties and suchlike since the topics of conversation do not interest them. This can resemble autism9. Introversion can also arise through having the feeling of being rejected. People with high IQs would seem to have difficulty meeting like-minded people, which can quickly lead them to become isolated10.

Emotional development. Many gifted individuals feel emotions strongly. But because cognitive thinking dominates and provides safety, emotional development remains relatively underdeveloped. They have difficulty in linking feelings and reason. This can be reinforced when an individual has felt lonely from a young age. For example, when the environment does not acknowledge or recognize the child as being gifted. Fortunately, the emotional development of many gifted individuals has progressed well.

Creativity. The thought processes of the gifted differ from those of average intelligence: they are more global in nature and with a strong capacity for imagination. Averagely intelligent people can often not follow their train of thought. They can identify patterns quickly, so that they can, for example, predict trends successfully. They can often draw conclusions intuitively11. This creativity is often frustrated by the regular education system.

Independence. The forming of judgments and opinions often takes place autonomously. They are non-conformist and therefore display what teachers easily label as 'inappropriate behavior'11. This independence accompanies the creativity mentioned above. They often have an aversion to non-democratic authority12.

Perfectionism. Perfectionism is often accompanied by having too high expectations of others, but also with shame, guilt feelings and feelings of inferiority through not being able to meet their own high expectations 9,13. This leads to tension and occasionally 'paralysis'.

Learning style. The learning style of the gifted is often exploratory. They have an extreme dislike of learning lists, they find it uninteresting and become bored12. Often, they do not understand the teacher's questions or the questions in the text books, because they are looking for things that aren't there. This leads to frustration. Some gifted adults lack basic knowledge but have a lot of knowledge in areas that they are interested in. They often fail to develop learning strategies because they never learn from their failures9.

Fear of failure and under-performing. If their intelligence is not stimulated, children often develop bad working habits14. They sometimes think that they are stupid, become afraid of failure and start under-performing9. Their motivation to learn decreases. This can result later in frustrations and disappointments in their career.

THE GIFTED AND PROBLEMS AT WORK Little research has been done concerning how being gifted manifests itself in the arena of work and how the gifted individual experiences this. One of the authors (FC) worked for a lengthy period as P&O advisor in an environment where many gifted employees worked. He discovered a surprising parallel between the gifted and artists. Both often find it difficult to develop their own talents unless certain strange conditions are met. Inspiration and motivation would appear to be more significant factors than knowledge and ability15.

In addition, we have collected career histories of Mensa members, amongst others, and from our own practice. Based on all this, we present in table 1 a number of characteristic statements, from the perspective of both the employee and the environment. If three or more of these characteristics are present, the possibility should be considered that being gifted is a reason for an employee experiencing adaptation problems at work.
Table 1
The differences between the left- and right-hand columns highlight the adaptation and communication problems. Gifted individuals who dysfunction are often not aware of their own intelligence, which results in them interpreting the lack of knowledge of others as unwillingness16. They become irritated and often start going too fast. Additionally, there is a tendency to focus on the content, rather than on issues such as enthusiasm and motivation2. On the other hand, they try sometimes to adapt too much, which can result in a general dissatisfaction, and the job profiling is not clear enough to allow them to take on suitable tasks.

Advisory functions, creative professions and specialist functions in, for example, the legal, medical, technological, educational science, PR or journalism sectors are often well-suited, just as setting up an own business17. The manager or supervisor should focus on goals and results rather than the method to be followed (the so-called compass approach)1. Given this approach, the gifted individual can provide a unique contribution to, for example, strategy, problem-solving, trend watching and product development.

CARE PROVISION Recognizing one's own giftedness often is an important step toward improving one's functioning. Based on his experiences with coaching and career counseling, one of the authors (FC) distinguishes here five, often unconscious, strategies, see table 218. Upon being published, this list provoked twenty responses from individuals belonging to the target group, all stating that they recognized much of what was in the list.
Table 2
Development often takes place from one strategy to the other. Occasionally, in different environments, different strategies are applied alongside each other. Currently, several psychologists, coaches and career counselors have specialized in gifted adults. They are able to point out specific characteristics and indicate points of application for developments. And they will be less inclined to make an incorrect pathological judgment. Furthermore, they understand that, despite the fact that the gifted are able to think well and very quickly, this does not apply to the control over their own development or their own career.

Psychologist Hans de Vries19 gives some practical tips in his book with regard to coming into better contact with everyday life and thereby with society. One such tip is 'Don't do it' as the theme for avoiding becoming involved too quickly and with too many things. Corten emphasizes the importance of self-management with regard to one's career5: the gifted show, by nature, a tendency to reason rationally based on what they are able to do, what needs to be done, and which specific circumstances this demands. And, subsequently, to be surprised or disappointed when they discover that this does not automatically lead to them connecting well with their work environment. Contact with their own feelings, with that which they really want and whereby they become motivated, appears often to be a better basis for contact with colleagues and profiling in the work environment than real qualities.

What can occupational health physicians and insurance doctors do with this knowledge? If they recognize or suspect the patterns described in a client, they can first of all discuss this with their client. Preferably with some measure of discretion, considering the fact that being gifted does not always provoke positive associations in the Netherlands. Sometimes the client will know already what he or she needs to do, in which case some light supervision will be adequate.

If necessary, they can request a psychological test (with special attention for the intelligence aspect) or specifically refer the client to a care provider with experience in this area. As so often is the case, intervention at an early stage can prevent much suffering, and much can be achieved with relatively simple resources. Particularly if the employee learns to develop and profile him/herself more according to motivation and interests, many problems can be resolved. The result for employer and society can be highly valued and motivated employees.

FINALLY The most important sources for this article, apart from the literature mentioned, have been experiences with clients. Experiences and insights gained within Mensa Nederland and, of course, our own life experiences. We hope that researchers are interested in following up this line of research. This in order to make more optimal use of the talents of the gifted. The insights gained, however, will also benefit others: methods for, for example, self-study, that work well for the gifted have proven to be just as enriching and fascinating for others.

We would be very interested in hearing your reactions to this subject based on your own professional experience.
LITERATURE
1. Bil T, Peters J. De Breineconomie, Strategische keuzes voor waardecreatie. Pearson Education, 2001. (Book on the creation of values in enterprises.)Raat F de.

2. Hoogbegaafdheid werkt niet altijd goed. NRC Handelsblad 3 juli 2002. (One of the first articles on gifted adults at work published in a Dutch newspaper.)

3. Robinson NM, Zigler E, Gallagher JJ. Two tails of the normal Curve. Similarities and Differences in the Study of Mental Retardation and Giftedness. American Psychologist 2000; 55(12): 1413-1424.

4. Gardner H. Soorten intelligentie. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds, 2002. (Originally: Intelligence Reframed - Multiple Intelligences for the 21st century, Basic Books, New York, 1999.)

5. Ackerman PL. Adult intelligence. ERIC/AE Digest Series EDO-TM-96-03, September 1996.

6. Mönks FJ. Hoogbegaafden: een situatieschets. Pag 17 t/m 32 in: Mönks FJ, Span P (eds). Hoogbegaafden in de samenleving. Nijmegen: Dekker & van de Vegt, 1985. (Chapter from a reader for a congress on giftedness in the Netherlands, mainly about children.)

7. Silverman LK. Persoonlijkheidsontwikkeling en hoogbegaafdheid. ('Personality development and giftedness'.) Translated from the American Mensa bulletin, September 1986.

8. Beuken M van den. Hooggevoeligheid als uitdaging. Deventer: Ankh-Hermes, 2002. (Book on highly sensitive persons.)

9. Barreveld-Teisman Ina. Jonge kinderen met een ontwikkelingsvoorsprong. Amersfoort: Omnino 1e druk 1995, 2e druk 2002. (Reader about young gifted children.)

10. Towers Grady. IQ en het probleem van de sociale aanpassing. (IQ and the problem of social adaptation.) Mensa Inside, January 2002. Translated in Dutch by Edu Braat for Mensa Berichten 469, april 2002.

11. The National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children. See http://www.nfgcc.org/b.htm

12. The National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children. See http://www.nfgcc.org/a.htm

13. Rebel-Runckel JJA. Analyse van vijf jaar ervaring in het contact met hoogbegaafden. Pag 372 t/m 377 in: Mönks FJ, Span P (eds), see ref. 6. (Analysis of five years experience with gifted children.)

14. Freeman J. Emotionele aspecten van hoogbegaafdheid. Pag 268 t/m 284 in: Mönks FJ, Span P (red), see ref. 6. (Emotional aspects of giftedness.)

15. Corten FGP. In vier stappen naar leuk en zinvol werk. Mensa berichten, juni 2002. See www.werkenwaarde.nl (About a strategy to help the gifted to improve one's career.)

16. Alvarado N. De aanpassing van hoogbegaafde volwassenen. ('The adaptation of gifted adults'.) Translated from: Advanced Development Journal of Adult Giftedness vol 1, jan 1989.

17. Geffen G van. Mensa-leden en de cultuurtypen van Harrison. See www.seba-interim.nl (About the typology of cultures in organizations by Harrison.)

18. Corten FGP. Een hoogbegaafde loopbaan. Mensa berichten, januari/februari 2002. See www.werkenwaarde. nl (In this article mainly table 2 was presented to members of Mensa, the Netherlands. It received dozens of supportive and involved reactions.)

19. Vries H de. Te veel mens, te weinig dier. Leefadviezen voor intelligente mensen. Amsterdam: Ambo, 1999. Page 30. (Book with practical advices for gifted people.)
TRANSLATION (FROM DUTCH) Kumar Jamdagni Language Matters, Zwolle, The Netherlands
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Ms A.P. Nauta is MD (occupational health) and psychologist (specialized in the fields of work-related development), PhD. She is a scientific research worker and freelance advisor. F.G.P. Corten studied biology (MSci) and philosophy (BA). He founded the careers advice bureau 'Werk en Waarde' in 2001. He specializes in gifted adults.

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By Noks Nauta and Frans Corten (Kumar Jamdagni , trans.) Noks Nauta and Frans Corten (Kumar Jamdagni , trans.) Citation: From Tijdschrift voor Bedrijfs- en Verzekeringsgeneeskunde (Journal for Occupational and Insurance Physicians). 2002 10(11) 332-335. Reprinted with permission. Gifted adults in Work

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By Lori Comallie-Caplan.

First published in the SENGVine, Gifted Adult edition, January 2012

Facilitating SENG Model Parent Groups has provided me with unquestionable evidence that gifted kids come from gifted parents. What is surprising, is that parents are often unaware of their own giftedness. When I am doing parent groups, I always make the request, "Raise your hand if you are here because you have gifted children." Then I say, "Keep your hand in the air if you are gifted." So many hands go down.

If parents deny their own giftedness, their children will wonder if there is something wrong with being gifted. Just as parents must nurture their children's awareness of being gifted, so they must also nurture their awareness of being gifted. Failure to appreciate one's own gifted qualities may lead to a failure to appreciate and interact successfully as a parent with their gifted child.

It is especially wonderful to watch parents become self-aware during the SENG Model Parent Group discussions regarding intensity, sensitivity, and perfectionism. This self-awareness is critical for parents to develop a deeper relationship with their gifted children. Self-awareness contributes to our unique identity and ability to function more wholly in the world. Have you ever been told that you are too intense, too sensitive, too perfectionistic? These statements can lead to alienation from others and can engender feelings of isolation and loneliness. Gifted persons may begin to question whether they are as smart as they think, or whether they will be discovered as imposters. All in all, they may have grown up feeling as if they didn't fit in. Sensitivity and self-imposed isolation may have made it harder to find friends, even as an adult. Our heart breaks when we see our children experiencing the same problems with friendships, isolation, and even depression.

One of the greatest dangers for gifted parents is trying to save their child from the personal discontent that they may have felt growing up gifted, or to live lost experiences through their children. In the SENG Model Parenting Group book, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children, the authors offer this advice:One of the most enlightening discussions during SENG Model Parent Groups centers on the concept of overexcitabilities and how it applies to our children. It is inspiring to watch parents realize that there are neurological differences that explain why their children are the way they are. Then they begin to apply that same knowledge to themselves. They begin to understand the blessings and the curses associated with gifted traits, as well as understanding the benefits and liabilities of their children's gifted social emotional qualities. Developing this understanding affects their communication and interactions with their partners and their children: "Just as with gifted children, your passion, idealism, concern for quality, perfectionism, and impatience may be great strengths, but they can also be hindrances" (Webb, Gore, Amend, & DeVries, 2007, p. 248).

Be involved in your children's lives, but keep your own desires separate from those of your children. Allow your children to live their lives, and you live yours. Understand the importance of your relationship with your child, cherish and nurture it. Know that even though your efforts may not seem as though they are resulting in the changes you want, they are nevertheless important. Think of your parenting behaviors as a deposit in a bank. Every time you put a little more in, the total grows. Sometimes your investments grow rapidly; other times they grow slowly. But after a few years, there is generally a substantial amount that will be a legacy to your children that will make you feel pleased, satisfied and fulfilled." (Webb, Gore, Amend, & DeVries, 2007, p. 248-249).

I wish everyone a year of self-awareness and deeper understanding of the joys of being gifted and parenting a gifted child.
Reference
Webb, J. T., Gore, J. L., Amend, E. R., & DeVries, A. R. (2007). A parent's guide to gifted children. Scottsdale, AR: Great Potential Press.

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SENG Preisdent Lori Comallie-Caplan is currently in private practice specializing in therapy and evaluation of gifted children and adolescents in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Mrs. Comallie-Caplan is a Certified Educational Diagnostician and Certified Frasier Talent Assessment Profile Evaluator. She also is a certified SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) Model Parent Group Facilitator as well as a SENG Model Parent Group Facilitator Trainer. She frequently presents at SENG and NAGC annual conferences.

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The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree: Gifted Parents Parenting Gifted Children

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By Lori Comallie-Caplan. First published in the SENGVine, Gifted Adult edition, January 2012 Facilitating SENG Model Parent Groups has provided me with unquestionable evidence that gifted kids come from gifted parents. What is surprising, is that parents are often unaware of their own giftedness.

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By Lisa Rivero.
First published in the SENGVine, Gifted Adult edition, January 2012
"Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are and then make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else's life, not even your child's. The influence you exert is through your own life and what you become yourself." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (quoted in Wigall, 2003, p. 29)

What are you, really? Who are you apart from being a partner, a worker, a parent, a teacher, or even a "formerly gifted child"? What real decisions have you yet to make? What influence do you want to exert through your life? What do you want to become, and how will you get there?

In short, do you know if you are living up to your potential?

Does the very question provoke a rush of anxiety?

Now that our son is in college, I watch my friends, like my husband and myself, work to figure out who they are apart from being parents, at least apart from being parents who parent on a daily basis. This life transition is an important one for all families; parents of gifted children are certainly not the only ones who wrestle with issues of self-identity, or life's purpose and meaning. However, the sensitivities and intensity of giftedness within families-both the intensity of personalities and the intensity that some parents bring to the education and upbringing of their children-can leave a deep void once a household is reduced to one or two adults. We might be tempted to throw a rug over the void and pretend it's not there, keeping ourselves even more busy than usual, and hope that we don't, one day, forget what lies underneath that lovely old rug and fall straight in, like Alice down the rabbit hole. Or perhaps we stare into the void until we are mesmerized, too paralyzed to move for fear of the unknown, never really learning-but always wondering-what we are ultimately capable of.
Grown-up Potential: Beyond Overexcitabilities
One of the reasons we are so fascinated by biographies of people like Steve Jobs is that we are searching for clues to potential. We want to know if there was anything in their childhoods or personalities that hinted at the amazing success that was to come, and whether there is anything we can learn from their lives to help us to recognize and understand better our own promise and potential.

We often talk about children's potential, especially that of particularly bright, talented, or gifted children, as if such potential is either fulfilled or wasted by the time we grow up. Nothing could be further than the truth. Our individual, human potential not only can continue to deepen, especially at mid-life, but it can also be an important source of hope and meaning in the second half of our lives, as long as we view potential through the lens of personality development, in particular Kazimierz Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration.

Many parents of gifted children and others are now aware of Dabrowski's theory of overexcitabilities (often shortened to OEs). According to Dabrowski, people with a high potential for personal development will have at least some of these five areas of overexcitability (Piechowski, 2006):

· Intellectual OE. Not the same as intelligence or academic ability, intellectual overexcitability is a passion for and drive toward learning, problem-solving, and reflective thinking. As an adult, you may misunderstand intellectual OE simply as having been good at school or being smart, unaware of how much it drives you on a daily basis. Or you may mistakenly think that if you weren't good at school (i.e., you didn't get good grades), you can't have intellectual OE.

· Emotional OE. More than just strong feelings, emotional overexcitability is a great capacity for emotional attachments, mind-body connections, and complexity of feelings, both positive and negative. Perhaps you have been told you are too emotional. You may feel that you wear your feelings not only on your sleeves, but all over your body like a tattoo. Or maybe have you learned to hide your strong emotions deep inside, so that others think you are cool or even distant, while inside you feel everything, all the time.

· Imaginational OE. People with imaginational overexcitability experience unusual imaginative and fantastical thought, play out emotional tension through imagery, and have little tolerance for boredom. You may be shy, self-conscious, or have a tendency toward depression. You worry about issues of life and death more than other people. Or you seem to absorb the emotions of people around you and may have trouble setting personal boundaries and separating your own feelings and needs from those of others.

· Psychomotor OE. Distinct from athleticism or physical talent, psychomotor overexcitabiltiy is what Michael Piechowski (2006) calls personal energy, and it is experienced as surplus energy, or physical manifestations of emotional energy. Your psychomotor intensity might be expressed more strongly when your emotions run high, such as pacing the room when you are stressed or needing more physical release of energy when you are worried about an illness in the family, or are intensely involved in learning something new.

· Sensual OE. Sensual overexcitability shows itself in heightened sensitivity to sounds, smells, tastes, tactile experiences, and beauty, leading both to aesthetic pleasure and to sensory discomfort. People with this OE have a heightened reaction to the sensual side of life, which, as with emotional intensity, may lead to being criticized for being too sensitive to your environment.

Dabrowski theorized that OEs alone are not in themselves an indicator of high potential for personal growth, but, when experienced in combination with other factors-such as self-awareness, an ability to view oneself objectively, and even a prolonged period of what we think of as "becoming an adult"-overexcitability can lead to conflict, especially internal conflict in which we recognize different levels of development within oneself, a kind of adult asynchrony. It is this conflict that is important.
Growing Pains
One may be wondering what any of this has to do with personal growth or potential. After all, being more emotionally and sensually overexcitable can be downright painful. Children and adults who have psychomotor OE often struggle to fit in with the more subdued requirements of the classroom and the workplace. While having an overexcitable imagination is often seen as acceptable or is even praised in children, by middle school and high school, and certainly in adulthood, most of us are expected to be creative on our own time. Having OEs can lead to being profoundly misunderstood and a feeling of always being different-on the outside, looking in.

So, what is the benefit? How is a heightened intensity of experience connected to developmental potential?

Dabrowski explained that intensity and sensitivity, even a certain level of anxiety, are potentially positive traits. People with this virtual, walking, Wi-Fi hot spot reception to life are attuned not only to their own reactions, but to environmental stimuli that others may miss. Noticing and being sensitive to our environment-both external and internal-are the first steps toward making any changes, either in ourselves or in our world.

This does not mean that anxiety should be encouraged for its own sake. Anxiety can be excruciating, even crippling. However, Dabrowski believed that nervousness and a tendency to overreact should not necessarily be pathologized, as they can prompt us to go inward and to realize how we fall short of our own ideal. This inner hierarchy of values-the gap between who we are today or who we have been in the past, and who we wish to become-is rich with potential for growth, if we are willing to embark on the lifelong journey of closing the gap.

This capacity for personal growth is at the heart of what Dabrowski meant by having high potential-much more so than eminence or traditional ideas of success-a growth that is perhaps possible for more people now than ever before because of longer life spans and advanced health care, but a growth that also comes with the cost of short-term discomfort and even temporary maladjustment.
Self-Education: Closing the Gap
For Dabrowski, one's own conscious creation of a mature personality happens primarily through what he called self-education. Self-education begins with being aware of the conflicting values and levels of conduct within ourselves, and with acceptance of our own self-dissatisfaction, the knowledge that we still have far to travel. He wrote that the "ripe phase" of self-education is preceded "by innumerable experiences, seemingly of little importance, which disappear into the subconscious, wait for new experiences and a new summation of them, and then, in moments most suitable for the development of personality, appear in a more mature form, 'consolidate,' and are consciously included in a more or less distinct program of self-education" (1967, p. 147).

In short, we need to have lived for a number of years to collect the experiences necessary for self-education and conscious personality development even to be possible. The process cannot be rushed. Understanding grown-up potential as Dabrowskian personality development rather than as mere self-improvement can give us an entirely new perspective on time and life, on what matters and what doesn't. It also can prompt us to re-evaluate how best to nurture the life-long, personal potential of our children, rather than focus solely on academic timetables and curricular achievements.

Finally, learning more about the Theory of Positive Disintegration can lessen the burden and regret we may feel for not having lived up to mistaken notions of what it means to have high potential. As a friend of mine put it, "Who ever thought of adult giftedness-except every person over forty who hasn't made it like Steve Jobs and still feels his or her talents have gone untapped and unrecognized?" While Steve Jobs may have been at the pinnacle of his success as a creator, businessman, and public person, and while he most definitely showed evidence of multiple overexcitabilities, we will never know if he might have gone further in the more important journey of personality development. In the end, it is possible to have great worldly success and, at the same time, lack internal peace and growth. But with hard-won inner peace and growth, worldly success ceases to matter: wealth and fame can come, and go, and we remain who we are.

When we face the void and feel all is lost, when we fear that our potential has been "wasted" and it is too late for change-this may just be the perfect moment to begin to view our lives differently:

The period of real, essential moral maturation is often one of spiritual void: of isolation, loneliness, and misunderstanding. It is the time of the 'soul's night,' during which the then existing sense of life and forms of connection with life lose their value and force of attraction. This period will close, however...shutting out every possibility of a return to the initial level. This is the process of development of personality. (Dabrowski, 1964, p. 63)

Who are you, really? What is your true potential? What growth and goals await you? What calls to you? What do you still need to do? To be? Now may be the time to find out.

To learn more about Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration, begin with the following resources:
Books
· Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration, edited by Sal Mendaglio, Great Potential Press, 2010

· Living with Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults, edited by Susan Daniels and Michael M. Piechowski, Great Potential Press, 2010
SENG Online Library Articles
· "Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration," by Cheryl Ackerman

· "Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration: Some Implications for Teachers of Gifted Students," by Sal Mendaglio

· "Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals," by James T. Webb

· "An Interview with Sal Mendaglio: About Meeting the Emotional Needs of Gifted Children and Adolescents," by Michael F. Shaughnessy

· "The Moral Sensitivity of Gifted Children and the Evolution of Society," by Linda Kreger Silverman

· "Overexcitability and the Gifted," by Sharon Lind (Also available in )

· "When Your Child's Second Exceptionality is Emotional: Looking Beyond Psychiatric Diagnosis," by Barbara Probst
Journals
· Advanced Development: A Journal on Adult Giftedness. More information: http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/ADJ/adj.htm
Conferences
· 10th International Dabrowski Congress, Sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development, July 19th to July 21st, 2012, Denver, Colorado. More information: http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Dabrowski/index.html
References
Dabrowski, K. (1967). Personality-shaping through positive disintegration. Little, Brown and Company: Boston.

Dabrowski, K. (1964). Positive disintegration. Little, Brown and Company: Boston.

Piechowski, M. (2006). "Mellow out," they say. If I only could: Intensities and sensitivities of the young and bright. Madison, WI: Yunasa Books.

Wigal, D. (Ed.). (2003). The wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt. NewYork: Kensington Press.

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SENG Director Lisa Rivero lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she teaches writing and creative thinking to wonderfully intense students at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Some of her books include Creative Home Schooling, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Teens, and Smart Teens' Guide to Living with Intensity.

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By Lisa Rivero. First published in the SENGVine, Gifted Adult edition, January 2012 "Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are and then make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else's life, not even your child's.

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Anxiety comes in many different forms. It can arrive without notice and overcome you in a crippling way, or it can sneak into the background of your mind and nervous system, slyly impeding on your focus and mindset. It's important to have some go-to relaxation strategies - like visualization techniques - for managing anxiety when it decides to rear its ugly head.

Meditation is one way to train your brain to be less reactive to anxious thoughts - I talk about this all the time on this site. However, when anxiety is in full swing ... basic meditation techniques, like mantra and breath-focused meditation, are more difficult. Your mind needs a more pronounced anchor to latch onto during times of anxiety and stress.

I've learned this first-hand while struggling through various anxiety-ridden situations. Even though I have a strong, daily meditation practice, I find it difficult to settle into my normal meditation routine when I'm carrying extra uncertainty, anxiety, or stress. And when my mind can't focus during meditation, that can create even more stress for me, which can send me rolling down an unhealthy downward spiral. When I catch this and identify when I'm experiencing higher-than-normal stress levels, that's when I adjust my practice.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by anxious thoughts or unable to focus because of something weighing heavy on your mind, try a visualization technique to calm your mind. Author and neuroscientist, Stephen Kosslyn, Ph.D., said, "Visualization activates the same neural networks that actual task performance does, which can strengthen the connection between brain and body." In fact, a 2004 study found that whether people performed physical exercises or just imagined doing them, they could gain strength by simple using the mind's power.

Try one of these five visualization techniques next time you're feeling anxious or stressed to take the edge off.

1. Serene Beach Scene Technique

Public speaking nerves, fear of flying, moving day - Does your mind tend to focus on all that can go wrong? This visualization can help calm your nervous system.

Use it: Anytime you feel anxious, uncertain, or afraid

Visualize yourself lying on a white sandy beach, complete with clear blue skies and gently lapping waves.

Imagine your body sinking into the chair and feel the warmth of the sand on your feet.

Let go of any tension, soften your eyes, and continue to breathe with the rhythm of the rolling waves.

2. Blue Light Technique

Whether you're about to tackle it or are trying to decompress after you've completed it, an important and difficult task can cause anxiety. Light visualizations are helpful for relaxation.

Use it: When you need to relax before (or after) tackling a big task

Visualize yourself surrounded by a glowing orb of blue light.

Breathe in the light and allow it to fill your whole head.

As you breathe out, visualize tension leaving your body as black smoke. It dissolves completely in the light around you.

With each breath, allow your body to gradually fill with the healing blue light until your entire being is clear, like a blue crystal.

3. Ball of Yarn Technique

If you find it difficult to unwind after a long, stressful day, it can be challenging to make the most of your evenings and recharge for tomorrow.

Use it: When you're unable to unwind after a stressful work day

Picture a small ball of yarn holding all of that residual tension from the day.

Find the tip of the yarn and imagine it slowly unrolling. The strand gets longer and longer, and you can actually feel your tension unwinding.

When the yarn is completely loose, you can relax and enjoy the night.

4. Liquid Quiet Technique

Life can sometimes feel overwhelming. When bombarded with notifications, requests, and information, it's often difficult to silence the chattering monkey mind. This visualization can help you silence the noise and focus your thoughts.

Use it: When you feel your mind racing

Visualize 'quiet' as a thick, clear liquid, filling your head with peace and quiet.

See it pouring slowly down your body, filling you with the clear liquid until you feel like a liquid ball.

Once you're in this zone, breathe deeply and stay in this position for a few minutes.

5. Double-Paned Window Technique

You've had a long day. All you want to do is get some sleep. But as soon as you close your eyes, your mind begins to race. Whether you're overloaded at work or worried about the future, sometimes when your head hits the pillow, those unwanted thoughts take over.

Use it: When anxious thoughts are keeping you awake

Picture a bunch of people chatting loudly outside your open window.

Instead of yelling at them, since you have a double paned window, you just calmly close it.

Imagine that the chatting is silenced when the window is fully closed, and you can drift off to sleep without background conversations.

Try one of these visualizations to support your meditation practice when you feel anxiety creep in, uninvited.
Special thanks to Netcredit for the images!

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Ease Anxiety with These 5 Visualization Techniques - Mindful Minutes

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Anxiety comes in many different forms. It can arrive without notice and overcome you in a crippling way, or it can sneak into the background of your mind and nervous system, slyly impeding on your focus and mindset. It's important to have some go-to relaxation strategies - like visualization techniques - for managing anxiety when it decides to rear its ugly head.

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By Nicole A. Tetreault, PhD.

Loving kindness is a practice that focuses on the cultivation of kindness in every form of life including experiences, emotions, bodily sensations, and thought patterns. The intention of a loving kindness practice is to greet each life experience with kindness. Importantly, it is not about good feelings or saying affirmations but the intention to come from a place of true kindness for yourself and others. Loving kindness is grouped into five categories and is intended for: (1) self, (2) friend, family, or benefactor, (3) a neutral person, (4) a challenging person and (5) for all living beings in the universe.

This meditation is from Insight LA https://www.insightla.org and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Now, sit or lie in a comfortable position. Focus on your breath. Notice where the breath travels in your body. Now, recognize your heart, the space around your heart, your chest. Notice whether your heart is expanded or restricted, weighted or light, open or shut. Breathe into your heart. This is to recognize your heart's physicality, not to change your heart, but to tune into your heart space. Now, think of someone you love. Think how they make you feel. Imagine them in your mind, smiling at you. Now, begin to send them positive intentions listed below. Repeat these intentions silently to yourself.

"May you be safe from inner and outer harm.

May you be truly happy and deeply peaceful.

May you live your life with ease.

May you accept yourself completely just as you are." -Insight LA

For the second part, transition your focus to yourself. Think of loving yourself. Holding yourself like a precious infant. Begin to say the intentions to yourself silently. Repeat the intentions and breathe.

"May I be safe from inner and outer harm.

May I be truly happy and deeply peaceful.

May I live my life with ease.

May I accept myself completely just as I am (in the moment)." -Insight LA

When you complete the meditation notice how you feel. How your heart feels and congratulate yourself for taking the time to send yourself loving kindness.
Additional phrases include (Thich Nhat Hanh):
"May I be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.

May I be safe and free from injury.

May I be free from anger, afflictions, fear, and anxiety."

"May I learn to look at myself with the eyes of understanding love.

May I nourish and recognize the seeds of joy and happiness in myself.

May I be able to live fresh, solid, and free."
Single word phrases (Insight LA):
"Safe - happy - healthy - free"

"May I be safe.

May I be happy.

May I be healthy.

May I be free."

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By Nicole A. Tetreault, PhD. Loving kindness is a practice that focuses on the cultivation of kindness in every form of life including experiences, emotions, bodily sensations, and thought patterns. The intention of a loving kindness practice is to greet each life experience with kindness.

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(Editor's Note: This piece by SENG Director Marianne Kuzujanakis is part of the 2012 National Parenting Gifted Week Blog Tour.) "The first duty of love is to listen." - Paul Tillich
Confession...I've made mistakes as a parent. But who hasn't? Maybe I was naïve to think that when my son turned five and we enrolled him in kindergarten, all would be filled as I always imagined with lovely memories of school buses and in-class parties and warmth and friendship.

OK. It didn't exactly go that way.

My son was so excited about school. We'd spoken about all the things he'd learn and do. He had been a voracious reader for quite some time, and was looking forward to meeting the children and his teacher. He loved drawing pictures of himself, his image smiling with the precious, awkward pencil strokes of a young child. One eye slightly larger than the other, large hands and thick fingers spread out to catch life with full force. Oversized clothing with irregular pant lengths. Feet turned in all directions, heading out at top speed to see everything the world had to offer. That's my son. An intense and awesome presence. He was never one for naps, and would sleep so deeply at night that a fire alarm could go off unheard. His hunger for learning was like a human Pac-Man, devouring everything in his path. When he was hungry for food nourishment, the shovels needed to come out or else a meltdown was soon to occur.

How could a school understand all of my son's needs?

We began kindergarten that crisp day in September, my son eagerly running for the classroom and leaving me unbearably alone to face my separation anxiety. He'll be just fine, I thought, better than me. But he wasn't fine. In the weeks that followed, I was told that he didn't sit for circle time, wouldn't follow bathroom line-ups (once even suggesting that the teacher not block the middle of the hallway, and instead stand along the edges like the children), and he was said to interrupt the teacher when she was reading her morning list from the white board (this I witnessed myself, as my son proudly wanted to read aloud the teacher's list for the entire class). "Sit down", he was told. No kindly pat-on-the-back at break-time for reading a magazine about foxes to his classmate who had a disability.

My son's demeanor was changing. At home he began to look anxious, and wanted to practice sitting in a circle with me, perhaps thinking he could gain the love of his teacher if only he tried hard enough. He no longer ran so fast to the classroom in the mornings.

"Have you thought about attention problems? ADHD?" the teacher would ask me repeatedly. By then, my son was a regular in the principal's office, and was often tapped with the job of classroom cleanup. My son wanted to learn something. Anything. My district offered nothing. No gifted pull-outs, no acceleration, no funding, and no identification. I advocated with my every breath. "Be happy that your child can relax and not need to learn anything this year," we were told.

This was not what my son envisioned. His in-school behavior worsened. His at-home behavior changed. It was then when I made my mistake. I became angry - not at the school, but at my child. "Why can't you behave?" I said, over and over. One could, in retrospect, see him grow visibly smaller and smaller. I didn't yet know my options. I felt helpless. I felt I was letting my child down.

Then the answer suddenly spoke. The voice was at first hushed, peeking out from an unexpected place, so I strained to hear. Remember when I said my son loved to draw self-portraits, all free and alive and ready to pounce out of the paper? Those drawings continued. But now they changed. Why didn't I see it before? His lovely self-portraits still had the endearing misshapen eyes, the haphazard feet, the odd garment arrangements, but now something so heartbreaking was apparent - my son no longer had any arms. Nothing past the shoulders.

How could I miss this? His drawings blared as if I had a megaphone to my ear. They shouted, "I do not have any control over my life. I can't do anything."

Listening, I immediately had the answer. I took him home. His arms returned to his drawings. We are now in our eighth year of homeschooling. It wasn't my child that was a misfit; his particular school situation was a misfit. It wasn't ADHD; it was educational misplacement.

While homeschooling worked for us, homeschooling isn't a cure-all. Many schools and passionate teachers do indeed beautifully accommodate the intense needs of gifted children.

Being open to all possibilities works positively in the child's interests. Being a strong advocate for your child is essential. Pediatric clinicians are under-utilized resources to help parents advocate. Meanwhile, it is crucial for both parents and pediatric clinicians to be knowledgeable about giftedness and twice-exceptionalities.

Does my child have any other concerns I need to address? At this point, I cannot say, but I'll listen closely if and when they happen, and together we'll deal with whatever comes along.

If I have any regret, it is that I did not listen to my child sooner.

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SENG Director & Medical Liaison Marianne Kuzujanakis, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician with a masters degree in public health from Harvard School of Public Health. She has long-standing interests in parent and clinician education, and also is a homeschool educator for her son. This month Dr. Kuzujanakis, together with Dr. James T. Webb and Dr. Rosina M. Gallagher, have published an article about practice opportunities working with gifted children in The National Psychologist.

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By Marianne Kuzujanakis, MD, MPH. (Editor's Note: This piece by SENG Director Marianne Kuzujanakis is part of the 2012 National Parenting Gifted Week Blog Tour.) "The first duty of love is to listen." - Paul Tillich Confession...I've made mistakes as a parent. But who hasn't?

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By Molly A. Isaacs-McLeod.

One of the most rewarding things I do is assisting parents in working with their school to obtain educational accommodation for their gifted children. Parents generally know when their children "need more." I sincerely believe most educators would like to accommodate. However, teachers are responsible for an increasing number of students, budgets are tight, and many of the resources are distributed elsewhere. To parents of gifted children, the situation is frustrating at best.

So how can you move beyond the frustration and advocate for your child and his needs? After taking a deep breath (or ten!) develop a plan of action. You can engage a professional advocate to help you, or take on the task yourself.
Prepare
Determine the applicable law in your state. Unlike IDEA, the education arm of ADA, gifted education is generally regulated by the state. A good starting point for a summary of each state's applicable law is available on the National Association for Gifted Children site.

Attempt to make an objective assessment of the situation. As parents, we are uniquely vulnerable to anything affecting our children. Does the school believe your child is gifted? If not, do you have (or can you obtain) documentation through independent testing that might help?

What is your goal? Are you trying to get your child into a gifted program? Does your child need subject acceleration for one or more classes? Are you looking for a grade skip. I offer two SENG articles for your perusal: one addressing appropriate expectations, and the other addressing grade advancement.

Develop a well thought out plan that achieves your goal, makes it as easy as possible for the educator, and takes school policy and concerns into consideration. This may mean providing transportation for a class in another location or paying for an online class. Present a plan that is a win-win.
Act
Start with the teacher, unless relations have become so strained as to render discussion with the teacher pointless. Explain that your child needs something other than what she is receiving. Express your belief that the teacher wants what is best for each student, and appreciation for the fact that there are many needs to be met in a single classroom. Offer the win-win plan.

Be sure to create tangible plans and try to get the plan in writing, even if it means sending an email listing what was agreed upon in the meeting and inviting commentary or correction by a set date.
Follow Up
If you are successful in obtaining an accommodation, be sure to follow through with anything you have agreed to do. A thank you note (of modest gift card) is always a bonus.

If you have not been successful, you will need to review your plan, think through the objections, see if the objections can be overcome, and decide whether to return to the teacher or appeal to higher authority. Sometimes exploring other options is necessary.

I wish you strength and patience in your ongoing job as your child's number one advocate. It is not easy. It is not fun. However, you are modeling valuable advocacy skills for your child. Additionally, you are learning more about what your child needs and there is a pay off when those needs begin to be met.

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Advocating for Your Child In the School Setting

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By Molly A. Isaacs-McLeod. One of the most rewarding things I do is assisting parents in working with their school to obtain educational accommodation for their gifted children. Parents generally know when their children "need more." I sincerely believe most educators would like to accommodate.

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Family Dynamics When we talk about family dynamics, we are referring to the interactions between individuals in a group who are united by ties of marriage, blood or adoption. The adults cooperate financially for their mutual support, and the people are committed to one another in intimate, interpersonal relationships.
Most of us who work with families perceive the family as a complex system that works to maintain the status quo or homeostasis. Each family has its own hierarchy and set of rules, which govern the behavior of the members and help maintain homeostasis. The family system can function well and be healthy for its individual members, supporting their growth and accepting their change. Or the family system can be dysfunctional, and the dysfunction, especially in one or more of its members, may serve to disrupt the homeostasis.

We can talk about different types or classifications of families, at least in the general sense. For example, an inflexible family is resistant to and isolated from forces outside the family and does not adapt well to changes within the family (Satir's "me and you against the world"). In an enmeshed family, each member is too greatly involved in the lives of the other members, to the point that individuals do not have personal autonomy and often feel controlled. This would be in contrast to a disengaged family, in which the members pay little or no attention to each other. Another family system may take the form of pathological triangular relationships, where parents avoid dealing with conflicts with each other by always keeping the children involved in their conversations and activities. They may even, in an unconscious or unknowing way, maintain a child's pathology to keep the focus off their own problems.
So how does giftedness make a difference to families? Does it make a difference? Are families with gifted children and gifted parents any different than any other family? The answer to this question is both yes and no. In some cases, the answer is no. Your family has to deal with all the normal miseries that any other family deals with. Mobility (the average family in the United States moves once every six years), divorce and remarriage (nearly 50 percent of marriages end in divorce), the glut of information available to anyone (within minutes you have access to information from anywhere in the world about nearly anything going on. This information is available not just to adults but to almost anybody with access to a computer, TV, ipad, or smartphone), and simply the faster pace of living (I'm old enough to remember the predictions that with the advent of computers, washing machines, dishwashers and so forth, we would all be working fewer hours and fewer days. The fact is many of us work many more hours than the previous generation, and the majority of us live in families in which both parents are employed, which is rather different than in previous generations). Of course, many times giftedness does impact the family dynamic. One or more gifted children, particularly if they are highly or profoundly gifted, greatly impacts family dynamics. What you've probably found is that gifted children often react strongly to events in the family that upset the family equilibrium. Gifted children often react strongly to these events with worry, anger, guilt and a variety of other emotions. That's not to say that other children don't react. But because of a gifted child's inclination towards overexcitability in one or more of the areas we've noted, their response to the situation often may seem far more extreme and even disruptive to the family as a whole. The emotionally overexcitable child may react with a sense of foreboding and "end of the world" dramatics when told that a change is imminent for the family, such as a move or even a change in schools. All of a sudden these children may feel that they are not going to have any friends; they're not going to be able to make any friends; and they will be alone for the rest of their lives. The perfectionist child who shares a room with a sibling may be in constant turmoil because the sibling refuses to organize his or her things to the perfectionist's standard. By virtue of the fact that these children are intense in a variety of different ways, their intensity impacts the family directly and indirectly in ways that are different than what we see in the average family. When you have, as is often the case, parents who are themselves gifted, then the intensities can be magnified as well as the conflicts. Some studies have suggested that nearly 75 percent of gifted children also state that their parents' expectations of them are different. That is, in a two-parent family, each parent is perceived as having different expectations of the child or children. It is not uncommon for parents to have differing parenting styles. What I have often seen in families is dissimilarity between parents, such that one expects a great amount and the other becomes the protector. Children in general are inclined to play one parent against the other. However, when you have a gifted child this maneuvering can become quite sophisticated.
Accommodating Differences
Many parents become aware early of the depth and intensity of their children's knowledge, insights and their various overexcitabilities. In the case of multiple children-with different and varying patterns and degrees of overexcitabilities-the process of discerning and developing an understanding of the range of these differences becomes complex and sometimes disruptive to the family equilibrium. Families often have to make significant changes to accommodate the intellectual and social/emotional needs of the children. In fact, one parent termed this "asynchronous parenting." This becomes even more apparent when one sibling is less excitable than another sibling.
A gifted child's intensity affects his relationship with siblings. Naturally, a gifted child often compares him or herself with other children in the household. Power struggles ensue, especially for time and attention from the parents. Frustration with volatile sibling relationships is not unusual. Sibling rivalry can occur in many different ways. Most often it is expressed through angry behavior, which in itself can take many forms (spiteful words, bullying, fighting, criticizing, etc.). In this case, parents should focus primarily on the underlying reasons for the behaviors rather than on the specific behaviors themselves. If you understand the reasons or motivation, this should lead, hopefully, to a calmer approach to dealing with the behavior. A very instructive exercise mentioned by James Webb in A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children is to go home and one day tell your spouse, "Honey, I love you so much, and you are so wonderful and absolutely delightful, that I've decided to get another wife (or husband) just like you." (A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children, Webb, Gore, Amend, and DeVries, Great Potential Press, 2007, p. 200.) What do you think your reaction would be? Now, let's assume the new spouse is equally praised and told how cute he or she is and then you are asked to let this new spouse wear your clothing, play with your toys and use your personal items. How would you feel and respond? Feelings of anger are no less intense for your children. Gifted children with all their intensities react just as strongly when they feel (either real or imagined) that they are being displaced in the family.
"When a gifted child feels he or she is not getting enough attention, for whatever reason, she can be quite skilled at calling attention to herself." (A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children, Webb, Gore, Amend, and DeVries, Great Potential Press, 2007, p. 201.) This attention can be gained by either positive actions or negative actions. I'm sure all of us can think of any number of examples of how our children have enlisted attention by both positive and negative means. One must also be careful, in certain family circumstances, that an older gifted child does not gradually take the role of being responsible for the younger children or even becoming the "adult" in charge. While this child may initially accept this role, he or she may later come to resent it and withdraw from the family. Siblings may also resent this dynamic, which is not altogether unusual in the single-parent family. Unequal abilities among siblings also bring complexities for the parent as well as the siblings. We all communicate at multiple levels, some conscious and some unconscious. Messages about values and abilities can be overt or subtle. A child can feel that they or their talents are valued or undervalued by virtue of these subtle or overt messages. Parents do unconsciously send messages that one talent or even one child may be more valued than another. Even when you have children who are all gifted, they may be quite different in thinking styles and areas of intelligence. It's easy to fall into the habit of seeing one thinking style as being more valued than another, particularly if your own thinking style tends to match that of one of the children and not the other. Emphasize that each child is valued for his or her own unique strengths, abilities and gifts.
PARENTING STYLE
There is a difference between being authoritative and being authoritarian. Parenting styles can be characterized along a dimension from authoritarian to permissive. Authoritative parenting is characterized by responsiveness to children's needs, explanation and negotiation of discipline and decisions, and appropriate monitoring of children's behavior. An authoritative parenting style is associated with positive outcomes for children. In contrast, more permissive parenting is characterized by a warm parent-child relationship but low parental monitoring and control. Authoritarian parenting is distinguished by dogmatic, not negotiated decision-making and punitive discipline. Both permissive and authoritarian styles are associated with more negative outcomes for children. Families often come to me in which children, especially very bright, gifted children, believe that they are to have an equal vote within the group (family). I generally remind the family that families are not democracies; they are benevolent dictatorships. Everybody does not get an equal vote. The parents are in the driver's seat. Even if the child can produce a better argument than the parent, it is the parent who has the final call. This is not to say that communication is overlooked. It is important to maintain open communication. This also means acknowledgement of feelings. Feelings and emotions are important in any communication. All behavior has communication value; this includes squabbling and fighting. It is also important to realize that understanding and agreeing are not synonymous or equal. Just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean that I don't understand you or your feelings.
Also keep in mind discipline and punishment are not the same. Gifted children especially are quite sensitive, so usually a small amount of punishment typically goes a long way. Discipline, however, is designed to help a child learn to manage his or her own behaviors. The best thing a parent can do is to help a child achieve self-regulation and responsibility. Effective parenting involves discipline that shows children not only what they have done wrong but also what is appropriate to do the next time. I am also a firm believer that one earns respect from a child by giving respect to the child. Repeated use of harsh words, a harsh tone and harsh punishment conveys a measure of disrespect to the child and does not serve to model the very thing that you expect from the child.

Keeping the Balance
There are five important points to keeping balance in the family.
1. Communicate. Actively listen to your children. Listen to their feelings, wants, needs, dreams and desires.

2. Discipline. Establish discipline by teaching self-regulation and self-determination. Set limits for your children but provide choices within those limits.

3. Encourage Excellence. Encourage striving for excellence rather than perfection. Teach frustration tolerance and stress management. Be a good role model.
4. Value each child. Avoid comparisons and highlight each child's unique traits, aptitudes and behaviors. 5. Take care of yourself. Work with your spouse or other parents to support one another. Give time to yourself to renew, replenish and recreate.

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By Marc A. Caplan, Ph.D. Family Dynamics When we talk about family dynamics, we are referring to the interactions between individuals in a group who are united by ties of marriage, blood or adoption.

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Resources for Parents of Gifted Children

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By Carolyn Kottmeyer. (Editor's Note: This piece by SENG Director Carolyn K. is part of the 2012 National Parenting Gifted Week Blog Tour.) Whether you're brand new to giftedness, or you've been around the block for a few years or a few decades, there are many great resources to help with whatever you're facing.

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By Nancy M. Robinson, Ph.D.

One of the special advantages of SENG gatherings is the fact that parents and kids can talk about giftedness without fear of being misunderstood, or worse, teased or belittled. Being with others who are equally relieved at not having to wend their way among the contradictory social rules and unspoken accusations is a pleasure. Let's face it: Most of us, proud as we may be, are uncomfortable talking about our gifted children. We're even more uncomfortable discussing with our children how to talk about themselves. In some ways, it's more fearsome than the birds-and-bees talk, but just as important. If we don't offer guidance, we are likely to hear our offspring making remarks like the following. I am not making these up.

(To a psychologist reassuring a preschooler that some tasks would surely be too difficult): "Obviously, you haven't met a boy like me before."

(To a pre-reading kindergartner wondering how his classmate had mastered chapter books): "I'm just much smarter than you."

(To a teacher): "I already know everything I need to know about biology. Biology is boring."

(Explaining to an interviewer why she had skipped high school): "Middle school was like a prison. I was totally superior to others in my class." (This embarrassing remark by an American student was broadcast in a BBC documentary!)

Generally, as gifted youngsters mature, they do come to appreciate the diverse abilities of others and acquire a socially sensitive degree of modesty. For the most part, though, their environments are not well designed to give them such appreciation. If they are always the quickest to catch onto a new idea; if the whole day seems, as one of my students described it, "like a six-hour slow-motion movie;" if their friends don't "get" their language or their jokes, then how are they to learn this valuable lesson? Or, indeed, not secretly suspect that they are some kind of royalty or alien child who mistakenly landed on this planet?

You may be surprised to discover how your child sees the world. My husband and I were "in the business of giftedness," with our children attending a perfectly fine neighborhood school that practiced some differentiation even in pre-gifted-education days. When finally we took our youngest, a fifth-grader, to visit an independent school for gifted students, she came out after only an hour and said, so sadly, "Why didn't you ever tell me there were other kids like me?" Thinking of it, 37 years later, still hurts.
Handling Matters with Other Adults
Before we broach matters with our children, it helps to think through our own responses to remarks such as, "Where'd you get that little Picasso?" or "What a genius she is!" You've probably also been accused of "overestimating" or "pushing" your children or "robbing them of their childhood," when you sign them up for advanced learning opportunities. No "normal parent" would do that! We all know that being the parents of bright children - even more, being parents of super-bright children - is a mixed bag. Of course there are great joys, and of course we are proud of them, but we are also probably wearier, poorer, and more sleep-deprived than we would be were our children more typical. Try some of the following:

"Thank you." (It's surprising how often this is all you need.)

"She's a lot of fun to be around. I am lucky."

"Sometimes he does seem older, but at other times he seems like half his age."

"It's a pleasure to watch how he lights up in that science class."

"She certainly has to work harder in that (music, art, writing, math...) class, and sometimes she gets really frustrated because she wants to get everything just right."

"We do put in a lot of time going to swim meets...at the library...looking for plants for his collection...trekking to youth symphony rehearsals and concerts... and finding special times for her sisters and brothers as well."

"It may look like pushing, but we are really running to keep up with him."
Talking to Your Children
Once you have yourself in hand, it's easier to discuss the issues with your kids. They need a chance to come to terms with who they are, how they are different and how very like their classmates they are, and what to do when they encounter the inevitable labels, misconceptions, and even insults. You may be dismayed to hear some of the stories they tell you when you ask.

First, they need a realistic appraisal of how bright they really are and in what areas (seldom are people equally advanced across the board). Moderately advanced? It may not be too difficult to find others who share their interests and talents, increasingly easy as they grow older and go to larger schools. Off-scale? This one is harder, since differentness permeates so many aspects of their lives, and others like themselves are rarer. It helps to understand the range of abilities that exist in the world (a little diagram of the normal curve may help) and to be reassured that, as time goes by, their choices will broaden.

Anticipating uncomfortable scenarios can be very useful, maybe accompanied by a bit of role-playing. Pose some questions:
What are some ways to handle the following?
"How'd you get so smart?"

"Nerds like you make me feel really dumb."

"I don't like all your big words."

"How can you like math so much? I think it's boring."

"Are you trying to be teacher's pet?"

"Where did you copy that report? You must be cheating."

"Enough! Other children need their turn."

"You'll be sorry when you miss the prom."
Here are some ideas for formulating alternative responses:
Simply acknowledge the fact that you are a good learner: "Some things do seem to come a little more easily." ("A little bit" is handy, as in, "Sometimes I wish things would move a little bit faster.")

Being smart is only one way of being different.

Emphasize interest over ability: "Extra credit projects let me pick something I'm really interested in."

Be specific about what you find harder and easier: "Sometimes it's harder to get a paper started than to write it."

Acknowledge your hard work, even if it doesn't show: "I read a lot for that project because I got more and more into it." "All that time I put into learning to type really helps when I write things."

Acknowledge that every choice has positives and negatives: "I do miss having neighborhood friends but this program seems to fit me better." "Being younger than my classmates has some drawbacks, but I really love the class." "Practicing so many hours cuts into my free time, that's true."

No doubt you've encountered other situations and have other suggestions for fellow SENG parents and kids. You're welcome to I'd love to hear from you.

________________________________________________________
Nancy M. Robinson is professor emerita of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and former director of what is now known as the Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars, established in 1975 by her late husband. The Center is best known for its two pioneering programs of early entrance to college but offers summer and other opportunities as well. Engaged previously in a 30-year career in mental retardation, her research interests in giftedness have focused on marked academic acceleration to college, adjustment issues of gifted children, intellectual assessment, and verbal and mathematical precocity in very young children. She has consulted for more than 25 years with the U.S. State Department's Office of Overseas Schools. She received the 1998 National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Distinguished Scholar Award and the 2007 NAGC Ann Isaacs Founders Memorial Award.

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Talking about Giftedness: The Elephant in the Room

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By Nancy M. Robinson, Ph.D. One of the special advantages of SENG gatherings is the fact that parents and kids can talk about giftedness without fear of being misunderstood, or worse, teased or belittled. Being with others who are equally relieved at not having to wend their way among the contradictory social rules and unspoken accusations is a pleasure.

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Siblings, Giftedness, and Disparities - oh my!

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By Molly Isaacs-McLeod. If you have more than one child sharing your home, you know that no two are alike. If you have biological siblings residing under your roof you know, despite incredibly similar genetics, what works with one does not work with all - in any realm.

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Family Institute is designed specifically for parents, guardians, grandparents and any adult who plays an integral role in raising their gifted children. During the event, our presenters will share their expertise about how to support the unique academic and social-emotional needs of these children when at home.

We're excited to announce that the Family Institute, like the CAGT Conference, will be going virtual this year, which means that we'll be offering the same high-quality experience you've come to expect from our events, except it will all be online for you to enjoy from the comfort of your home! The Family Institute takes place on Monday, October 19th from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

Once registered, you will receive more information to access this event. As an added bonus for attending, you'll also receive access to all Family Institute presentations after the event for a limited time.

This year, our internationally-renowned keynote speakers for the Family Institute are Richard Cash, Ed.D. and Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D.

There will be an opening session with pertinent information for our CAGT representatives, our keynote speakers and breakout sessions with choices of relevant topics to fit your families' needs, will follow. There also will be optional networking opportunities before and after the presentations.

Family Institute schedule:
5:30-6:00 Visit Exhibitors and Networking
6:00-6:10 Opening Session
6:15-7:05 Keynote
7:10-7:40 Breakout Sessions (4 options)
7:45-8:35 Keynote
8:40-9:00 Networking

The fee is $20 per person or for 2 members of the same family.

*PLEASE NOTE: Due to the virtual format registration closes October 15th so we can get the information to you to access the event.

Registration is free for CAGT conference attendees.

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Family Institute is designed specifically for parents, guardians, grandparents and any adult who plays an integral role in raising their gifted children. During the event, our presenters will share their expertise about how to support the unique academic and social-emotional needs of these children when at home.

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Parents of gifted kids tend to be information junkies. We want to know everything we can about how our kids think and how we can help them.

These resources are just a few suggestions for launching places. You could get an unofficial Ph.D. in giftedness if you read everything that was available (and maybe you want to!). If what you want is to know the fundamentals, this is where to start.

Of course I'd recommend my books:

I recommend a number of other books as well, including these:

Living with Intensity is the bible for those of us who know gifted kiddos or adults with intensities.

Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowskil edit this book on the often misunderstood issue of intensity in gifted children. If you buy one book for grandparents, this is the one. If you have a child who can't stand tags in clothes or seams in socks and feels everything more deeply than the average bear, this is the book for you.

This slim volume focuses on getting your gifted child's needs met. It is 80 pages of practical advice, and since it's so short, it's a great tool. Published by Prufrock, a leader in GT books, it has a companion volume specifically geared to secondary students.

This book is nearly 600 pages of fabulous. It is written for parents to help them guide their gifted children to books they may enjoy. You can select books by subject or area, and the annotations are thorough. A must have.

This book (a total bargain at less than fifteen bucks on Amazon) compiles years of top articles from NAGC's publication "Parenting for High Potential." It's a great reference book, but it can also just be read straight through. It's a thick book, and a good starting point.

Other Sources I recommend:

This page at the website of the Texas Association of the Gifted and Talented shares information from the Parent Division of TAGT, which has a nice list of resources.

Check out the movies suggestions with movies for and about gifted kids. You don't even have to feel guilty about vegging and watching them. Call it research!

If you have (and can prove it) a profoundly gifted child, then the Davidson Institute is a great resource for you. Their database is my favorite.

The MensaforKids site has parent resources (including my award-winning lesson plans that can be done without a teacher at home or at school), so check that out.

The National Association for Gifted Children and SENG (Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted) are two must-belong organizations. SENG doesn't have a typical membership structure, but you can join local parent groups.

If you're homeschooling or have a child interested in the brain, check out Eric Chudler's wonderful neuroscienceforkids website. It's as amazing as he is!

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Parents of gifted kids tend to be information junkies. We want to know everything we can about how our kids think and how we can help them. These resources are just a few suggestions for launching places. You could get an unofficial Ph.D. in giftedness if you read everything that was available (and maybe you ...

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By P. Susan Jackson.
Full Title: Bright Star - Black Sky: A Phenomenological Study of Depression as a Window Into the Psyche of the Gifted Adolescent.
"Few maladies touch so many aspects of the self as depression. Informed discussions of this ancient and pervasive human affliction must range freely from the faint rattlings of molecules in the brain, through the fleeting thoughts and emotions that compromise mind, to the unfathomable mysteries of spirit-the subtle essence of consciousness itself"(Nelson, J.E. and A. Nelson, 1996)

This article presents the results of a comprehensive study of the depressive experience of the gifted adolescent. One out of ten high school students experiences some form of severe depression during the high school years (McKracken, 1992). Depression has been causally related to about 60% of suicides (Stoudemire, Frank, Hedemark, Kamlet, & Blazer, 1986).

The higher incidence of depressive experience for gifted teens has been documented (Brown, 1993; Hayes and Sloat, 1990; Silverman, 1993). While not extensive there seems to be a higher incidence of suicidal tendencies in gifted adolescents than in the average population (see Hayes and Sloat, 1989). In a recent preliminary study, Silverman (1993) suggested that gifted adolescents are more at risk for suicide than are their classmates. Other studies reveal a high incidence of high achievers in the population of those who commit suicide in high school. (Delisle, 1986, 1990; Farrell, 1989; Hayes and Sloat; Kerr, 1991; Leroux, 1986).

The suggested rationale for the higher incidence of the depressive experience and suicidal behaviors is diverse and as complex as the individuals in this population. Brown (1993) presents gifted perception as "often holistic, incorporating spiritual, kinesthetic, and emotional, as well as cognitive components of a problem." (p.185). The gifted adolescent prefers complexity, is often intense and has the capacity to consider many contradictory ideas at one time. Lacking an appropriate audience, these complex emotional and intellectual constructs often remain internalized resulting in the gifted adolescent being at risk for isolation and despair. The need for a more informed understanding and therapeutic response to this prevalent and often life threatening affliction is inarguable.

The initial intent of this study was to document the scope and nature of the depressive experience with the aim of providing recommendations for therapeutic response. The material provided by the gifted adolescents themselves, however, revealed a more comprehensive scope with responses that address the etiology of the depressive experience for this group. James Hillman suggests that:
The wound and the eye are one and the same. From the psyche's viewpoint, pathology and insight are not opposites - as if we hurt because we have no insight and when we gain insight we shall no longer hurt. No. Pathologizing is itself a way of seeing; the eye of the complex gives the peculiar twist called "psychological insight" (Hillman, 1975).
Thus it was that this study of depression proved to be a powerful lens into the complex workings of the gifted adolescent psyche. Throughout the interviews the gifted adolescent's propensity for self-reflection and self-analysis was evidenced. This self-reflective capacity was a pivotal determinant in data collection resulting in material that was extraordinarily rich and dense.

The phenomenological methodology employed allowed the subjects (referred to as co-researchers or CRs) to simply tell their story. No attempt was made to mold or shape the CR's experience to fit a pre-determined perception or theoretical perspective. In this value free context, the gifted adolescent was free to muse, recall and reflect; each CR offered a complex and gripping portrayal of an often crippling and always distressing psychological state.

Collectively, their testimony provided the researcher with an idea about the guts of the depressive state for the gifted adolescent and, importantly, with a glimpse into the underlying, common psychic structure which gives rise to the depressive experience. This resultant structure provides a comprehensive perspective on the attitudes, feelings, perceptions and evaluations that gifted adolescents hold about themselves. It profiles the self of the gifted adolescent: "the per-son's total subjective environment;...the distinctive center of experience and significance". (Hamachek, 1971). Importantly this study suggests that transcendence of the depressive experience moves the gifted adolescent from an undifferentiated to an increasingly more authentic self.
METHODOLOGY
Definition of Terms The operational definition of giftedness used in this study was that of the Columbus group:
Giftedness is assynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally. (The Columbus Group, 1991)*
*The Columbus Group includes international experts and parents of gifted children. This definition is part of the unpublished transcript of their meeting in July of 1991.

The depressive state describes a syndrome or cluster of disorders wherein the mood state is typified by a profound mood of sadness, sense of inadequacy, a feeling of despondency, a decrease in activity and reactivity, and an emotional state marked by pessimism, despair and related symptoms.

Recruitment and Characteristics of Co-researchers Gifted adolescents were sought who were capable and willing to provide information about their experience with the depressive state. All were between the ages of 16 and 19 (mean age 18), members in an educational gifted program, self-referred as having had experience with a depressive state, referred by staff members as emotionally intense and, finally, free of coexisting physiological or psychological conditions that would significantly alter the individual's retrospective telling of their depressive experience. Membership in the gifted program insured a baseline cognitive criteria of an IQ of 130. The emotional intensity criteria served as an initial screening for the sample and fit, as well, the descriptor of heightened intensity.

The basis for the depressive state self-referral involved prospective research participants responding affirmatively to at least three or more of the symptoms listed in the Diagnostic Criteria for Depression (DSM IV). Forty percent affirmed a very strong or extreme manifestation of five of the ten depressive state criteria. One CR affirmed a very strong or extreme manifestation of nine out of ten depressive state criteria. The length of time that the depressive state lasted ranged from a low of two weeks to the high of "the last two years of my life". The average was two months. Four of the co-researchers reported a depressive state that lasted for longer than three months.

Overview of the Phenomenological Research Approach The phenomenological orientation usually involves three interrelated processes. The first step is description in which the phenomena is described precisely as it was experienced.

The second step involves a reduction operation in which the raw material (tapescripts of unstructured interviews) is systematically studied and broken into naturally evolving units of meaning. This step demands a bracketing process in which the researcher disengages from all past theories or knowledge of the phenomenon. Personal presuppositions about the phenomenon under study are carefully noted to reduce, as much as possible, contamination of the data from subtle influence. This temporary disengagement from a particular frame of reference allows the phenomena to manifest themselves as they are.

Fidelity to the phenomenon is an explicit criteria of this methodology. The specific intent is to capture, as clearly as possible, the way in which the phenomena appears in everyday existence.

The third process involves the search for essences or core of the phenomena. The researcher describes the essential characteristics of this core and their relationship to each other. This becomes the structure of the phenomenon. It is the fundamental framework which supports all other information. The phenomenological research methodology requires an attitude shift that demands a different way of looking at the investigated experience. For instance, the data collection process requires that the researcher enter into the co-researcher's world or field of perception in order that human experience be understood from that co-researcher's perspective. The research data, then, are those experiences shared by the CR and the subjective meaning that these experiences have for that individual. In a sense, then, phenomenology is propaeduetic to science as it is essentially a prescientific step with a rigorously defined starting point which is neither expectant nor predictive. The phenomenon is allowed to speak for itself and in so doing imbues its particular meaning.

Data Sources Each of the ten coresearchers participated in two 60-90 minute interviews. In the first in-depth, open ended interview one question was asked: "Please describe for me your experience with the less than positive emotional state commonly known as depression." The researcher's response included active listening, empathic reflection and minimal encouragers. The second interview involved each CR validating the results of the first interview by verifying the resultant tapescripts (referred to as pro-tocols). In individual interviews CRs read their protocols and were given the opportunity to affirm or negate the results. This addressed the fidelity to the phenomena criteria and insured lack of distortion (Giorgi, 1994).

The researcher's self-reflectivity remained a central feature of the analysis. All research exchanges were documented and carefully scrutinized for tacit biases and assumptions. Completing the datum was some documentary evidence including participant's journals kept both in conjunction and independent of this research.
Data Collection
1. Protocols were read to gain a good grasp of their essence; the researcher remained open to the text and refrained from imposing any explanatory model on the process. Protocols were exceptionally lengthy ranging from 15-40 pages in length.

2. Discrimination of the Meaning Units (MU) involved dividing each subject's protocols into smaller, discrete units. This sectioning occurred wherever the researcher discerned a shift in meaning irrespective of grammar or syntax. Examples of meaning units are as follows:

MU#1: Sometimes I'm not really sure about my values and how I can put everything into some sort of life, so that I can live successfully.

MU#2: But usually things are just flying around and I don't know how to catch them and everything starts getting real dark.

3. The partial phenomenological reduction occurred when each MU was transformed into an adjacently presented referenced paraphrase which summarized its specific and essential meaning. Each CR was presented with the material at this juncture to insure that the truly essential aspects of each MU had been captured. A paraphrase of MU#1, for instance, would be:

CR 13 seeks clarification of her personal values that she might integrate them in a desired lifestyle.

4. The paraphrased MUs were then examined and gathered into like components called thematic clusters. Examples of thematic clusters are:

Heightened Sensitivity and Altruistic Needs.

Initially each paraphrased MU was considered relative to this question: What is the meaning of this fact in light of the depressive experience as this individual expresses it? Eventually it became obvious that CRs had been presenting their experience along three lines of inquiry.

Three phases of experience thus emerged containing the aggregate of the CRs lived experiences: Precursors and beginnings of the depressive state, the depressive experience itself and, the perceived impact or meaning of the experience. The paraphrased meaning units became the building blocks of each of three experiential phases. Further paraphrasing occurred as essential characteristics emerged from the aggregate data. This exacting process brings to mind the child unpacking the wooden Russian hand carved dolls - each doll encased in the next only to be revealed with careful scrutiny, sensitive handling and an absence of force. In such a way each core piece emerged, inextricably bound to other core pieces.

5. Individual protocols were then incorporated into a so-called general structure. This creation revealed those constituents that were invariant (present in all protocols) and those that were manifest (specific to one individual's experience). The essence of the depressive experience was derived from the transituational constituents evidenced at this point. These factors which were present in all protocols provided the scaffolding for the core structure of the depressive experience for the gifted adolescent.

6. At this point liberation from the empirical data (protocols) and reflection on a more abstract higher level occurred. Each emergent theme in each of the three phases was reflected upon to glean the essential constituents of the depressive experience of the gifted adolescent. Several emergent encompassing themes arose at this point.

7. The final step arose from an academic challenge issued by Katz (1994). He stated that current phenomenological interviewers do not consider the language medium the data is immersed in. He suggests that we might rethink the nature of the research interview in terms of the power of linguistic methods for analyzing language. Thus it was that the encompassing emergent themes were subjected to a deep and intuitive consideration with the intent of generating core constitutional elements of the depressive experience for the gifted adolescent. This was an intuitive process aided by etymological analysis of the key words that ran throughout and established the emergent themes. In the end two essential elements of the depressive experience for the gifted adolescent manifested. These two core constitutional essences seem to fuel all aspects of the experience.

Phenomenological Research Results The CRs retrospective telling of their depressive experience involved the following process:

Precursors and beginnings of the depressive state, the depressive experience itself, and the CRs subsequent perceived impact of the depressive state. There was a much greater emphasis, in terms of content, on the first phase. This reflected the CR's emphasis. Ninety percent of the transcript content in nine out of ten protocols centered on a probing or explanation for the emergence of the depressive state. This need to figure out the whys of any phenomena is characteristic of this population; this phenomenological methodology afforded them a rare opportunity to reflect upon and make meaning of deep experience.

In the final analysis - step seven - two words emerged as central to the CRs description of the emergence and transcendence of the depressive state. They were, in the context of the Russian doll metaphor, the innermost structure - nestled and supporting the encompassing, remaining shapes. Extensive analysis revealed that these concepts were integral to the mechanism and meaning of the depressive experience in its entirety. These two recurring themes are emotion and affect. This data suggests that they are inextricably bound in the gifted adolescent psyche, their relationship and combined effect central to the depressive experience for this group. They are, it seems, imbedded in the self of the gifted adolescent; the very stuff of their existence.

The implications of the noun emotion as a primary component of the depressive state required the kind of systematic analysis as recommended by Katz (1994). Emotions, defined in a standard dictionary are strong feelings. Feelings are described as the perceiving of experience, of being conscious. An etymological investigation reveals emotion as a physical disturbance; a disturbance of mind or feeling; an affection of the mind, feeling (Onions, 1982). The word emotion comes from the Latin word "emovere" meaning to disturb, to stir up, to excite or agitate. As well it is derived from the word exmovere which means "after motion". A related word is emotive which means to cause movement.

Bound to this concept of emotion is the second integral thrust of the experiences presented in this study: the verb affect. Etymological analysis reveals its essence as the "capacity to act upon or influence; to move or disturb emotionally or mentally" (Onions, 1982, phenomena. 16). Affect's roots are disclosed as "to impress, influence or move". As well it draws its meaning from displaying or assuming openly, to aspire to, to endeavor.

At the core of the gifted adolescent psyche is a seemingly intrinsic need to affect in this world-to influence, to make an meaningful impression, to move, to experience a sense of having shaped or touched or acted upon human experience in a meaningful way. CR 3 was their spokesperson in this as he expressed a deep desire to "drink the marrow from the bones of life". All CRs wished to act upon, apply themselves to phenomena; all sought knowledge and the opportunity to express-display openly-the deepest experience.

Implicit in their testimony was a deep need to give birth to their most authentic selves; to know and to be able to act upon that which was the very essence of their individual being. Most distinctive, in this regard, is the gifted adolescent's need to ground this birth of self in contributing positively in the human community. All CRs spoke of a need to participate in a meaningful way in the commons; a need for ethical congruence in thought and in action. The gifted adolescents in this study sought to align their personal efforts in such a way as to make a vital contribution in the world.

This need to affect is related to the second theme of emotion-a feeling state that occurs after motion or, alternately, which disturbs, stirs up, excites or agitates. These twin concepts of emotion and affect were woven into all protocols, at all levels and in all three processes of the depressive experience. This data suggests they are the psychic fuel for the gifted adolescent. The depressive mechanism involves the gradual shutting down of this capacity to affect and is often prompted by a sense of not being able to express complex emotion. To experience reciprocal emotional exchange is an essential human need seemingly inextricable from the gifted adolescent's drive for meaning in the world.

Springing from this thematic, etymologically derived base emerged six key characteristics and related needs that proved to be central to the depressive experience for the gifted adolescent.

The Depressed State of the Gifted Adolescent: Characteristics and Related Needs The first identified characteristic is a stymied capacity to manifest perceptions and experience. The gifted adolescents' remarkable capacity to comprehend, their exceptional reasoning ability and intellectual curiosity demanded an expressive outlet, which, for a variety of reasons, was not available. CR4's description of his heightened awareness has poetic weight; the transcendent experience he describes is emblematic of these gifted adolescents' deeper awareness.
I'm struck by a fleeting sense of absolute elation... When I feel truly alive... my senses are heightened...I start to quiver... even breathing seems a miracle...
Such heightened receptivity and perceptivity often remained unprocessed in the external world. This expressive inaccessibility created tension and disequilibrium for these emotionally and intellectually intense individuals.
The English language totally isolates you... if you didn't have to use language you could just feel what everyone else felt... why can't I... why can't I be like that... it's so frustrating... (CR 1)
The second identified constituent is disturbances in the capacity to affect; the individuals perceived themselves as lacking in the capacity to influence or express themselves openly.
Yet again I feel depressed... I just can't tell anyone how I really am... Does it really matter? Am I expecting too much? (CR7)
The capacity to affect is intertwined with related knowledge and emotional needs:
If we judge other's capacity, human capacity, by getting good grades...but not having what they learn affect... which is something we value, obviously, right, which is definitely something I value (CR7)
Extreme experiencing of either the presence or absence of feeling and a concomitant immobility are indicators of the third key characteristic. This immobility pervades the afflicted teen's thoughts and actions:
I hit this state of absolute indifference to anything... nothing meant anything to me... I was not feeling anything... I absolutely felt nothing... It's beyond being bored... a complete indifference and lack of empathy to... anything... I didn't feel depressed... I could never have forced myself to cry... I kind of got beyond that... (CR 3)
I experienced feelings of self-criticism, extreme anxiety... then the thoughts of death come... I feel like I've been removed from all feeling... I have no energy and no capacity to create (CR 1)

... a feeling of deep, deep anguish... almost inexpressible... my mind was rolling over all this dark stuff... I was trying to get to sleep and it was just... like physically it was just like there... this huge surge like I would just have to vomit... it would build up in my stomach and right up in my throat; but there was no physical material... it was just feeling (CR 4)
The Depressed State: Characteristics and Needs
The Depressive State is Characterized By:

1. Stymied capacity to manifest perceptions and experience

2. Disturbances in the capacity to affect

3. Extreme experiencing of the presence or absence of movement and feeling

These Characteristics are Related to the Following Manifest Needs:

1. For understanding and knowledge

2. For communion

3. For expression

Three invariant elements were identified as facilitating positive emotion and the capacity to affect. The absence of any or all of these characteristics placed the gifted adolescent at risk for a depressive experience. All three constituents factored in the gifted adolescent's emergence from the depressive state. These characteristics are referred to as the "Tripartite Needs System (TNS) of the Gifted Adolescent", under-scoring their relatedness and centrality in the well being of the coresearchers in this study.
Tripartite Needs System (TNS) of the Gifted Adolescent
For Knowledge: To know and comprehend the nature or meaning of phenomena as opposed to simply inferring or believing. This need profiles in the gifted adolescent psyche in three ways:

1. The need to understand myself (in the immediate sense and in the greater existential sense of "what is my place in the cosmos?")

2. The need to understand physical and spiritual phenomena

3. An often unmet reciprocal need to be understood by others

For Communion: To be able to exchange thoughts and emotions or share something in common involving strong emotional or spiritual exchange.

For Expression: To be able to transform into words or manifest an emotion or feeling without words through music or art or some other nonverbal means.

The first need in the TNS of the gifted adolescent is the need for under-standing or knowledge about self, others, relationships, phenomena, the cosmos. This need to grasp the deepest meaning, to comprehend the essential nature of a thing is paramount in the gifted adolescent psyche. It profiles in several milieus including the secular and the sacred:
For me curiosity it's just...it's insane... It's absolutely nuts because I have the kind of mind that likes to analyze things logically and I do that to myself, constantly. (CR4)
When I am at the university I get the feeling that I want to... absorb it all... right now I need to find something that I am really passionate about and I really want to seek information on it (CR3)

I know I am here because of something, there is a reason; it is not just for me. It has something to do with God (CR9) Is the world...really... an illusion ???... I wonder... (CR6)

Self-knowledge was, for all co-researchers, a primary motivator.
In searching for meaning... is...where am I ??? Who am I ??? Why am I ???... whatever... I've lost it... I've forgotten how to live... you know, seize the day carpe diem kind of thing... (CR4)
Each sought reflection of selfhood in relationships with peers, with parents, in the community. All were, in varying degrees, thwarted in finding a reflective pool that could clearly reflect this burgeoning sense of self.
It is not that I seek community, just people of any kind, it is kind of mirror, other people who know the place that you are in. Who just get "it"; even the parts you can't express. (CR7)
The endless search for essence, for meaning applied to the self was evidenced in their testimony as well. In all cases CRs struggled with a need to shape an authentic self based on often painful self-scrutiny and self-appraisal.
The potency and depths of my own nature are intriguing. Things, right now, are rapid and chaotic... I don't know who I am and I don't know it I love myself... I don't know if I deserve love...(CR4)
I think I'm an honest person, insofar as what I know I won't lie... I mean you lie about things you don't know but that's not really lying. I remember reading in Fitzgerald Monk's book, Great Gatsby, once that the narrator suspects himself of a few cardinal virtues. I think I'm very honest (CR7)

There was strong evidence of awareness of a higher self, a selfhood steeped in universal values of love, truth, justice, freedom, beauty.
It all stemmed... because I had some higher thing in me I am not going to call it intelligence... it makes me sound so arrogant... but there must be something...(CR3)
CR7 describes his newly formed relationship with other members of a gifted program as:
That was sort of the experiential realization... (of communion) but my own world view I had always held (based on the concept of love and divine love) as intellectually true. I simply had not realized it. Meeting people opened up new doors... at the same time realizing experientially divine love and truth changed my attitude.
There was a suggestion that this higher self, steeped in universal values and personal authenticity involved human interconnectedness.
We are much more than a bunch of chemical and brain impulses. There is definitely a soul and I believe we are all inter-connected in some way (CR1)
The second need in the TNS of the gifted adolescent is that of communion, the deeply felt desire to be able to exchange thoughts, emotions, experience with a strong emotional or spiritual essence. The communion need might be summarized as: I am seen, I am known, I am connected and I am connecting. The communion need was implicit and explicit in all protocols; this study suggests it is essential for well being, for optimum development. The difficulty with the gifted adolescent meeting his communion needs was expressed in CR7's journal during the height of his major depressive experience:
I'm always hiding myself and what I really feel. Even articulation is a way of hiding feelings. In articulating them they lose their substance. I wonder if someday I will lose control. I am just another fucking teenager coming to grips with his stupid fucking emotions...
Differences between the gifted adolescents and their peers were expressed by all. The gifted adolescents in this study expressed awareness of an evolving self undergirded by complex ethical awarenesses. This burgeoning moral imagination-capacity to "feel" other- was experienced as incompatible with the norms of the broader adolescent culture.
I think my character's a little different than the people I'm around alot... and sometime I get depressed that my friends have different values than I do... and there's not a place where I fit in... my niche in life, or my groove (CR10)
Inner tension arose, however, when these sensitive teens gave voice to these perceived differences as judgments about others proved to be inconsistent with a deeper moral code.
People are shallow... I wonder sometimes if these people have ever thought about... existential concerns. I think... you're such a shallow loser and then I start thinking that was awfully snotty (CR6)
Lack of meaningful communion experience was a potent catalyst for deep anxiety and extreme isolationist thoughts:
People are pure distraction. I betray myself by being with them. I am someone who seeks solitude from society... and the petty superficial tedious gossip... that seeks to distract people from what they really want. (CR4)
In these words CR4 profiles his own need for deep meaning. He expresses, as well, his sense that the human drive for personal authenticity is often thwarted by misguided and superficial social interaction.

The need to be understood and experience communion in the family setting was expressed by all CRs; in many instances this need remained unmet and was a source of discomfort for some and the roots of despair for others. Seventy percent of the CRs stated explicitly or implied that this lack of communion with a parental figure was at the roots of their depressive state:
Situational things bring on the depressive state... but once it is started... the other situations in my life like my Dad being overseas - I often start crying... when... I... talk about... it... I feel bad for him... (CR8)
CR9 describes a time when she was reunited with her estranged birth mother after a period of five years:
She was imagining me like a doll or whatever and then she saw me and I guess she was disappointed. She totally wanted to change me. She didn't like the way I was which made me feel I didn't want to be who I was...
A similar sense of repudiation by her mother was expressed by CR3 when she responds to her mother's directives for the "successful life':
Don't do that... don't press those things on me... It's not that I really hate all that stuff (the status quo formula). It's just that my parents have never really expressed a deep interest in me personally... I don't remember being asked anything of emotional content...they're not like that... passion and emotion... that's not what they run on. My parents don't attend to that. They're not going to respond to emotional things because it affects the family balance. There is no emotional outlets; it is just the way they are. "Do whatever makes you happy" my friend's parent said to him. I have never heard that from my parents; I don't know if I ever will. If they don't understand what's in your head they don't understand what's in your heart...
CR1 describes her conflictual relationship with her mother providing insight into the implications of complex moral functioning underpinning relational issues:
I guess the depressive state started...because of the problems I had with my Mom... I was a...weird kid... I seemed more... hmmm... I didn't respond to her... like a normal kid would... I responded more like an adult and she didn't know how to control herself with me... I was really strong... stubborn... and I talked like an older person she didn't exercise restraint when she talked to me... She'd say mean things... She'd tell me that everyone hated me... that I was a phony so that's basically why I started to get depressed. It never really went away after that... I guess I was never able to forgive her...
While less conflictual, the family tone for some CRs was less than emotionally satisfying or steeped in communion. In some cases there were no systems of action that allowed for meaningful interaction; in some cases parents misunderstood or disregarded significant emotional sensitivity and complexity:
I've never really got close to my family... I don't know... it's not really a close family... He's (father) either in his office or watching TV. It's like all those... great discussions while watching TV... (CR6) I kind of hinted at it (excessive anxiety, extreme sensitivity and emotional overload) sometimes and... they just like, well, you know, you don't need to do this, don't be silly... they'd be strict with me about it and I' d have to control it... I was forced to control myself... (CR5)
The final constituent of the TNS for the gifted adolescent is the need for a means of expression. It is inextricably bound to the other two needs - for knowledge and communion - as detailed by CR10:

The need for expression was viewed as essential in successful transcendence of the depressive experience:
It was because of my mother's neglect that I withdrew... I kept things inside... I had to get things out... that's what saved me... the need to get things out... because I felt I had the need to talk to some-one (CR9)
Talking to my Dad meant getting it out in the open... It was the key to my successful resolution of the depressive state. If I had not talked to my Dad this experience would have been destructive... there was a need for catharsis from the state itself... reflection was not enough. I'm always reflective. It affirmed for me the importance and lived experience of my most fundamental spiritual values... Realizing people did love me when I really didn't love myself; this made me believe it (CR7)

Successful resolution of the depressive experience for this co-researcher involved, as well, a deepening friendship with two students from the gifted program. In these relationships he reported a burgeoning sense of community:
That was sort of the experiential realization... but my own world view I had always held - base on the concepts of love and divine love - as intellectually true. Yet I had not realized it. Meeting people opened up new doors... at the same time realizing experientially divine love and truth changed my attitude.
The articulation of the roots of his discomfort allowed this coresearcher to reassess his perspective and in so doing promoted self-knowledge:
Through this experience I learned to restructure my negative self-judgments. I can say, yes, I'm a failure in this endeavor... but that is not where it ends...
In a final statement illustrating his level of integration CR7 states:
Depression is not necessarily a bad experience if it is used to build character instead of destroying character...
Thus the data finds that the three components of the TNS system factor in the onset of the depressive experience for the gifted adolescent. The existence of a re-formulated understanding, communion and expressive mode are necessary for full resolution of the deep experience. In this study of ten gifted adolescents only one coresearcher (CR7) experienced full integration of the depressive experience. Three other CRs reported unsuccessful experiences with both talk, process and pharmaceutical therapeutic interventions and were, at the time of this study, deeply entrenched in a depressive state. The remaining six CRs had passed through the depressive experience and reported partial integration through one or two of the TNS components.

Discussion The literature on the gifted is replete with supposition about the incidence of and concern about depression in this population. Several theories exist to explain the depressive experience of the gifted adolescent (Gallagher, 1990; Silverman, 1993).This study is distinctive in its systematic presentation of the lived experience of this phenomena from the perspective of the gifted adolescents themselves. The core constituent themes-of emotion and affect-and the Tripartite Needs System of knowledge, communion and expression establish a coherent construct-focused framework for understanding the complex stratum that underpins the depressive phenomenology.

The communion need factored as an integral aspect of the developing psyche of these gifted adolescents. Both peer and, importantly, parental communion was essential for their well-being. The nature of this desired communion is a relationship that is authentic, respectful and mutually affirming. It is a communion intrinsically intertwined with the gifted adolescent's related knowledge and expression needs. It is, therefore, a complex interpersonal need; not easily attained without sustained awareness, attention and effort. The gifted adolescent's heightened receptivity and per-ceptivity, moral and sensitive nature create a rich ground for relationship. Intrapersonal complexity, however, is always multi-layered and not always easily engaged. Factors that were shown to contribute to dynamic, sustaining relationships included honesty, humor and unconditional positive regard.

These results indicate clearly that self-awareness for the gifted adolescent and for his/her parents are essential to insure optimum functioning and development. The CRs in this study spoke about the need to engage in mutually sustaining emotionally based exchanges with those they were closest to. These developing adolescents wished to know who they were in the home and in the broader community, to have their experiences mirrored and understood. They all spoke of the need for a safe place to express themselves. CR9's description of his retreat to the chapel during melancholic periods serves as a metaphor for this deepest of human needs.
The chapel is like a safe container where something greater occurs and all is peaceful. It was a bay, a little haven. My music is not heard.
All of the gifted adolescents in this study sought such a haven: a place to be, to express the deepest sense of self, to be reflected without judgment. The need to find place through networks of belonging steeped in mutual understanding and reciprocal action was deemed essential for growth. All of these exceptional teenagers longed for a sense of meaningful and authentic participation in the cosmos.

This study suggests that the awareness and emergence of the authentic self requires the courage for honest self-appraisal and exchange. Developmental counseling approaches which foster self-reflection, empathy and personal empowerment are recommended. The cultivation of means of both verbal and nonverbal expression is also desirable to insure adequate outlets for complex cognition and emotion. All of these preventative measures exercise healthy psychic mechanisms allowing the gifted adolescent to navigate developmental challenges with sufficient personal resources.

Educational programming and recreational experience which afford the gifted adolescent opportunities to interact with true peers may truly be a life saving measure. It is clear, however, that leadership from mentors and adults must be available to encourage the gifted adolescent in their communion efforts. The gifted adolescents in this study were often inhibited in social situations with non-gifted peers; this inhibitory reflex did not disappear when afforded a chance for like-minded communion with their gifted peers.
I built a wall of cynicism around myself... and other people have probably done the same because they're not willing any more to be... because... they see that their vulnerability isn't respected (by their non-gifted peers) (CR7)
Parents and teachers must provide models of effective, morally founded means of interaction to enable these exceptional young people to participate in authentic and life affirming relation-ship. Interactive environments that build trust, offer stimulation and challenges and recognize the inherent sensitivity of the gifted adolescent are essential for the gifted adolescent to flourish. In the absence of communion, with peers and with family, the gifted adolescent is very much at risk.

The two thematic constituents - emotion and affect - underscore the importance of the need to help the gifted adolescent find ways to make meaning and take action in the world. The deep need to shape and mold phenomena, to contribute, to feel their unique presence in relation to others fueled the psychic structure of these gifted adolescents. This need was supported, as well, by a related need to understand their complex emotions and complex needs. Educational programming which addresses cognitive and affective variables and affords real life experience are recommended.

Finally, this study suggests that successful resolution of the depressive experience may result in a more integrated, self-aware individual. This idea is supported by the work of Dabrowski (1972), Jung (1960) and Hillman (1975). The occasion to restructure the self through heightened awareness and self-knowledge, differing forms of creative expression and a deeper communion is suggested by this study. Undergirding this movement toward a more authentic self is a deep need for a sense of participation in the cosmos. This view of the depressive experience is beautifully captured in an essay written by a highly gifted fifteen year old girl:
Due to my rashness, I ignorantly mistake the distance between others, my family and myself as abandonment. Then, at times when I am so selfish and think only of my despair, I feel as though inwardly I were dying. And when my wretchedness appears most overwhelming and I long to be enveloped by its tempting embrace, a light appears. This light is the realization that to go into another life, one must first die and this death for me would be in the most abstract and unphysical form. (Leila, 1994)
Thus a depressive experience, supported, understood and expressed may, in the end, be a positive developmental experience. This study suggests however, that without communion, knowledge and expression, the gifted adolescent may not emerge from such deep experience.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Brown, L. L. (1993). Special Considerations in Counseling Gifted Students. The School Counselor, 40, 184-190. Columbus Group (1991, July). Unpublished transcript of the meeting of the Columbus Group. Columbus, OH. Dabrowski, K. (1972). Psychoneuroses is not an Illness. London: Gryf Publications Ltd. Delisle, J. R. (1986). Death with honors: Suicide and the gifted adolescent. Journal of Counseling and Development, 64, 558-560. Delisle, J. R. (1990). The gifted adolescent at risk: Strategies and Resources for suicide prevention among gifted youth. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 212- 228. Farrell, D. M. (1989). Suicide among gifted students. Roeper Review, 11, 134-139. Gallagher, J. J. (1990). Editorial: The public and professional perception of the emotional status of gifted children. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 202-211. Giorgi, A. (1992). Description versus interpretation; competing alternative strategies for qualitative research. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 23 (2), 119- 135. Giorgi, A. (1994). A phenomenological perspective on certain qualitative research methods. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 2 (25), 190-220. Hamachek, D.E. (1971). Encounters with the Self. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Hayes, M. L., & Sloat, R. S. (1989). Gifted students at risk for suicide. Roeper Review, 12 (2), 102-1107. Hayes, M. L., & Sloat, R.S. (1990). Suicide and the gifted adolescent. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 229-24 Hillman, James (1975). Revisioning Psychology. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. Jamison, R. J. (1993). Touched with fire; manic depressive illness and the artistic temperament. New York: Free Press. Jung, C.G. (1960). On the Nature of the Psyche. Princeton: University Press. Karlsson, G. (1993). Psychological qualitative research from a phenomenological perspective. New York: Almqvist & Wiksell International. Kerr, B. A. (1991). A handbook for counseling the gifted and talented. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association. Leroux, J. (1986). Suicidal behavior and the gifted adolescent. Roeper Review, 9, 77-79. Mc Cracken, J. T. (1992). The epidemiology of child and adolescent mood disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America 1 (1), 53-73. Nelson, J.E., & Nelson, A. (1996). Sacred Sorrows. New York: G.P. Putnam. Onions, C.T. (Ed). (1966). The Oxford Dictionnary of English Etymology. New York: Oxford University Press. Sinetar, M. (1986). Ordinary People as Monks and Mystics. New York: Paulist Press. Stroudemire, A., Frank, R., Hedernark, N., Kamlet, M., & Blazer, B. (1986). The economic burden of depres-sion. General Hospital Psychiatry, 8, 387-394. Silverman, L. K. (1993). Counseling the gifted and talented. Denver, CO: Love Publishing.

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Susan Jackson is the Coordinator of Gifted Services for the Langley School District, British Columbia, Canada. She is co-founder of the West Coast Developmental Institute where she conducts research and offers developmental and therapeutic support for gifted and creative individuals.

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Bright Star - Black Sky: A Phenomenological Study of Depression.

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By P. Susan Jackson. Full Title: Bright Star - Black Sky: A Phenomenological Study of Depression as a Window Into the Psyche of the Gifted Adolescent. "Few maladies touch so many aspects of the self as depression.

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By P. Susan Jackson and Jean Peterson.
SENG strives to provide the most accurate information in our library, and as a result, it is occasionally necessary to provide further clarification regarding previously published articles. Please note that, in the second paragraph of the article below, the authors refer to scores obtained on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Edition (WISC-III) when discussing levels of giftedness. The authors inaccurately mention classifications of WISC-III scores above 160 or 180. While those classifications (exceptionally gifted and profoundly gifted) are used to refer to children with IQ scores in those ranges, please note that the highest possible score that can be obtained on the WISC-III is 160. Scores above 160 or 180 must be obtained by using some other, often supplemental, instrument with a higher ceiling, such as Stanford-Binet Form LM. This article examines the nature and extent of depressive disorders in highly gifted adolescents based on current literature and data gathered from a phenomenological study, focus groups, and clinical records. Two case studies and clinical examples document the capacity of some highly gifted adolescents to mask even severe symptoms. Several factors appeared to contribute to this masking phenomenon, including shame for being incapacitated and unable to resolve their dilemma; depression's signature cognitive confusion, which disengaged their coping mechanisms; and fear of harming others with their toxic state. These findings raise questions about the efficacy of quantitative research instruments to determine actual cases of depressive disorder in this subgroup, as well as current research estimates of depression in the highly gifted population.
Depression is potentially debilitating, invasive, and toxic. It is feared, frequently misunderstood, and often peculiar in its course. Depression is also egalitarian in its manifestation, affecting people at any age, education or economic level, and ethnic background (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). It is a psychological state marked by feelings of sadness, worthlessness, impotence, and incapacity. Untreated major depression can have fatal consequences (Klein & Wender, 1993).

Highly gifted individuals are "those whose advancement is significantly beyond the norm of the gifted where advancement refers to aptitude or potential rather than performance" (Silverman, 1983, p. 16). Extraordinary ability is usually measured in psychometric terms, using scores on intelligence or aptitude tests. For instance, with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (Wechsler, 1991), individuals scoring at or above 145 are labeled "highly gifted," those scoring at or above 160 are "exceptionally gifted," and those scoring at or above 180 are "profoundly gifted." Individuals who show evidence of extremely high levels of creativity or unusual and profound talent are also usually included in this subcategory of gifted learners.

This paper explores major depression in the lives of highly gifted adolescents and synthesizes findings from a phenomenological study (Jackson, 1995), data from clinical records and interviews at the Daimon Institute for the Highly Gifted (White Rock, British Columbia, Canada), and research literature in gifted education and psychology. Poignant narratives illuminate the subjective experience of depression. This paper connects highly gifted adolescents' experience of depression, general information about depression, and depression-related phenomena peculiar to this population, arguing that highly gifted children are particularly capable of masking symptoms of this disorder.

Depressive Disorder: A Review of Literature

The degree, type, frequency, number, and duration of symptoms determine whether a particular episode/condition meets clinical diagnostic criteria. For example, a child who shows no signs of being comforted or of resuming normal functioning within a week after falling into a low mood or within 6 months of a major loss may be in a depressive state. Depressive states have been roughly categorized into two groups: mild (dysthymic) and major depression. The primary symptom for both disorders is disturbance of mood, and the distinction between the two is a matter of degree (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Symptoms related to thinking capacity, for instance, can range from mildly slowed to stupourous. Similarly, mood state may range from slightly downcast to unrelentingly bleak. In some cases, the mind may maintain reason; in the extreme, it can be delusional.

There is general agreement that the term depression can refer to the mood itself or to a combination of affective, cognitive, psychomotor, and vegetative manifestations that affect normal functioning. The condition of depression affects mental and emotional tone and capacity, as well as the physical body.

A sad or depressed mood and a loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities characterize major depression. There is often difficulty in falling or staying asleep or a desire to sleep much of the time. A person may also experience a shift in energy and activity levels, becoming lethargic or extremely agitated. Other physical signs include a poor appetite and weight loss or, in some cases, increased appetite and weight gain. Other characteristics of major depression include negative self-concept and self-blame, pessimism, and pervasive feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and despair. A seriously depressed person may have difficulty concentrating and may show evidence of slowed thinking, mental fuzziness, lack of cohesion in thought patterns, and indecisiveness. Those afflicted with major depression may report recurring thoughts and images of death and suicide (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

According to recent research, as many as 3% of Americans-approximately 19 million-suffer from chronic depression. Of these, some two million are children (Solomon, 2001). Major depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States for those over the age of 5, second only to heart disease in causing premature death (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Depression is linked to many other diseases, from alcoholism and drug abuse, to ulcers and eating disorders (Karp, 1996), and may coexist with conditions such as anxiety and conduct disorders (Cytrym & McKnew, 1998).

In spite of the fact that treatments for depression are proliferating, it is estimated that only half of those suffering from major depression seek help. Of those 50%, some 90% visit their primary care physician, who may or may not be well versed in psychiatric profiles (Solomon, 2001) and biological psychiatry (Klein & Wender, 1993). It is also estimated that a depressive state in an American adult is recognized only 40% of the time. At the same time, as many as 1 in 10 Americans are on some form of antidepressant medication (Solomon). Optimal treatment for major depression usually involves psychiatric consultation and medication and psychotherapy (Klein & Wender). As many as 10% of American adults will be stricken with major depression, while current estimates of incidence in children and adolescents are 3% and 7%, respectively. There is evidence that incidence of depression is increasing in the developing world, particularly among children. An increase in reported suicide attempts in children (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998) dispels the long-held belief that, while suicidal ideation may occur in prepubertal children, suicide attempts are rare.

Depression at any age may be the result of social or biological factors or both. Current research is attempting to shed light on the impact of environmental stressors that cause particular psychological reactions, leading to the biochemical changes that are at the core of a depressive disorder (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998).

Research on adults with mood disorders has revealed that many people afflicted with depression can date the early signs of their condition to either prepubertal or childhood years (Kendler, Kessler, Neale, Heath, & Eaves, 1993). A consideration of patterns of vulnerability reveals several trends. For example, children of parents with depressive disorder are found to have a significantly higher incidence of depression than does the general population (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998). In addition, children who have experienced difficulty with attachment and separation-individuation are more likely to develop emotional difficulties. Maternal rejection, in particular, has been found to contribute to later depressive states (Mahler, 1972). The growing child responds to rejection with anxiety and ambivalence and gradually shuts down innate, generative exploration and expression of capacity and purpose (Lewis, 1979). A well-established mother-infant attachment bond provides solid footing for the child's further development. Children with well-established attachments are not prone to anxiety and depressive states (Mahler). In contrast, children who experience significant loss in the early years-of a loved one, for example-are at risk for a depressive episode later in life.

Temperament is also a factor. Temperament accounts for a child's activity level, adaptability, threshold of responsiveness, intensity of reaction, mood quality, distractibility, attention span, and persistence. Those children who have difficulty with transitions and change or exhibit exceptionally intense emotional reactions are found to be at a higher risk for behavioral disorders in childhood (Lerner, 1984). Thomas and Chess' (1977) concept of goodness of fit provides a common-sense framework for explaining the interactive effect of temperament and environment.

Depression and Highly Gifted Adolescents: A Review of Literature and Clinical Data

Common Traits of Highly Gifted Individuals Lists of common traits of highly gifted children include a capacity and predilection for complex reasoning, need for precision, facility with abstract material and awareness of underlying patterns, ease with use of metaphors and symbols, and early grasp of the essential element of an issue (Hollingworth, 1942). Exceptional speed of processing and a capacity for intuitive knowing mark an exceptional mind, as well. There is evidence of a demand for internal consistency and a need for all parts of a concept to relate to one another logically (Lovecky, 1994).

Personality traits of exceptionally bright adolescents include a strong tendency toward psychological introversion (Jackson, 1995; Silverman 1992, 1993). Highly gifted introverts are characterized by a rich inner life, embracing intellectual activity, emotions, sensations, and concept formation. They have a tendency to process information and sensations internally before presenting them to the outside world, therefore seeming inhibited. Introverts are a minority, and their lessimmediate communicative style may contribute to social awkwardness and isolation (Dauber & Benbow, 1990).

Heightened sensitivity is another documented feature of highly gifted children (Dabrowski, 1967; Roedell, 1984; Silverman, 1983). Highly gifted adolescents may have stronger, deeper and more enduring reactions to stimuli than their age peers. Polish psychiatrist Kazimierz Dabrowski labeled these reactions "overexcitabilities"-enhanced and intensified mental activity, reactions, and expression that are beyond common and average. Dabrowski posited that, when enhanced reactivity is combined with particular talents, extraordinary development is possible. He noted a capacity for growth toward personal autonomy and a complex operative morality in children with these overexcitabilities. This development often places these children at odds with their various contexts. When they develop beyond the conventions and expectations of their family, classmates, and teachers, they may experience periods of great inner disequilibrium and feelings of being out of sync with their environment. Without appropriate support and creative outlets, anxiety states, depressive disorder, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors can result (Dabrowski, 1967; Jackson, 1995). Clinicians need to be aware of the effects of a complex cognitive and affective self-system on mood and behavior.

Clinical Depression in the Highly Gifted Population There are conflicting opinions and evidence concerning the prevalence of depression in the gifted population (Neihart, 1999). Determining the nature and the incidence of this complex condition in the lives of highly gifted individuals is difficult. Issues related to defining giftedness, questions about research methodology, and the intrapsychic complexities of highly gifted individuals preclude easy fact finding.

Interest in the overall psychological characteristics and affective development of highly able individuals has been sustained and extensive. A substantial body of research in gifted education supports the view that gifted children are at least as well adjusted as their nongifted peers (e.g., Galluci, Middleton, & Kline, 1999). In this view, the gifted child's capacity for self-understanding, overall awareness, and complex problemsolving abilities ensure good social adjustment and emotional resiliency. A second antithetical view (e.g., Gross & Feldhusen, 1990; Roberts & Lovett, 1994; Roedell, 1984; Silverman, 1993) holds that gifted children are prone to emotional or social difficulties due to their differences from the norm and their heightened responses. In particular, super-sensitivity, perfectionism and differences across intellectual, emotional, and social domains contribute to unusual social and emotional challenges for gifted children.

There is indeed clinical evidence that depression can be an insidious and even fatal influence in the lives of some gifted people (Barkett, 2002; Claridge, Pryor, & Watkins, 1998; Jackson, 1998; Tolan, 1998). There is evidence, as well, that many highly gifted and talented people throughout history have suffered from various forms of clinical depression. (Dabrowski, 1967, 1972; Jamison 1995, 1993; Styron, 1990). A critical mass of anecdotal evidence in the form of clinical reports, reports from parents, and reports of depression survivors themselves attest to the fact that some highly gifted teens experience depression (e.g., Piechowski, 2002; Tolan) and that they are capable of disguising even the most severe symptoms (Jackson, 1995, 1998). Clinical records, among the data serving as the foundation for this paper, confirmed that some highly gifted children-especially those in undifferentiated school programs with no access to like-minded peers and appropriate learning experiences-may exhibit signs of depressive disorder as early as age 7. Signs of depression at young ages in this population may be subtle: social withdrawal, acting out behaviors (often labeled "immature"), acute intellectualization of all phenomena, and highly focused pursuits that preclude engaging in a broader social context. These behaviors may in fact be elaborate defense mechanisms meant to protect the highly gifted learner from perceived disregard, derision, or misunderstanding.

In a recent review of pertinent literature, Neihart (2002) concluded that gifted children and adolescents do not show higher or lower prevalence of depression than those in the general population. However, the editors of the volume in which that review appeared cautioned against unquestioned adoption of their findings, based on several mitigating factors. The lack of a clear and consistently applied definition of giftedness (Peterson, 1997b; Robinson, 2002) ensures that there will be variance in research sampling. It is difficult to make meaningful comparisons when research teams have studied differing populations of children. Also confounding the research results is a sampling bias in favor of academically adjusted students. The bulk of research findings are gleaned from samples where students are identified as academic achievers, successful enough to be selected for special programming (Meckstroth, 2002). Other subpopulations, such as nonmainstream cultural or socioeconomic groups (Peterson, 1999), profoundly or creatively gifted students, or gifted learning-disabled students, are likely underrepresented. Students who are emotionally at risk or behaviorally "maladjusted" (Peterson, 1997a) and highly gifted students whose learning needs are not met in programs designed for moderately gifted students may also be underrepresented.

In addition, the instruments used to investigate the occurrence of depression in gifted children and adolescents, such as self-report questionnaires, may not be appropriate, since these may not generate accurate reporting. In particular, two issues contribute to this potential mismatch of subjects and methodology: the association of perfectionism with giftedness (Greenspon, Parker, & Schuler, 2000) and the sense of shame reported by those who have experienced depression (Jackson, 1995). Given the potential for obfuscation, research of depressive disorders should take into account the complex defense mechanisms operative in the highly gifted psyche. If questionnaires are used, information should be supplemented by qualitative methods or corroborated by direct observation of behavior.

The Experience of Depression in Highly Gifted Adolescents Susceptibility. Poorness of fit, mentioned earlier, may characterize many areas of an exceptionally gifted child's life. Often, a highly gifted child spends large portions of time in inappropriate educational environments where they do not have access to "true peers," people whose intellect and social-emotional needs mirror theirs. Perhaps their introverted nature precludes easy social exchange, and super-sensitivities ensure that their reactions to "ordinary" stimuli seem exaggerated (Gross, 1993). Highly gifted children perceive the world complexly, with access to a reality that is usually not reflected in the perceptions of those around them. They often lack access to an understanding or appreciative audience and are unlikely to be able to exchange perceptions with others. Extreme sensitivity to both obvious and subtle environmental stressors can subject them to psychic overload and may precipitate a depressive state (Roedell, 1986). Poorness of fit as a precursor to depressive states was a central theme in the language of all participants in the phenomenological study of interest here (Jackson, 1995). A 17-year-old exceptionally gifted male expressed the effects of a poor fit:

I do not believe that gifted people have any higher innate tendency toward depression than does any other group. But, you have to remember that, if every second word you utter, every concept you put forth is mocked or belittled, you start to shut down pretty fast. You are forced into reducing your vocabulary, which effectively jettisons your communicative capacities; you learn to translate according to what seems to be the "common kid code." By and large, I realized pretty quickly that I would never fit into their accepted activities, which predominantly focused on establishing a hierarchy of social and physical power-survival of the fittest, if you will. It just did not interest me to participate.

As young children, the highly gifted are often unaware of how different their thoughts and feelings are from even their less-gifted peers. There is evidence, however, that a dawning realization of differences may bring with it a sense of desolation and loneliness. A mother of an exceptionally gifted 8-year-old boy reported the following conversation:

James: Mom, I am different. I am not normal.

Mother: Yes, James, you are different and so is everyone, but you are also like me in some ways and like your father in others.

James: No, I am not normal, and I cannot begin to explain to you the ways that I am unlike you. I simply cannot begin to explain that.

At the time of this conversation, the mother had felt trepidation about her son's diminishing emotional responsiveness. James had experienced rejection by his age peers and little appropriate educational programming. He was often angry, recalcitrant, moody, and unresponsive. In therapy, James revealed many symptoms of a depressive state, including sleep disturbance, "fuzzy-headedness," and dark thoughts. His mother was concerned about his increasing sullenness, withdrawal, and violent outbursts. She had cultivated a warm, responsive relationship with him, but admitted to not knowing how to keep up with his rapid mental processing, emotional sensitivity, mercurial mood shifts, and extreme sense of justice.

It is rare for highly gifted children to escape the effects of their differences from age peers. Their developmental lasynchrony places them at risk for social isolation or misunderstanding; inappropriate educational response; and emotional, intellectual, or social void. This lack of meaningful, positive social interaction is the most important variable in the etiology of depressive disorder for the highly gifted adolescent (Jackson, 1995). Several authors point to social isolation and lack of authentic interaction as particularly troublesome for highly gifted children (e.g., Gross & Feldhusen, 1990; Little, 2002; Roedell, 1984). According to the data supporting this paper, highly gifted teens who were unable to experience meaningful spiritual, emotional, and intellectual exchange in their family, social and educational environments, or both are more susceptible to a depressive state than those who had more positive experiences. For example, John, 13, profoundly gifted, and recently accelerated radically in a magnet school for bright children, reported that it was the first time he had ever experienced either academic or social meaning or connection. He was a dreamer and an artist with deep interests in science and philosophy, but he felt socially isolated:

Hell is other people. We all have our own mind sets, morals, and beliefs. Kids today are materialistic and, if I may be so blunt, shallow. By and large, they cannot defend their beliefs, as they do not appear to have any, and this is really, really painful. But, upon reflection, having said this, it is important to remember that I do not believe that they know what they are doing. Without sounding condescending, they simply cannot understand what I, and people like me, are feeling. It is simply way beyond any frame of reference they have access to.

An exceptionally gifted male, 17, in combat boots and black clothes, echoed John:

I have taken a rather unconventional route; it is more efficacious for me. I first felt extreme isolation in grade 3. I remember my best friend moved, and I was alone - I mean really alone. I basically lived that way until the last 2 years in high school, where I began to run into people like me. I walk in a certain way, and I have a certain reputation. People stay out of my way; I don't get bothered much. I am capable of empathy, certainly, but I usually save it for a very few people, a very few, and very definitely for animals. . . . When I experience dark moods, depressive states, I simply ignore it. I don't deal with it. I go into the "don't think, don't feel, just act" mode. Shooting is really helpful; my sniper practice. It is a singular activity which focuses my attention wholly and completely. You have to be right there right now. It is a singular activity that is absolute. It is not tentative. It provides an absolute and precise measure of reality. This is really clean. I feel really peaceful and content, without the stress of multiple interpretations and expectations.

Masking, as related to research. It is important for researchers to understand the subjective experience of depression and concurrently or subsequently being a research subject. In a focus group on affective disorders1 held at the Daimon Institute, several highly gifted adolescents captured the interaction of these two realities. Shara, 17 and exceptionally gifted, explained as follows:

You wouldn't ever want to admit that you were that - depressed, I mean. People think of it as a really shameful thing, maybe even something contagious, certainly something dangerous-that is, if they really know what clinical depression is. Other people think that having a sad moment or a momentary loss is big-time depression, and when your experience is so vastly different from that, you just keep your mouth shut.

Greg, also 17 and exceptionally gifted, described his reticence:

Why is it so hard to admit that I have this problem - depression? I am really comfortable with you. I have survived some enormously hard things, but I have such a tough time telling you that I am unable to control this aspect of my emotional life. That was one of the hardest things I have ever said to anyone.

It is very definitely a sense of failure, being so incredibly messed up that you can't think your way out. I mean, there is a tremendous amount of shame attached to that. It is a very uncomfortable place to be. In all cases presented here and in clinical records at the Daimon Institute, highly gifted teens reported that they needed to feel very comfortable with anyone who questioned them, verbally or on paper, if they were to reveal their inner worlds. An interesting irony emerges as to the willingness and capacity of highly gifted teens to report accurately on their emotional world. Based on this author's clinical experience, highly gifted teens appear to demand honest self-scrutiny and highly moral action in themselves, and this conflicts with the sense of failure, toxicity and impotence experienced in a depressive state. Some highly gifted teens reported being unable to talk about an intense depressive state without fear of harming the person they were talking to. They also feared that there were few people who could understand the complexity of a deep state of depression. In the phenomenological study (Jackson, 1995), students admitted in the focus groups at the Institute and in clinical interviews to denying, hiding, or obfuscating their experience of depression to protect their fragile sense of self-efficacy and to protect the well-being of those around them. Kieran, 15 and exceptionally gifted, compared his experience of depression with his usual self-presentation:

I act like nothing's wrong. On some subconscious level it seems like some sort of weakness, some sort of vulnerability, and it hurts to share weaknesses. When you are gifted, you feel what other people feel; if someone else is depressed, you pick up on it, and it makes you feel depressed so you become afraid that your depression, when it happens, will evoke that feeling in someone else.

This capacity for sensitive, capable children to deny or mask the depressive state, especially in early stages, is documented in the literature on affective disorders. Two leading researcher/clinicians (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998) in the field of childhood affective disorders described the difference between the inner world of the depressed children and their overt behavioral expression:

Children often . . . do not wear it on their sleeves as adults do. Children tend to be depressed in an extremely quiet way. They often creep into their rooms or other secluded places and cry while appearing cheerful in public settings. Usually they don't look as sad, tearful, or as slowed down as depressed adults. By the time a child exhibits signs of depression for all to see, he or she is usually severely depressed. (p. 32)

At the Daimon Institute, adolescent subjects were asked to respond to this statement: "Current research determines that gifted adolescents are no more or less susceptible to clinical depression than their nongifted peers." Kieran, who had survived major depression, responded as follows:

Hogwash. That is absolute hogwash, at least for highly gifted kids! It doesn't take a genius to know that the inner world of the highly gifted person is complex and often conflictual. I mean, how easy is it to disguise what you are thinking and feeling? It is second nature to any highly gifted kid: hiding things that are dangerous, unformed, problematic. Where do we get a chance to express things, to have them understood, to make light of them, to air them out? That doesn't happen too often, and, when it doesn't, it builds up and builds up and you're often drawn into some very deep and dark places.

However, Sean, an exceptionally gifted boy of 12, expressed a different view: "I think it is not easy to disguise true depression. It is simply too intense. It spills out of you. There seems to be no sense in it and no way to contain it." At the time of his comment, Sean had been in therapy for 2 years. His original clinical presentation was extreme noncompliance at school and at home, social isolation, and episodes of explosive anger. His depressive state dated back to age 4. Sean had not deliberately masked his initial depressive state; rather, he had not been conscious of it as he lashed out in vicious verbal attacks. Because of the conscious and unconscious masking and concomitant problems with validity of research instruments, the actual extent of depressive disorder in the highly gifted population is difficult to determine.

The inner experience. The nature and the course of the depressive experience for the highly gifted adolescent is multifaceted and idiosyncratic. Deep experience is always highly personal, and the vast capacities and vagaries of the highly gifted psyche ensure a particular and unique depressive disorder trajectory (Jackson, 1995; Styron, 1990). Kieran, quoted earlier, described his:

The nature of depression for highly gifted people has to be relevant to their unusual abilities. . . . For me it's like - boom! A thousand horrible scenarios play out so vividly in your mind's eye, like some great horror movie. It seems that the mind amplifies the depressive state, and this can happen very, very quickly. It can get very frightening incredibly quickly.

Specific indicators of depression in the highly gifted population include a strong physical component. In the phenomenological study (Jackson, 1995), a female participant, 17, articulated how her conflictual feelings were manifested in her body. Because of her ill health, she was often absent from school and was often coping with several physical diseases at once, some of unknown etiology. Another highly gifted boy, 13, described the onset of a major depressive episode following the death of his pet canary:

I felt like something irreparable happened when my bird Merlin died. I was so sick, I mean physically sick, day after day. I had the flu constantly. I felt that I had the flu; when you think about that, it is "funny," ironic. I had the flu and Merlin "flew" away. I mean, the stress of that made me sick. I made myself sick with that - I know that I did.

When it gets really bad, when the kids at school are calling me gay - can you tell me why they call me gay? I try to cope, I try to say "no troubles, just one more year here." But, then something happens, and it happens very, very quickly.

I leave my body. I leave my mind. . . . I don't know if I am here. And then I know that I am dying. I mean my actual brain is here, but my soul has left my body. I am screaming inside: "It is all so stupid, stupid, stupid!" I am dying here.

This young man's physical manifestation of distress became so severe that he could no longer leave the house. He lost his appetite and became emaciated. However, a comprehensive series of physical exams revealed no irregularities:

These tests-I feel badly about the cost and bother to the medical system. I mean, there is nothing wrong with me; nothing physically wrong with me. It is my soul that is dying here. I keep telling them that is what is wrong, and they keep searching for clues in my body. That is not what the problem is.

A 17-year-old boy from the original study reported depression welling up in him like black bile, cutting off his breath, reducing his capacity to digest food, causing his chest to compress with pain. Heaviness in the eyes, pressure in the head, shakiness throughout the body, compulsive behaviors, and disordered eating patterns were other physical symptoms reported by the highly gifted adolescent subjects in a state of major depression. Yet, even with the cognitive impairment of major depression, some of these highly gifted teens maintained stellar academic performance. Almost all of the subjects reported compartmentalization of various aspects of the self: "I shut that part of myself off," "I cannot afford to entertain those thoughts," "I discipline myself to not feel those things," and "I let myself sink deep into my imaginative world" were common remarks.

There was also evidence of extreme emotions, from being overwhelmed, to being explosive and aggressive. The psychomotor overexcitability common to highly gifted teens may have contributed to heightened and unusual responses to even subtle stimuli. These depressed teens reported deadened emotions, a void, or potent emotions "beyond description." Finely tuned imaginative capacities came into play during major depression, with reports of vivid visual images and fantasies and even more troublesome delusions and hallucinations for some individuals.

As with any clinical symptom, it is important to note the degree to which the highly gifted teen feels control over these inner images and their duration and frequency. An enduring state of delusion and a felt incapacity to control undesirable imaginative responses may be signs of psychoses or other psychiatric difficulties. Neihart (1999) cautioned, however, that "observations from psychiatric studies suggest that disturbance of mood, certain types of thinking processes, and tolerance for irrationality are three characteristics common to both highly creative production and psychiatric problems" (p. 13). One young boy, exceptionally gifted and deeply depressed, had honed his ability to "alter reality." He reported that his classroom teacher was insensitive and hard-hearted and that his schoolwork was meaningless and redundant. His response was to turn his teacher into a television screen, and he spent hours "turning the channels" with his imaginary remote control device. He was referred to counseling for attention-deficit disorder, defiance, and isolationist social tendencies.

Defense mechanisms. Highly gifted adolescents may develop complex defense mechanisms. For example, 13-year-old Anna always carried a book with her. Her vocabulary was prodigious and she could recount passages from many Shakespearean plays. Her understanding of the themes and questions inherent in the text was outstanding. She longed to be an actress and could, upon request, assume any role with an astonishing command of body, emotion, and intellect. In her daily life, however, Anna was difficult, recalcitrant, and distant. A deeply spiritual child, Anna sought communion with nature. Her favorite moments at the private school she attended were her lunch-hour walk in a grove of trees. "I walk and I talk to the trees. There is so much I can say to them. They are always there to listen." Anna had not revealed this inner world to family members or schoolmates. She was brought to counseling because of noncompliance and belligerence. In counseling sessions, she revealed a complex sense of morality and a gentle, generous, nuanced, and open nature. Elsewhere, she experienced an extreme sense of isolation. Anna was intensely private, exceptionally bright, and dangerously depressed.

A Phenomenological Approach to Studying Highly Gifted Adolescents

Highly gifted adolescents are capable of establishing complex emotional and intellectual defenses. In accessing these individuals for research purposes, qualitative methods allow for collaborative, context-based personal inquiry, which engages the participant as a "coresearcher." When individuals are invited to make meaning of the multifaceted experience of depression, for instance, the sense that they are not being objectified and reduced to an already established framework can override the intricate defenses normally operative.

Coleman and Cross (2000) summarized this approach: "In phenomenology the connection between reality and the person is actively co-created such that there is no real distance between the two. Phenomenology provides a means for entering parts of a person's life" (p. 211). Ary, Jacobs, and Razavieh (1990) explained further:

Qualitative inquirers argue that human behavior . . . cannot be reduced to variables in the same matter as physical reality, and that what is most important in the social disciplines is understanding and portraying the meaning that is constructed by the participants involved in particular social settings or events. . . . It is an intensely personal kind of research. (p. 445)

Phenomenological researchers ask participants to describe their lived experience of phenomena, with the investigator making no attempt to shape the experience. Subjects are invited to "tell their story" without intervention and interpretation. Taped interviews are transcribed into protocols, and, through a rigorous process of reduction, central themes emerge. Approached with due rigor, qualitative research can produce penetrating insights into the human condition.

The first of the following case studies is drawn from the study referred to previously (Jackson 1995), which used the methodology just described. The purposive sampling method sought students who had been identified as highly gifted (a score of at least 145 on a test of intelligence) and had self-identified as having experienced a "less than positive" emotional state. Jared was one of 10 participants. Half of the subjects were exceptionally gifted, all had experienced major depression, and all reported masking their depressive experience. Two of the exceptionally gifted were in the throes of major depression during the time of the interviews, including Jared. The presentation of Jared here is based on interview protocols, research notes, and his personal journal during his depressive state. The information presented in the second case study, of David, is drawn from case notes, audiotape recordings, and writings during the time he was in therapy for major depression.

Two Case Studies Jared: Major Depression and an Ethic of Silence

Jared recounted 8 months of battling the demon mood:

I would try to sleep, and there was this physical sensation, this huge surge as if I would have to vomit. It would build up in my stomach and right up in my throat, and it would not be any physical material, just feeling. My face would be red and my neck bulging with feeling. And my mind would be rolling over all this very dark material, something I could not control, something so powerful.

He described a flattened mood that eclipsed other feelings - and thoughts of suicide:

I felt as if I had absolutely nothing to hold me here, nothing at all that keeps me here. I almost yearn for that. I feel as if I am debasing myself by my being. And I haven't decided whether you don't [commit suicide] because you are weak and you are afraid or whether you don't because you still have something to do here. I think that I do not do it because I think about it too much. It would probably be fairly easy for me to do, but since it is constantly on my mind and a part of me asking why, why, why-then how am I am going to burst into action?

He had sometimes been unable to remember or compute even simple things, and "at other times . . . the act of breathing seems a labor and it is just, it is just really, really dark and that is incredibly frightening."

He talked about the effort of will required to maintain equilibrium, to assume the posture of everyday living, to keep up, to produce. He referred to terrifying mental and emotional decay:

"I am often too concerned with what's happening inside." For the faculty at his prestigious magnet school for highly able learners, he was one of the finest minds they had had in their classrooms, and he was actually class valedictorian. The student that earned honors in physics, mathematics, music, literature, and art articulated depression images in graphic detail in the interview - and, nonverbally, a deep, underlying fatigue.

Shockingly, he revealed that no one - his teachers, his friends, or his family - was aware of his depressive state. Just the week before, his father, a highly successful entrepreneur, had spoken with him, concerned that Jared might be studying too hard. He advised Jared to pace himself in light of approaching final exams. Jared reported that his father questioned his diminished energy and suggested some exercise, a healthy diet, and "down time." Jared was quick to assure his father that he would attend to pace and explained his fatigue in terms of senior-year pressures: predictable, undesirable, and easily dealt with. He offered nothing more, and his father did not press him further.

As Jared recounted this exchange with his father, he revealed profound shame for his calculated and easy deceit. He was ashamed about the ease with which he could dupe his father and confused by the fear and guilt that fed and accompanied his duplicity.

It was clear that Jared was acutely ill with depression, but he also despaired for another reason: He blamed himself for his lack of control and for not being able to "figure it out." He had always had a sense of interdependence, with a concern for the welfare of others. He therefore worried about how revealing his depressive state would affect his parents, concerned that they would feel responsible for his distress and, an even greater fear, that they would then castigate themselves for being ignorant of his condition.

Late in the interview, he revealed that depression robbed him of what he had assumed was his birthright: his ability to intuit answers with little effort. He admitted that, for the first time, he could not easily see the whole of a thing, and he could not predict the next part of the pattern. He was a vital young man rendered weak. His genius had been eviscerated.

Jared was suffering from major depression, a condition unimaginable to those who have not experienced it. He struggled to explain its tempo, rhythms, and power:

But, the thing that bothers me most isn't the mood swings or the polarization I do feel with my true emotions. It's that in-between - that detached state, that not caring for and not being able to be touched by anything. This makes me feel sick at heart - deadened. Sometimes, it is a feeling of deep, deep anguish, and this is truly almost inexpressible.

During the interview, he opened his personal journal to writings at the height of his depression. He read as follows:

I feel hopelessness, a lot of hopelessness, no anger - no anger at anyone other than myself, I guess you could say almost a self-hate - very, very critical. The self-criticism reigns unchecked. I seem unable to prevent this.

He had had little psychic fuel left and could not ask for help; he conserved what little he had and pretended that he was well. He reflected on his experience: "Going through it was really, really hard. Thinking back on it, I can say, now, now, it wasn't that rough, but going through it, I think it was."

Themes in the transcribed interview included his intense need to be understood, his hope for validation of his experience, and insight. The transcripts also revealed his ethic of silence. The depressive state had, until the research interview, robbed him of his voice and his uncommon capacity to express. He felt his terrors were unspeakable and that no person could receive the intricacies and felt horror of the depressive state. His response had been to mask the symptoms. He described his feelings as large and ominous, unexplainable, amorphous, distressingly intangible, conflictual, and often paradoxical:

It is so hard for me to do this, to tell you, to bring it out in any kind of coherent manner. It is going to be so very hard to do this, to talk to you about this, and I am not sure I even want to do it. It leaves you feeling completely overwhelmed. It is not just about bringing things out. You have to deal with them, and, last week, it was really, really, really bad.

Most importantly, this undesirable state also felt dangerous:

Right now, I am even debating deciding how deep I should go, and if you want to talk nightmares, we can do that, but I am really not sure if I want to do that. If you want to talk suicide, we can do that, too. All of that exists in me. It is dark, and it is there, but I just do not know if I should do that.

The anonymity of the interview had provided an unusual window of opportunity:

The reason why I still sit here, with you, and do not go home, which I could, and this might be kind of disturbing, but it is because you are almost faceless, in the way that I am not going to have to live with you the rest of my life like I would with my mom and my dad. I am not going to have to deal with the repercussions of what I say at my school, and it is easier. I get to be a little detached and impersonal.

Ironically his profound abilities allowed him to deceive all who interacted with him. His sensitivity, perfectionism, and high energy all assisted his duplicity. His sensitivity to the needs of others contributed to his faulty logic and to his incapacity to ask for help. One irony of the depressive state for Jared was the fact that his capacity to analyze - to take a thing apart and view its components - remained powerful, while the capacity to put it together in a meaningful gestalt - to synthesize - became dormant (Dabrowski, 1967; Jackson 1995).

However, while his inner world was full of horror and incapacity, his outer world was marked by competence, carefully maintained. At the time of the interview, exhaustion was the only telling sign of his deep malaise.

Breaking his silence seemed to be at once cathartic and exhausting. He suggested that the depressed state could not go on forever and that his resources were running low. The interviewer wondered how much longer he could pretend. She mentally sketched a program of intervention as the interview concluded. It would have to be carefully and skillfully administered. Jared's intellectual and emotional defenses were extensive, and his innate emotional framework was complex and fluid. He would have to be supported caringly over time. He was highly gifted and greatly at risk.

David The following recollections of the mother of David, a highly gifted, learning-disabled adolescent, described major depression:

He was very sad. I could see the sadness, but couldn't reach him, and he was distant all the time. When he was really depressed, he would sleep until at least noon and was awake most of the night. He buried himself in his computer, learning everything he could about repairing and networking. He would not meet to talk to anyone. He would not even leave the house. Our family took a holiday; he brought his laptop computer; I don't think he left the cabin once. He didn't even see the beach or go out for a walk, not even once. His appetite was poor; he only wanted to eat junk food. He would not look after himself properly: he did not go to the dentist, did not shower, his hair was long and often dirty. I hurt inside all the time watching him. We tried everything to get him to eat better, to get involved, and to be a part of our family life and the world outside. There was constant tension and horrible fights. We were desperate and terribly concerned.

She was writing about her son's 14th year. When David first entered therapy, he was under psychiatric care, heavily medicated with antidepressants, violent, and emotionally explosive. His parents lived in fear - for their own safety and for David's. He was morbidly depressed and suicidal. He showed signs of extreme agitation and poor impulse control. At the time this article was written, David was 18 and had been in weekly therapy for 2 years. He had finished high school, no longer took antidepressive medication, was involved in his family and social life again, held down a full-time job, and was about to enter a technical program.

In contrast to Jared, there was ample external evidence that David was seriously disturbed. Schoolwork was rarely completed, teachers' instructions were disregarded, and he did not participate in classes. Unlike Jared, David's overall academic achievement was poor, although he outstripped teachers and curricula in all areas of technology and secured the role of key computer troubleshooter for the faculty. However, school officials reported feeling uneasy in his presence, frustrated, and concerned. They found him difficult to deal with in everyday matters - uncooperative, shut down, derisive. He was a social isolate, guarded and defensive, and his volcanic anger was barely under control.

Despite grudging acknowledgement of his complex intelligence and extraordinary facility with technology, school personnel saw him as an academic failure, a disturbed troublemaker, and a malcontent. Administrators blamed the family and constructed a behavioral intervention when he was thought to have violent tendencies. Although counselors attempted interventions, there was no consistent academic or emotional support in place for him, nor any psychoeducational analysis. The latter would have detected his fine problem-solving and visual-spatial abilities; however, the difference between his written expressive capabilities and his computational genius would have pointed to a severe learning disability. Without this essential information and these insights, school faculty treated his lack of production as noncompliance and insubordination and disregarded him.

Lacking knowledge of the disability, teachers demanded what David could never produce. His inability to understand his own functioning and his incompatibility with an educational system demanding written expression of acquired knowledge ensured frustration and self-repudiation. David knew he could not perform as demanded. He was often overwhelmed with his incapacities and was unable to find a conduit for his profound abilities except in computer studies. His complex and sensitive nature and his need to belong and to contribute in meaningful ways were subverted. The roots of David's depression - incompatibility with the demands of the educational system and lack of support for his gifts and understanding of his learning disabilities - seem, in comparison to Jared's, straightforward. In an in-depth interview, however, David quickly asserted that the suppression of his feelings and the beginnings of the depressive state occurred very early in his school experience:

I know when it started: the first day of playschool - yes, playschool, not kindergarten. I remember it clearly. I would have been, hmm, just 3, just turned 3 years old. I remember how high the ceiling was and the color of the little mats we had to sleep on. That was the first day I came face to face with evil - with how others kids could be. I remember the boy's face; I can still see it. It was then I knew what the word bully meant. I mean, I really knew what it meant. He shoved me around; he was very physical; I was very frightened. And then it hit me; this is the way that people could be, they were not all loving and kind. There was evil in the world. I remember that so clearly as the first day I started to shut down parts of myself. . . . I started hiding who I was. I could never fit in. I did not know how to be mean, and I always wanted other people to be fair, to care, to work together. It was very definitely the beginning of my despair.

When it became obvious, in grade 8, that I was depressed, I had been emotionally locked up for a very, very long time. By the time they noticed what was wrong, it was almost too late.

Conclusion

A phenomenological research study (Jackson, 1995) and comments from extensive clinical files and focus groups of highly gifted adolescents revealed several trends, most importantly the capacity to mask various aspects of a depressive disorder. Gifted adolescents' profound sensitivity and their shame and sense of failure for their inability to figure out the source and cure for their toxic state formed the motivational substrate of the masking phenomena. Their reduced capacity for synthesis, slowed cognitive functions, and delayed reactivity disengaged their usually exceptional problem-solving capacities. A need to protect others from the potency of their state and a fear that it would not be easily communicated or understood further alienated them.

For highly able individuals like these, early intervention and insightful and informed diagnosis are essential. During depressive episodes, emotional extremes, unusual mental images, and spiraling thoughts are common in this population. Atypical physical manifestations of depression may occur, and somatic distress must be carefully considered as to its etiology and possible relationship to the psychological distress.

Appropriate and thorough psychological support must take into account the complex defense mechanisms inherent in the depressed highly gifted adolescent. Clinicians who are familiar with the complicated and unusual innate functioning of highly gifted teens are more likely than those who are unfamiliar to assess accurately the severity of depressive states for this subgroup of the gifted population. Sensitivity to the shame and vulnerability reported by all subjects here is essential for best outcomes.

Finally, there is a need for more qualitative research on the nature of depressive disorders for highly gifted adolescents. It is clear that vulnerability to depression depends on a number of interactive factors. Poorness of fit with educational programming and lack of intellectual and emotional communion were factors for these students. The need for community in terms of a meaningful and vital exchange was apparent in this group of exceptional students. Without this communion and informed, perceptive response, some highly gifted depressed adolescents are gravely at risk.

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Izard (Ed.), Emotions in personality and psychopathology (pp. 369-396). New York: Plenum Press. Little, C. (2002). Depression and the gifted child. Understanding our Gifted, 14(3), 12-14. Lovecky, D. V.(1994). Exceptionally gifted children: Different minds. Roeper Review, 17, 116-120. Mahler, M. S. (1972). Rapprochement subphase of the separation-individuation process. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 41, 487-506. Meckstroth, E. (2002). A review of The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know? Gifted Education Communicator, 33(1), 50-52. Neihart, M. (1999). The impact of giftedness on psychological well-being. Roeper Review, 22, 10-17. Neihart, M. (2002). Gifted children and depression. In M. Neihart, S. Reis, N. Robinson, & S. Moon (Eds.), The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? (pp. 93-102). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Peterson, J. S. (1997a). Bright, tough, and resilient - and not in a gifted program. 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Wechsler intelligence scale for children-III. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

End Notes 1. No claim can be made for the representativeness of this sample. These in-depth interviews were conducted with the intent of providing a nondirective, sensitive environment in which questions about depressive states could be asked in a private, nonjudgmental environment with like-minded peers. All participants were highly, exceptionally and profoundly gifted adolescents who had been referred for either developmental or therapeutic clinical support.

By P. Susan Jackson and Jean Peterson.
SENG strives to provide the most accurate information in our library, and as a result, it is occasionally necessary to provide further clarification regarding previously published articles. Please note that, in the second paragraph of the article below, the authors refer to scores obtained on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Edition (WISC-III) when discussing levels of giftedness. The authors inaccurately mention classifications of WISC-III scores above 160 or 180. While those classifications (exceptionally gifted and profoundly gifted) are used to refer to children with IQ scores in those ranges, please note that the highest possible score that can be obtained on the WISC-III is 160. Scores above 160 or 180 must be obtained by using some other, often supplemental, instrument with a higher ceiling, such as Stanford-Binet Form LM. This article examines the nature and extent of depressive disorders in highly gifted adolescents based on current literature and data gathered from a phenomenological study, focus groups, and clinical records. Two case studies and clinical examples document the capacity of some highly gifted adolescents to mask even severe symptoms. Several factors appeared to contribute to this masking phenomenon, including shame for being incapacitated and unable to resolve their dilemma; depression's signature cognitive confusion, which disengaged their coping mechanisms; and fear of harming others with their toxic state. These findings raise questions about the efficacy of quantitative research instruments to determine actual cases of depressive disorder in this subgroup, as well as current research estimates of depression in the highly gifted population.
Depression is potentially debilitating, invasive, and toxic. It is feared, frequently misunderstood, and often peculiar in its course. Depression is also egalitarian in its manifestation, affecting people at any age, education or economic level, and ethnic background (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). It is a psychological state marked by feelings of sadness, worthlessness, impotence, and incapacity. Untreated major depression can have fatal consequences (Klein & Wender, 1993).

Highly gifted individuals are "those whose advancement is significantly beyond the norm of the gifted where advancement refers to aptitude or potential rather than performance" (Silverman, 1983, p. 16). Extraordinary ability is usually measured in psychometric terms, using scores on intelligence or aptitude tests. For instance, with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (Wechsler, 1991), individuals scoring at or above 145 are labeled "highly gifted," those scoring at or above 160 are "exceptionally gifted," and those scoring at or above 180 are "profoundly gifted." Individuals who show evidence of extremely high levels of creativity or unusual and profound talent are also usually included in this subcategory of gifted learners.

This paper explores major depression in the lives of highly gifted adolescents and synthesizes findings from a phenomenological study (Jackson, 1995), data from clinical records and interviews at the Daimon Institute for the Highly Gifted (White Rock, British Columbia, Canada), and research literature in gifted education and psychology. Poignant narratives illuminate the subjective experience of depression. This paper connects highly gifted adolescents' experience of depression, general information about depression, and depression-related phenomena peculiar to this population, arguing that highly gifted children are particularly capable of masking symptoms of this disorder.

Depressive Disorder: A Review of Literature

The degree, type, frequency, number, and duration of symptoms determine whether a particular episode/condition meets clinical diagnostic criteria. For example, a child who shows no signs of being comforted or of resuming normal functioning within a week after falling into a low mood or within 6 months of a major loss may be in a depressive state. Depressive states have been roughly categorized into two groups: mild (dysthymic) and major depression. The primary symptom for both disorders is disturbance of mood, and the distinction between the two is a matter of degree (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Symptoms related to thinking capacity, for instance, can range from mildly slowed to stupourous. Similarly, mood state may range from slightly downcast to unrelentingly bleak. In some cases, the mind may maintain reason; in the extreme, it can be delusional.

There is general agreement that the term depression can refer to the mood itself or to a combination of affective, cognitive, psychomotor, and vegetative manifestations that affect normal functioning. The condition of depression affects mental and emotional tone and capacity, as well as the physical body.

A sad or depressed mood and a loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities characterize major depression. There is often difficulty in falling or staying asleep or a desire to sleep much of the time. A person may also experience a shift in energy and activity levels, becoming lethargic or extremely agitated. Other physical signs include a poor appetite and weight loss or, in some cases, increased appetite and weight gain. Other characteristics of major depression include negative self-concept and self-blame, pessimism, and pervasive feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and despair. A seriously depressed person may have difficulty concentrating and may show evidence of slowed thinking, mental fuzziness, lack of cohesion in thought patterns, and indecisiveness. Those afflicted with major depression may report recurring thoughts and images of death and suicide (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

According to recent research, as many as 3% of Americans-approximately 19 million-suffer from chronic depression. Of these, some two million are children (Solomon, 2001). Major depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States for those over the age of 5, second only to heart disease in causing premature death (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Depression is linked to many other diseases, from alcoholism and drug abuse, to ulcers and eating disorders (Karp, 1996), and may coexist with conditions such as anxiety and conduct disorders (Cytrym & McKnew, 1998).

In spite of the fact that treatments for depression are proliferating, it is estimated that only half of those suffering from major depression seek help. Of those 50%, some 90% visit their primary care physician, who may or may not be well versed in psychiatric profiles (Solomon, 2001) and biological psychiatry (Klein & Wender, 1993). It is also estimated that a depressive state in an American adult is recognized only 40% of the time. At the same time, as many as 1 in 10 Americans are on some form of antidepressant medication (Solomon). Optimal treatment for major depression usually involves psychiatric consultation and medication and psychotherapy (Klein & Wender). As many as 10% of American adults will be stricken with major depression, while current estimates of incidence in children and adolescents are 3% and 7%, respectively. There is evidence that incidence of depression is increasing in the developing world, particularly among children. An increase in reported suicide attempts in children (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998) dispels the long-held belief that, while suicidal ideation may occur in prepubertal children, suicide attempts are rare.

Depression at any age may be the result of social or biological factors or both. Current research is attempting to shed light on the impact of environmental stressors that cause particular psychological reactions, leading to the biochemical changes that are at the core of a depressive disorder (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998).

Research on adults with mood disorders has revealed that many people afflicted with depression can date the early signs of their condition to either prepubertal or childhood years (Kendler, Kessler, Neale, Heath, & Eaves, 1993). A consideration of patterns of vulnerability reveals several trends. For example, children of parents with depressive disorder are found to have a significantly higher incidence of depression than does the general population (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998). In addition, children who have experienced difficulty with attachment and separation-individuation are more likely to develop emotional difficulties. Maternal rejection, in particular, has been found to contribute to later depressive states (Mahler, 1972). The growing child responds to rejection with anxiety and ambivalence and gradually shuts down innate, generative exploration and expression of capacity and purpose (Lewis, 1979). A well-established mother-infant attachment bond provides solid footing for the child's further development. Children with well-established attachments are not prone to anxiety and depressive states (Mahler). In contrast, children who experience significant loss in the early years-of a loved one, for example-are at risk for a depressive episode later in life.

Temperament is also a factor. Temperament accounts for a child's activity level, adaptability, threshold of responsiveness, intensity of reaction, mood quality, distractibility, attention span, and persistence. Those children who have difficulty with transitions and change or exhibit exceptionally intense emotional reactions are found to be at a higher risk for behavioral disorders in childhood (Lerner, 1984). Thomas and Chess' (1977) concept of goodness of fit provides a common-sense framework for explaining the interactive effect of temperament and environment.

Depression and Highly Gifted Adolescents: A Review of Literature and Clinical Data

Common Traits of Highly Gifted Individuals Lists of common traits of highly gifted children include a capacity and predilection for complex reasoning, need for precision, facility with abstract material and awareness of underlying patterns, ease with use of metaphors and symbols, and early grasp of the essential element of an issue (Hollingworth, 1942). Exceptional speed of processing and a capacity for intuitive knowing mark an exceptional mind, as well. There is evidence of a demand for internal consistency and a need for all parts of a concept to relate to one another logically (Lovecky, 1994).

Personality traits of exceptionally bright adolescents include a strong tendency toward psychological introversion (Jackson, 1995; Silverman 1992, 1993). Highly gifted introverts are characterized by a rich inner life, embracing intellectual activity, emotions, sensations, and concept formation. They have a tendency to process information and sensations internally before presenting them to the outside world, therefore seeming inhibited. Introverts are a minority, and their lessimmediate communicative style may contribute to social awkwardness and isolation (Dauber & Benbow, 1990).

Heightened sensitivity is another documented feature of highly gifted children (Dabrowski, 1967; Roedell, 1984; Silverman, 1983). Highly gifted adolescents may have stronger, deeper and more enduring reactions to stimuli than their age peers. Polish psychiatrist Kazimierz Dabrowski labeled these reactions "overexcitabilities"-enhanced and intensified mental activity, reactions, and expression that are beyond common and average. Dabrowski posited that, when enhanced reactivity is combined with particular talents, extraordinary development is possible. He noted a capacity for growth toward personal autonomy and a complex operative morality in children with these overexcitabilities. This development often places these children at odds with their various contexts. When they develop beyond the conventions and expectations of their family, classmates, and teachers, they may experience periods of great inner disequilibrium and feelings of being out of sync with their environment. Without appropriate support and creative outlets, anxiety states, depressive disorder, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors can result (Dabrowski, 1967; Jackson, 1995). Clinicians need to be aware of the effects of a complex cognitive and affective self-system on mood and behavior.

Clinical Depression in the Highly Gifted Population There are conflicting opinions and evidence concerning the prevalence of depression in the gifted population (Neihart, 1999). Determining the nature and the incidence of this complex condition in the lives of highly gifted individuals is difficult. Issues related to defining giftedness, questions about research methodology, and the intrapsychic complexities of highly gifted individuals preclude easy fact finding.

Interest in the overall psychological characteristics and affective development of highly able individuals has been sustained and extensive. A substantial body of research in gifted education supports the view that gifted children are at least as well adjusted as their nongifted peers (e.g., Galluci, Middleton, & Kline, 1999). In this view, the gifted child's capacity for self-understanding, overall awareness, and complex problemsolving abilities ensure good social adjustment and emotional resiliency. A second antithetical view (e.g., Gross & Feldhusen, 1990; Roberts & Lovett, 1994; Roedell, 1984; Silverman, 1993) holds that gifted children are prone to emotional or social difficulties due to their differences from the norm and their heightened responses. In particular, super-sensitivity, perfectionism and differences across intellectual, emotional, and social domains contribute to unusual social and emotional challenges for gifted children.

There is indeed clinical evidence that depression can be an insidious and even fatal influence in the lives of some gifted people (Barkett, 2002; Claridge, Pryor, & Watkins, 1998; Jackson, 1998; Tolan, 1998). There is evidence, as well, that many highly gifted and talented people throughout history have suffered from various forms of clinical depression. (Dabrowski, 1967, 1972; Jamison 1995, 1993; Styron, 1990). A critical mass of anecdotal evidence in the form of clinical reports, reports from parents, and reports of depression survivors themselves attest to the fact that some highly gifted teens experience depression (e.g., Piechowski, 2002; Tolan) and that they are capable of disguising even the most severe symptoms (Jackson, 1995, 1998). Clinical records, among the data serving as the foundation for this paper, confirmed that some highly gifted children-especially those in undifferentiated school programs with no access to like-minded peers and appropriate learning experiences-may exhibit signs of depressive disorder as early as age 7. Signs of depression at young ages in this population may be subtle: social withdrawal, acting out behaviors (often labeled "immature"), acute intellectualization of all phenomena, and highly focused pursuits that preclude engaging in a broader social context. These behaviors may in fact be elaborate defense mechanisms meant to protect the highly gifted learner from perceived disregard, derision, or misunderstanding.

In a recent review of pertinent literature, Neihart (2002) concluded that gifted children and adolescents do not show higher or lower prevalence of depression than those in the general population. However, the editors of the volume in which that review appeared cautioned against unquestioned adoption of their findings, based on several mitigating factors. The lack of a clear and consistently applied definition of giftedness (Peterson, 1997b; Robinson, 2002) ensures that there will be variance in research sampling. It is difficult to make meaningful comparisons when research teams have studied differing populations of children. Also confounding the research results is a sampling bias in favor of academically adjusted students. The bulk of research findings are gleaned from samples where students are identified as academic achievers, successful enough to be selected for special programming (Meckstroth, 2002). Other subpopulations, such as nonmainstream cultural or socioeconomic groups (Peterson, 1999), profoundly or creatively gifted students, or gifted learning-disabled students, are likely underrepresented. Students who are emotionally at risk or behaviorally "maladjusted" (Peterson, 1997a) and highly gifted students whose learning needs are not met in programs designed for moderately gifted students may also be underrepresented.

In addition, the instruments used to investigate the occurrence of depression in gifted children and adolescents, such as self-report questionnaires, may not be appropriate, since these may not generate accurate reporting. In particular, two issues contribute to this potential mismatch of subjects and methodology: the association of perfectionism with giftedness (Greenspon, Parker, & Schuler, 2000) and the sense of shame reported by those who have experienced depression (Jackson, 1995). Given the potential for obfuscation, research of depressive disorders should take into account the complex defense mechanisms operative in the highly gifted psyche. If questionnaires are used, information should be supplemented by qualitative methods or corroborated by direct observation of behavior.

The Experience of Depression in Highly Gifted Adolescents Susceptibility. Poorness of fit, mentioned earlier, may characterize many areas of an exceptionally gifted child's life. Often, a highly gifted child spends large portions of time in inappropriate educational environments where they do not have access to "true peers," people whose intellect and social-emotional needs mirror theirs. Perhaps their introverted nature precludes easy social exchange, and super-sensitivities ensure that their reactions to "ordinary" stimuli seem exaggerated (Gross, 1993). Highly gifted children perceive the world complexly, with access to a reality that is usually not reflected in the perceptions of those around them. They often lack access to an understanding or appreciative audience and are unlikely to be able to exchange perceptions with others. Extreme sensitivity to both obvious and subtle environmental stressors can subject them to psychic overload and may precipitate a depressive state (Roedell, 1986). Poorness of fit as a precursor to depressive states was a central theme in the language of all participants in the phenomenological study of interest here (Jackson, 1995). A 17-year-old exceptionally gifted male expressed the effects of a poor fit:

I do not believe that gifted people have any higher innate tendency toward depression than does any other group. But, you have to remember that, if every second word you utter, every concept you put forth is mocked or belittled, you start to shut down pretty fast. You are forced into reducing your vocabulary, which effectively jettisons your communicative capacities; you learn to translate according to what seems to be the "common kid code." By and large, I realized pretty quickly that I would never fit into their accepted activities, which predominantly focused on establishing a hierarchy of social and physical power-survival of the fittest, if you will. It just did not interest me to participate.

As young children, the highly gifted are often unaware of how different their thoughts and feelings are from even their less-gifted peers. There is evidence, however, that a dawning realization of differences may bring with it a sense of desolation and loneliness. A mother of an exceptionally gifted 8-year-old boy reported the following conversation:

James: Mom, I am different. I am not normal.

Mother: Yes, James, you are different and so is everyone, but you are also like me in some ways and like your father in others.

James: No, I am not normal, and I cannot begin to explain to you the ways that I am unlike you. I simply cannot begin to explain that.

At the time of this conversation, the mother had felt trepidation about her son's diminishing emotional responsiveness. James had experienced rejection by his age peers and little appropriate educational programming. He was often angry, recalcitrant, moody, and unresponsive. In therapy, James revealed many symptoms of a depressive state, including sleep disturbance, "fuzzy-headedness," and dark thoughts. His mother was concerned about his increasing sullenness, withdrawal, and violent outbursts. She had cultivated a warm, responsive relationship with him, but admitted to not knowing how to keep up with his rapid mental processing, emotional sensitivity, mercurial mood shifts, and extreme sense of justice.

It is rare for highly gifted children to escape the effects of their differences from age peers. Their developmental lasynchrony places them at risk for social isolation or misunderstanding; inappropriate educational response; and emotional, intellectual, or social void. This lack of meaningful, positive social interaction is the most important variable in the etiology of depressive disorder for the highly gifted adolescent (Jackson, 1995). Several authors point to social isolation and lack of authentic interaction as particularly troublesome for highly gifted children (e.g., Gross & Feldhusen, 1990; Little, 2002; Roedell, 1984). According to the data supporting this paper, highly gifted teens who were unable to experience meaningful spiritual, emotional, and intellectual exchange in their family, social and educational environments, or both are more susceptible to a depressive state than those who had more positive experiences. For example, John, 13, profoundly gifted, and recently accelerated radically in a magnet school for bright children, reported that it was the first time he had ever experienced either academic or social meaning or connection. He was a dreamer and an artist with deep interests in science and philosophy, but he felt socially isolated:

Hell is other people. We all have our own mind sets, morals, and beliefs. Kids today are materialistic and, if I may be so blunt, shallow. By and large, they cannot defend their beliefs, as they do not appear to have any, and this is really, really painful. But, upon reflection, having said this, it is important to remember that I do not believe that they know what they are doing. Without sounding condescending, they simply cannot understand what I, and people like me, are feeling. It is simply way beyond any frame of reference they have access to.

An exceptionally gifted male, 17, in combat boots and black clothes, echoed John:

I have taken a rather unconventional route; it is more efficacious for me. I first felt extreme isolation in grade 3. I remember my best friend moved, and I was alone - I mean really alone. I basically lived that way until the last 2 years in high school, where I began to run into people like me. I walk in a certain way, and I have a certain reputation. People stay out of my way; I don't get bothered much. I am capable of empathy, certainly, but I usually save it for a very few people, a very few, and very definitely for animals. . . . When I experience dark moods, depressive states, I simply ignore it. I don't deal with it. I go into the "don't think, don't feel, just act" mode. Shooting is really helpful; my sniper practice. It is a singular activity which focuses my attention wholly and completely. You have to be right there right now. It is a singular activity that is absolute. It is not tentative. It provides an absolute and precise measure of reality. This is really clean. I feel really peaceful and content, without the stress of multiple interpretations and expectations.

Masking, as related to research. It is important for researchers to understand the subjective experience of depression and concurrently or subsequently being a research subject. In a focus group on affective disorders1 held at the Daimon Institute, several highly gifted adolescents captured the interaction of these two realities. Shara, 17 and exceptionally gifted, explained as follows:

You wouldn't ever want to admit that you were that - depressed, I mean. People think of it as a really shameful thing, maybe even something contagious, certainly something dangerous-that is, if they really know what clinical depression is. Other people think that having a sad moment or a momentary loss is big-time depression, and when your experience is so vastly different from that, you just keep your mouth shut.

Greg, also 17 and exceptionally gifted, described his reticence:

Why is it so hard to admit that I have this problem - depression? I am really comfortable with you. I have survived some enormously hard things, but I have such a tough time telling you that I am unable to control this aspect of my emotional life. That was one of the hardest things I have ever said to anyone.

It is very definitely a sense of failure, being so incredibly messed up that you can't think your way out. I mean, there is a tremendous amount of shame attached to that. It is a very uncomfortable place to be. In all cases presented here and in clinical records at the Daimon Institute, highly gifted teens reported that they needed to feel very comfortable with anyone who questioned them, verbally or on paper, if they were to reveal their inner worlds. An interesting irony emerges as to the willingness and capacity of highly gifted teens to report accurately on their emotional world. Based on this author's clinical experience, highly gifted teens appear to demand honest self-scrutiny and highly moral action in themselves, and this conflicts with the sense of failure, toxicity and impotence experienced in a depressive state. Some highly gifted teens reported being unable to talk about an intense depressive state without fear of harming the person they were talking to. They also feared that there were few people who could understand the complexity of a deep state of depression. In the phenomenological study (Jackson, 1995), students admitted in the focus groups at the Institute and in clinical interviews to denying, hiding, or obfuscating their experience of depression to protect their fragile sense of self-efficacy and to protect the well-being of those around them. Kieran, 15 and exceptionally gifted, compared his experience of depression with his usual self-presentation:

I act like nothing's wrong. On some subconscious level it seems like some sort of weakness, some sort of vulnerability, and it hurts to share weaknesses. When you are gifted, you feel what other people feel; if someone else is depressed, you pick up on it, and it makes you feel depressed so you become afraid that your depression, when it happens, will evoke that feeling in someone else.

This capacity for sensitive, capable children to deny or mask the depressive state, especially in early stages, is documented in the literature on affective disorders. Two leading researcher/clinicians (Cytryn & McKnew, 1998) in the field of childhood affective disorders described the difference between the inner world of the depressed children and their overt behavioral expression:

Children often . . . do not wear it on their sleeves as adults do. Children tend to be depressed in an extremely quiet way. They often creep into their rooms or other secluded places and cry while appearing cheerful in public settings. Usually they don't look as sad, tearful, or as slowed down as depressed adults. By the time a child exhibits signs of depression for all to see, he or she is usually severely depressed. (p. 32)

At the Daimon Institute, adolescent subjects were asked to respond to this statement: "Current research determines that gifted adolescents are no more or less susceptible to clinical depression than their nongifted peers." Kieran, who had survived major depression, responded as follows:

Hogwash. That is absolute hogwash, at least for highly gifted kids! It doesn't take a genius to know that the inner world of the highly gifted person is complex and often conflictual. I mean, how easy is it to disguise what you are thinking and feeling? It is second nature to any highly gifted kid: hiding things that are dangerous, unformed, problematic. Where do we get a chance to express things, to have them understood, to make light of them, to air them out? That doesn't happen too often, and, when it doesn't, it builds up and builds up and you're often drawn into some very deep and dark places.

However, Sean, an exceptionally gifted boy of 12, expressed a different view: "I think it is not easy to disguise true depression. It is simply too intense. It spills out of you. There seems to be no sense in it and no way to contain it." At the time of his comment, Sean had been in therapy for 2 years. His original clinical presentation was extreme noncompliance at school and at home, social isolation, and episodes of explosive anger. His depressive state dated back to age 4. Sean had not deliberately masked his initial depressive state; rather, he had not been conscious of it as he lashed out in vicious verbal attacks. Because of the conscious and unconscious masking and concomitant problems with validity of research instruments, the actual extent of depressive disorder in the highly gifted population is difficult to determine.

The inner experience. The nature and the course of the depressive experience for the highly gifted adolescent is multifaceted and idiosyncratic. Deep experience is always highly personal, and the vast capacities and vagaries of the highly gifted psyche ensure a particular and unique depressive disorder trajectory (Jackson, 1995; Styron, 1990). Kieran, quoted earlier, described his:

The nature of depression for highly gifted people has to be relevant to their unusual abilities. . . . For me it's like - boom! A thousand horrible scenarios play out so vividly in your mind's eye, like some great horror movie. It seems that the mind amplifies the depressive state, and this can happen very, very quickly. It can get very frightening incredibly quickly.

Specific indicators of depression in the highly gifted population include a strong physical component. In the phenomenological study (Jackson, 1995), a female participant, 17, articulated how her conflictual feelings were manifested in her body. Because of her ill health, she was often absent from school and was often coping with several physical diseases at once, some of unknown etiology. Another highly gifted boy, 13, described the onset of a major depressive episode following the death of his pet canary:

I felt like something irreparable happened when my bird Merlin died. I was so sick, I mean physically sick, day after day. I had the flu constantly. I felt that I had the flu; when you think about that, it is "funny," ironic. I had the flu and Merlin "flew" away. I mean, the stress of that made me sick. I made myself sick with that - I know that I did.

When it gets really bad, when the kids at school are calling me gay - can you tell me why they call me gay? I try to cope, I try to say "no troubles, just one more year here." But, then something happens, and it happens very, very quickly.

I leave my body. I leave my mind. . . . I don't know if I am here. And then I know that I am dying. I mean my actual brain is here, but my soul has left my body. I am screaming inside: "It is all so stupid, stupid, stupid!" I am dying here.

This young man's physical manifestation of distress became so severe that he could no longer leave the house. He lost his appetite and became emaciated. However, a comprehensive series of physical exams revealed no irregularities:

These tests-I feel badly about the cost and bother to the medical system. I mean, there is nothing wrong with me; nothing physically wrong with me. It is my soul that is dying here. I keep telling them that is what is wrong, and they keep searching for clues in my body. That is not what the problem is.

A 17-year-old boy from the original study reported depression welling up in him like black bile, cutting off his breath, reducing his capacity to digest food, causing his chest to compress with pain. Heaviness in the eyes, pressure in the head, shakiness throughout the body, compulsive behaviors, and disordered eating patterns were other physical symptoms reported by the highly gifted adolescent subjects in a state of major depression. Yet, even with the cognitive impairment of major depression, some of these highly gifted teens maintained stellar academic performance. Almost all of the subjects reported compartmentalization of various aspects of the self: "I shut that part of myself off," "I cannot afford to entertain those thoughts," "I discipline myself to not feel those things," and "I let myself sink deep into my imaginative world" were common remarks.

There was also evidence of extreme emotions, from being overwhelmed, to being explosive and aggressive. The psychomotor overexcitability common to highly gifted teens may have contributed to heightened and unusual responses to even subtle stimuli. These depressed teens reported deadened emotions, a void, or potent emotions "beyond description." Finely tuned imaginative capacities came into play during major depression, with reports of vivid visual images and fantasies and even more troublesome delusions and hallucinations for some individuals.

As with any clinical symptom, it is important to note the degree to which the highly gifted teen feels control over these inner images and their duration and frequency. An enduring state of delusion and a felt incapacity to control undesirable imaginative responses may be signs of psychoses or other psychiatric difficulties. Neihart (1999) cautioned, however, that "observations from psychiatric studies suggest that disturbance of mood, certain types of thinking processes, and tolerance for irrationality are three characteristics common to both highly creative production and psychiatric problems" (p. 13). One young boy, exceptionally gifted and deeply depressed, had honed his ability to "alter reality." He reported that his classroom teacher was insensitive and hard-hearted and that his schoolwork was meaningless and redundant. His response was to turn his teacher into a television screen, and he spent hours "turning the channels" with his imaginary remote control device. He was referred to counseling for attention-deficit disorder, defiance, and isolationist social tendencies.

Defense mechanisms. Highly gifted adolescents may develop complex defense mechanisms. For example, 13-year-old Anna always carried a book with her. Her vocabulary was prodigious and she could recount passages from many Shakespearean plays. Her understanding of the themes and questions inherent in the text was outstanding. She longed to be an actress and could, upon request, assume any role with an astonishing command of body, emotion, and intellect. In her daily life, however, Anna was difficult, recalcitrant, and distant. A deeply spiritual child, Anna sought communion with nature. Her favorite moments at the private school she attended were her lunch-hour walk in a grove of trees. "I walk and I talk to the trees. There is so much I can say to them. They are always there to listen." Anna had not revealed this inner world to family members or schoolmates. She was brought to counseling because of noncompliance and belligerence. In counseling sessions, she revealed a complex sense of morality and a gentle, generous, nuanced, and open nature. Elsewhere, she experienced an extreme sense of isolation. Anna was intensely private, exceptionally bright, and dangerously depressed.

A Phenomenological Approach to Studying Highly Gifted Adolescents

Highly gifted adolescents are capable of establishing complex emotional and intellectual defenses. In accessing these individuals for research purposes, qualitative methods allow for collaborative, context-based personal inquiry, which engages the participant as a "coresearcher." When individuals are invited to make meaning of the multifaceted experience of depression, for instance, the sense that they are not being objectified and reduced to an already established framework can override the intricate defenses normally operative.

Coleman and Cross (2000) summarized this approach: "In phenomenology the connection between reality and the person is actively co-created such that there is no real distance between the two. Phenomenology provides a means for entering parts of a person's life" (p. 211). Ary, Jacobs, and Razavieh (1990) explained further:

Qualitative inquirers argue that human behavior . . . cannot be reduced to variables in the same matter as physical reality, and that what is most important in the social disciplines is understanding and portraying the meaning that is constructed by the participants involved in particular social settings or events. . . . It is an intensely personal kind of research. (p. 445)

Phenomenological researchers ask participants to describe their lived experience of phenomena, with the investigator making no attempt to shape the experience. Subjects are invited to "tell their story" without intervention and interpretation. Taped interviews are transcribed into protocols, and, through a rigorous process of reduction, central themes emerge. Approached with due rigor, qualitative research can produce penetrating insights into the human condition.

The first of the following case studies is drawn from the study referred to previously (Jackson 1995), which used the methodology just described. The purposive sampling method sought students who had been identified as highly gifted (a score of at least 145 on a test of intelligence) and had self-identified as having experienced a "less than positive" emotional state. Jared was one of 10 participants. Half of the subjects were exceptionally gifted, all had experienced major depression, and all reported masking their depressive experience. Two of the exceptionally gifted were in the throes of major depression during the time of the interviews, including Jared. The presentation of Jared here is based on interview protocols, research notes, and his personal journal during his depressive state. The information presented in the second case study, of David, is drawn from case notes, audiotape recordings, and writings during the time he was in therapy for major depression.

Two Case Studies Jared: Major Depression and an Ethic of Silence

Jared recounted 8 months of battling the demon mood:

I would try to sleep, and there was this physical sensation, this huge surge as if I would have to vomit. It would build up in my stomach and right up in my throat, and it would not be any physical material, just feeling. My face would be red and my neck bulging with feeling. And my mind would be rolling over all this very dark material, something I could not control, something so powerful.

He described a flattened mood that eclipsed other feelings - and thoughts of suicide:

I felt as if I had absolutely nothing to hold me here, nothing at all that keeps me here. I almost yearn for that. I feel as if I am debasing myself by my being. And I haven't decided whether you don't [commit suicide] because you are weak and you are afraid or whether you don't because you still have something to do here. I think that I do not do it because I think about it too much. It would probably be fairly easy for me to do, but since it is constantly on my mind and a part of me asking why, why, why-then how am I am going to burst into action?

He had sometimes been unable to remember or compute even simple things, and "at other times . . . the act of breathing seems a labor and it is just, it is just really, really dark and that is incredibly frightening."

He talked about the effort of will required to maintain equilibrium, to assume the posture of everyday living, to keep up, to produce. He referred to terrifying mental and emotional decay:

"I am often too concerned with what's happening inside." For the faculty at his prestigious magnet school for highly able learners, he was one of the finest minds they had had in their classrooms, and he was actually class valedictorian. The student that earned honors in physics, mathematics, music, literature, and art articulated depression images in graphic detail in the interview - and, nonverbally, a deep, underlying fatigue.

Shockingly, he revealed that no one - his teachers, his friends, or his family - was aware of his depressive state. Just the week before, his father, a highly successful entrepreneur, had spoken with him, concerned that Jared might be studying too hard. He advised Jared to pace himself in light of approaching final exams. Jared reported that his father questioned his diminished energy and suggested some exercise, a healthy diet, and "down time." Jared was quick to assure his father that he would attend to pace and explained his fatigue in terms of senior-year pressures: predictable, undesirable, and easily dealt with. He offered nothing more, and his father did not press him further.

As Jared recounted this exchange with his father, he revealed profound shame for his calculated and easy deceit. He was ashamed about the ease with which he could dupe his father and confused by the fear and guilt that fed and accompanied his duplicity.

It was clear that Jared was acutely ill with depression, but he also despaired for another reason: He blamed himself for his lack of control and for not being able to "figure it out." He had always had a sense of interdependence, with a concern for the welfare of others. He therefore worried about how revealing his depressive state would affect his parents, concerned that they would feel responsible for his distress and, an even greater fear, that they would then castigate themselves for being ignorant of his condition.

Late in the interview, he revealed that depression robbed him of what he had assumed was his birthright: his ability to intuit answers with little effort. He admitted that, for the first time, he could not easily see the whole of a thing, and he could not predict the next part of the pattern. He was a vital young man rendered weak. His genius had been eviscerated.

Jared was suffering from major depression, a condition unimaginable to those who have not experienced it. He struggled to explain its tempo, rhythms, and power:

But, the thing that bothers me most isn't the mood swings or the polarization I do feel with my true emotions. It's that in-between - that detached state, that not caring for and not being able to be touched by anything. This makes me feel sick at heart - deadened. Sometimes, it is a feeling of deep, deep anguish, and this is truly almost inexpressible.

During the interview, he opened his personal journal to writings at the height of his depression. He read as follows:

I feel hopelessness, a lot of hopelessness, no anger - no anger at anyone other than myself, I guess you could say almost a self-hate - very, very critical. The self-criticism reigns unchecked. I seem unable to prevent this.

He had had little psychic fuel left and could not ask for help; he conserved what little he had and pretended that he was well. He reflected on his experience: "Going through it was really, really hard. Thinking back on it, I can say, now, now, it wasn't that rough, but going through it, I think it was."

Themes in the transcribed interview included his intense need to be understood, his hope for validation of his experience, and insight. The transcripts also revealed his ethic of silence. The depressive state had, until the research interview, robbed him of his voice and his uncommon capacity to express. He felt his terrors were unspeakable and that no person could receive the intricacies and felt horror of the depressive state. His response had been to mask the symptoms. He described his feelings as large and ominous, unexplainable, amorphous, distressingly intangible, conflictual, and often paradoxical:

It is so hard for me to do this, to tell you, to bring it out in any kind of coherent manner. It is going to be so very hard to do this, to talk to you about this, and I am not sure I even want to do it. It leaves you feeling completely overwhelmed. It is not just about bringing things out. You have to deal with them, and, last week, it was really, really, really bad.

Most importantly, this undesirable state also felt dangerous:

Right now, I am even debating deciding how deep I should go, and if you want to talk nightmares, we can do that, but I am really not sure if I want to do that. If you want to talk suicide, we can do that, too. All of that exists in me. It is dark, and it is there, but I just do not know if I should do that.

The anonymity of the interview had provided an unusual window of opportunity:

The reason why I still sit here, with you, and do not go home, which I could, and this might be kind of disturbing, but it is because you are almost faceless, in the way that I am not going to have to live with you the rest of my life like I would with my mom and my dad. I am not going to have to deal with the repercussions of what I say at my school, and it is easier. I get to be a little detached and impersonal.

Ironically his profound abilities allowed him to deceive all who interacted with him. His sensitivity, perfectionism, and high energy all assisted his duplicity. His sensitivity to the needs of others contributed to his faulty logic and to his incapacity to ask for help. One irony of the depressive state for Jared was the fact that his capacity to analyze - to take a thing apart and view its components - remained powerful, while the capacity to put it together in a meaningful gestalt - to synthesize - became dormant (Dabrowski, 1967; Jackson 1995).

However, while his inner world was full of horror and incapacity, his outer world was marked by competence, carefully maintained. At the time of the interview, exhaustion was the only telling sign of his deep malaise.

Breaking his silence seemed to be at once cathartic and exhausting. He suggested that the depressed state could not go on forever and that his resources were running low. The interviewer wondered how much longer he could pretend. She mentally sketched a program of intervention as the interview concluded. It would have to be carefully and skillfully administered. Jared's intellectual and emotional defenses were extensive, and his innate emotional framework was complex and fluid. He would have to be supported caringly over time. He was highly gifted and greatly at risk.

David The following recollections of the mother of David, a highly gifted, learning-disabled adolescent, described major depression:

He was very sad. I could see the sadness, but couldn't reach him, and he was distant all the time. When he was really depressed, he would sleep until at least noon and was awake most of the night. He buried himself in his computer, learning everything he could about repairing and networking. He would not meet to talk to anyone. He would not even leave the house. Our family took a holiday; he brought his laptop computer; I don't think he left the cabin once. He didn't even see the beach or go out for a walk, not even once. His appetite was poor; he only wanted to eat junk food. He would not look after himself properly: he did not go to the dentist, did not shower, his hair was long and often dirty. I hurt inside all the time watching him. We tried everything to get him to eat better, to get involved, and to be a part of our family life and the world outside. There was constant tension and horrible fights. We were desperate and terribly concerned.

She was writing about her son's 14th year. When David first entered therapy, he was under psychiatric care, heavily medicated with antidepressants, violent, and emotionally explosive. His parents lived in fear - for their own safety and for David's. He was morbidly depressed and suicidal. He showed signs of extreme agitation and poor impulse control. At the time this article was written, David was 18 and had been in weekly therapy for 2 years. He had finished high school, no longer took antidepressive medication, was involved in his family and social life again, held down a full-time job, and was about to enter a technical program.

In contrast to Jared, there was ample external evidence that David was seriously disturbed. Schoolwork was rarely completed, teachers' instructions were disregarded, and he did not participate in classes. Unlike Jared, David's overall academic achievement was poor, although he outstripped teachers and curricula in all areas of technology and secured the role of key computer troubleshooter for the faculty. However, school officials reported feeling uneasy in his presence, frustrated, and concerned. They found him difficult to deal with in everyday matters - uncooperative, shut down, derisive. He was a social isolate, guarded and defensive, and his volcanic anger was barely under control.

Despite grudging acknowledgement of his complex intelligence and extraordinary facility with technology, school personnel saw him as an academic failure, a disturbed troublemaker, and a malcontent. Administrators blamed the family and constructed a behavioral intervention when he was thought to have violent tendencies. Although counselors attempted interventions, there was no consistent academic or emotional support in place for him, nor any psychoeducational analysis. The latter would have detected his fine problem-solving and visual-spatial abilities; however, the difference between his written expressive capabilities and his computational genius would have pointed to a severe learning disability. Without this essential information and these insights, school faculty treated his lack of production as noncompliance and insubordination and disregarded him.

Lacking knowledge of the disability, teachers demanded what David could never produce. His inability to understand his own functioning and his incompatibility with an educational system demanding written expression of acquired knowledge ensured frustration and self-repudiation. David knew he could not perform as demanded. He was often overwhelmed with his incapacities and was unable to find a conduit for his profound abilities except in computer studies. His complex and sensitive nature and his need to belong and to contribute in meaningful ways were subverted. The roots of David's depression - incompatibility with the demands of the educational system and lack of support for his gifts and understanding of his learning disabilities - seem, in comparison to Jared's, straightforward. In an in-depth interview, however, David quickly asserted that the suppression of his feelings and the beginnings of the depressive state occurred very early in his school experience:

I know when it started: the first day of playschool - yes, playschool, not kindergarten. I remember it clearly. I would have been, hmm, just 3, just turned 3 years old. I remember how high the ceiling was and the color of the little mats we had to sleep on. That was the first day I came face to face with evil - with how others kids could be. I remember the boy's face; I can still see it. It was then I knew what the word bully meant. I mean, I really knew what it meant. He shoved me around; he was very physical; I was very frightened. And then it hit me; this is the way that people could be, they were not all loving and kind. There was evil in the world. I remember that so clearly as the first day I started to shut down parts of myself. . . . I started hiding who I was. I could never fit in. I did not know how to be mean, and I always wanted other people to be fair, to care, to work together. It was very definitely the beginning of my despair.

When it became obvious, in grade 8, that I was depressed, I had been emotionally locked up for a very, very long time. By the time they noticed what was wrong, it was almost too late.

Conclusion

A phenomenological research study (Jackson, 1995) and comments from extensive clinical files and focus groups of highly gifted adolescents revealed several trends, most importantly the capacity to mask various aspects of a depressive disorder. Gifted adolescents' profound sensitivity and their shame and sense of failure for their inability to figure out the source and cure for their toxic state formed the motivational substrate of the masking phenomena. Their reduced capacity for synthesis, slowed cognitive functions, and delayed reactivity disengaged their usually exceptional problem-solving capacities. A need to protect others from the potency of their state and a fear that it would not be easily communicated or understood further alienated them.

For highly able individuals like these, early intervention and insightful and informed diagnosis are essential. During depressive episodes, emotional extremes, unusual mental images, and spiraling thoughts are common in this population. Atypical physical manifestations of depression may occur, and somatic distress must be carefully considered as to its etiology and possible relationship to the psychological distress.

Appropriate and thorough psychological support must take into account the complex defense mechanisms inherent in the depressed highly gifted adolescent. Clinicians who are familiar with the complicated and unusual innate functioning of highly gifted teens are more likely than those who are unfamiliar to assess accurately the severity of depressive states for this subgroup of the gifted population. Sensitivity to the shame and vulnerability reported by all subjects here is essential for best outcomes.

Finally, there is a need for more qualitative research on the nature of depressive disorders for highly gifted adolescents. It is clear that vulnerability to depression depends on a number of interactive factors. Poorness of fit with educational programming and lack of intellectual and emotional communion were factors for these students. The need for community in terms of a meaningful and vital exchange was apparent in this group of exceptional students. Without this communion and informed, perceptive response, some highly gifted depressed adolescents are gravely at risk.

References American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic & statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Ary, D., Jacobs, L., & Razavieh. (1990). Introduction to research in education (4th ed). New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Jovanovich. Barkett, C. (2002). Depression. Gifted Education Communicator, 33(1), 32-34. Claridge G., Pryor, R., & Watkins G. (1998). Sounds from the bell jar. Cambridge, MA: Malor Books. Coleman, L., & Cross, T. (2000) Social-emotional development and the personal experience of giftedness. In K.Heller, F. J. Mönks, R. Sternberg, & R. Subotnik (Eds), International handbook of giftedness and talent(2nd ed., pp. 203-212). New York: Elsevier. Cytryn, L., & McKnew, D. (1998). Growing up sad. New York: Norton. Dabrowski, K. (1967). Personality shaping through positive disintegration. New York: Little, Brown. Dabrowski, K. (1972). Psychoneuroses is not an illness. London: Gryf. Dauber, S. L., & Benbow, C. P. (1990). Aspects of personality and peer relations for suicide prevention among gifted youth. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 212-228. Galluci, N. T., Middleton, G., & Kline. A. (1999). Intellectually superior children and behavioral problems and competence. Roeper Review, 22, 18-21. Greenspon, T. S., Parker, W. D., & Schuler, P. A. (2000). The authors' dialogue. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 11, 209-214. Gross, M. U. M. (1993). Exceptionally gifted children. London: Routledge. Gross, M., & Feldusen, J. F. (1990). Exceptionally gifted child. Understanding Our Gifted, 2(5), 1-10. Hollingworth, L. (1942). Children above 180 IQ Stanford- Binet: Origin and development. Yonkers-on- Hudson, NY: World Books. Jackson, P. S. (1995). Bright star, black sky: Origins and manifestations of the depressed state in the lived experience of the gifted adolescent: A phenomenological study. Unpublished masters thesis, Vermont College, Norwich University. Jackson, P. S. (1998). Bright star-Black sky: A phenomenological study of depression as a window into the psyche of the gifted adolescent. Roeper Review, 20, 215-221. Jamison, K. R. (1993). Touched with fire: Manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament. New York: The Free Press. Jamison, K. R. (1995). An unquiet mind. New York: Knopf. Karp, D. A. (1996). Speaking of sadness. Oxford: Oxford Press. Kendler, K. S., Kessler, R. C., Neale, M. C., Heath, A. C., & Eaves, L. J. (1993). The prediction of major depression in women: Toward an integrated etiologic model. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1139-1148. Klein, D. F., & Wender, P. H. (1993). Understanding depression: A complete guide to its diagnosis & treatment. New York: Oxford University Press. Lerner, J. A. (1984). The import of temperament for psychosocial functioning: Tests of goodness of fit model. Merril-Plamer Quarterly, 30, 177-188. Lewis, H. B. (1979). Shame in depression and hysteria. In C. Izard (Ed.), Emotions in personality and psychopathology (pp. 369-396). New York: Plenum Press. Little, C. (2002). Depression and the gifted child. Understanding our Gifted, 14(3), 12-14. Lovecky, D. V.(1994). Exceptionally gifted children: Different minds. Roeper Review, 17, 116-120. Mahler, M. S. (1972). Rapprochement subphase of the separation-individuation process. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 41, 487-506. Meckstroth, E. (2002). A review of The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know? Gifted Education Communicator, 33(1), 50-52. Neihart, M. (1999). The impact of giftedness on psychological well-being. Roeper Review, 22, 10-17. Neihart, M. (2002). Gifted children and depression. In M. Neihart, S. Reis, N. Robinson, & S. Moon (Eds.), The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? (pp. 93-102). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Peterson, J. S. (1997a). Bright, tough, and resilient - and not in a gifted program. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 8, 121-136. Peterson, J. S. (1997b). Naming gifted children: An example of unintended "reproduction." Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 21, 82-100. Peterson, J. S. (1999). Gifted-through whose cultural lens? An application of the postpositivistic mode of inquiry. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 22, 354-383. Piechowski, M. (2002). Experiencing in a higher key: Dabrowski's theory of and for the gifted. Gifted Education Communicator, 33(1), 31-36. Roberts, S. M., & Lovett, S. B. (1994). Examining the "F" in gifted: Academically gifted adolescents' physiological and affective responses to scholastic failure. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 17, 241-259. Robinson, N. M. (2002). Introduction. In M. Neihart, S. M. Reis, N. M. Robinson, & S. M. Moon (Eds.), The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? (pp. xi-xxiv). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Roedell, W. (1984). Vulnerbailitites of highly gifted children. Roeper Review, 6, 1-8. Roedell, W. C. (1986). Socioemotional vulnerabilities of young gifted children. Journal of Children in Contemporary Society, 18(3-4), 17-29. Silverman, L. K. (1983). Issues in affective development of the gifted. In J. VanTassel-Baska (Ed.), A practical guide to counseling the gifted in a school setting (pp. 6-21). Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children. Silverman, L. K. (1992). Counseling the gifted individual. Counseling and Human Development, 25(4), 1-14. Silverman, L. K. (1993). Counseling the gifted and talented. Denver: Love. Solomon, A. (2001). The noonday demon. New York: Scribner. Styron, W. (1990). Darkness visible: A memoir of madness. New York: Random House. Thomas, A., & Chess. S. (1977). Temperament and development. New York: Bruner & Mazel. Tolan, S. S. (1998). The Lemming Condition: Moral asynchrony and the isolated self. Roeper Review, 20, 211-214. Wechsler, D. (1991). Wechsler intelligence scale for children-III. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

End Notes 1. No claim can be made for the representativeness of this sample. These in-depth interviews were conducted with the intent of providing a nondirective, sensitive environment in which questions about depressive states could be asked in a private, nonjudgmental environment with like-minded peers. All participants were highly, exceptionally and profoundly gifted adolescents who had been referred for either developmental or therapeutic clinical support.

"They don't need our help-they're gifted, they'll be fine!" How many times have I heard that statement, have I uttered that statement?

By Day Sanchez. Frustration is a typical emotional response that arises when a person is prevented from reaching a desired outcome. It is an inevitable part of life. We can all develop skills to help

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Depressive Disorder in Highly Gifted Adolescents

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By P. Susan Jackson and Jean Peterson. SENG strives to provide the most accurate information in our library, and as a result, it is occasionally necessary to provide further clarification regarding previously published articles.

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If You're So Smart, Why Do You Need Counseling?

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By Deborah Ruf. Self-indulgent. Whiny. Weak. Many of the generation who lived through the Great Depression and World War II would admit that they do not understand the current popularity of psychotherapy. If you're depressed, get on with it. Fix it. Change your attitude.

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By James T. Webb.

It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely to experience a type of depression referred to as existential depression. Although an episode of existential depression may be precipitated in anyone by a major loss or the threat of a loss which highlights the transient nature of life, persons of higher intellectual ability are more prone to experience existential depression spontaneously. Sometimes this existential depression is tied into the positive disintegration experience referred to by Dabrowski (1996).

Existential depression is a depression that arises when an individual confronts certain basic issues of existence. Yalom (1980) describes four such issues (or "ultimate concerns")-death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness. Death is an inevitable occurrence. Freedom, in an existential sense, refers to the absence of external structure. That is, humans do not enter a world which is inherently structured. We must give the world a structure which we ourselves create. Isolation recognizes that no matter how close we become to another person, a gap always remains, and we are nonetheless alone. Meaninglessness stems from the first three. If we must die, if we construct our own world, and if each of us is ultimately alone, then what meaning does life have?

Why should such existential concerns occur disproportionately among gifted persons? Partially, it is because substantial thought and reflection must occur to even consider such notions, rather than simply focusing on superficial day-to-day aspects of life. Other more specific characteristics of gifted children are important predisposers as well.

Because gifted children are able to consider the possibilities of how things might be, they tend to be idealists. However, they are simultaneously able to see that the world is falling short of how it might be. Because they are intense, gifted children feel keenly the disappointment and frustration which occurs when ideals are not reached. Similarly, these youngsters quickly spot the inconsistencies, arbitrariness and absurdities in society and in the behaviors of those around them. Traditions are questioned or challenged. For example, why do we put such tight sex-role or age-role restrictions on people? Why do people engage in hypocritical behaviors in which they say one thing and then do another? Why do people say things they really do not mean at all? Why are so many people so unthinking and uncaring in their dealings with others? How much difference in the world can one person's life make?

When gifted children try to share these concerns with others, they are usually met with reactions ranging from puzzlement to hostility. They discover that others, particularly of their age, clearly do not share these concerns, but instead are focused on more concrete issues and on fitting in with others' expectations. Often by even first grade, these youngsters, particularly the more highly gifted ones, feel isolated from their peers and perhaps from their families as they find that others are not prepared to discuss such weighty concerns.

When their intensity is combined with multi-potentiality, these youngsters become particularly frustrated with the existential limitations of space and time. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to develop all of the talents that many of these children have. Making choices among the possibilities is indeed arbitrary; there is no "ultimately right" choice. Even choosing a vocation can be difficult if one is trying to make a career decision between essentially equal passion, talents and potential in violin, neurology, theoretical mathematics and international relations.

The reaction of gifted youngsters (again with intensity) to these frustrations is often one of anger. But they quickly discover that their anger is futile, for it is really directed at "fate" or at other matters which they are not able to control. Anger that is powerless evolves quickly into depression.

In such depression, gifted children typically try to find some sense of meaning, some anchor point which they can grasp to pull themselves out of the mire of "unfairness." Often, though, the more they try to pull themselves out, the more they become acutely aware that their life is finite and brief, that they are alone and are only one very small organism in a quite large world, and that there is a frightening freedom regarding how one chooses to live one's life. It is at this point that they question life's meaning and ask, "Is this all there is to life? Is there not ultimate meaning? Does life only have meaning if I give it meaning? I am a small, insignificant organism who is alone in an absurd, arbitrary and capricious world where my life can have little impact, and then I die. Is this all there is?"

Such concerns are not too surprising in thoughtful adults who are going through mid-life crises. However, it is a matter of great concern when these existential questions are foremost in the mind of a twelve or fifteen year old. Such existential depressions deserve careful attention, since they can be precursors to suicide.

How can we help our bright youngsters cope with these questions? We cannot do much about the finiteness of our existence. However, we can help youngsters learn to feel that they are understood and not so alone and that there are ways to manage their freedom and their sense of isolation.

The isolation is helped to a degree by simply communicating to the youngster that someone else understands the issues that he/she is grappling with. Even though your experience is not exactly the same as mine, I feel far less alone if I know that you have had experiences that are reasonably similar. This is why relationships are so extremely important in the long-term adjustment of gifted children (Webb, Meckstroth and Tolan, 1982).

A particular way of breaking through the sense of isolation is through touch. In the same way that infants need to be held and touched, so do persons who are experiencing existential aloneness. Touch seems to be a fundamental and instinctual aspect of existence, as evidenced by mother-infant bonding or "failure to thrive" syndrome. Often, I have "prescribed" daily hugs for a youngster suffering existential depression and have advised parents of reluctant teenagers to say, "I know that you may not want a hug, but I need a hug." A hug, a touch on the arm, playful jostling, or even a "high five" can be very important to such a youngster, because it establishes at least some physical connection.

The issues and choices involved in managing one's freedom are more intellectual, as opposed to the reassuring aspects of touch as a sensory solution to an emotional crisis. Gifted children who feel overwhelmed by the myriad choices of an unstructured world can find a great deal of comfort in studying and exploring alternate ways in which other people have structured their lives. Through reading about people who have chosen specific paths to greatness and fulfillment, these youngsters can begin to use bibliotherapy as a method of understanding that choices are merely forks in the road of life, each of which can lead them to their own sense of fulfillment and accomplishment (Halsted, 1994). We all need to build our own personal philosophy of beliefs and values which will form meaningful frameworks for our lives.

It is such existential issues that lead many of our gifted individuals to bury themselves so intensively in "causes" (whether these causes are academics, political or social causes, or cults). Unfortunately, these existential issues can also prompt periods of depression, often mixed with desperate, thrashing attempts to "belong." Helping these individuals to recognize the basic existential issues may help, but only if done in a kind and accepting way. In addition, these youngsters will need to understand that existential issues are not ones that can be dealt with only once, but rather ones that will need frequent revisiting and reconsideration.

In essence, then, we can help many persons with existential depressions if we can get them to realize that they are not so alone and if we can encourage them to adopt the message of hope written by the African-American poet, Langston Hughes:

Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams. For if dreams go, Life is a barren field Covered with snow.

~ Langston Hughes

References Dabrowski, K. (1966). The Theory of Positive Disintegration. International Journal of Psychiatry, 2(2), 229-244. Halsted, J. (1994). Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-School through High School. Scottsdale, AZ: Gifted Psychology Press, Inc. (Formerly Ohio Psychology Press). Webb, J. T., Meckstroth, E. A. and Tolan, S. S. (1982). Guiding the Gifted Child: A Practical Source for Parents and Teachers. Scottsdale, AZ: Gifted Psychology Press, Inc. (formerly Ohio Psychology Press). Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

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Existential Depression in Gifted Individuals

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By James T. Webb. It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely to experience a type of depression referred to as existential depression. Although an episode of existential depression may be precipitated in anyone by a major loss or the threat of a loss which highlights the transient nature of life, persons of higher intellectual ability are more prone to experience existential depression spontaneously.

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By Miraca U.M. Gross.
Citation: From Talent Development. 1994 2. Reproduced with permission from Great Potential Press.
This presentation proposes that, as practitioners and researchers in gifted education, we differ significantly from our counterparts in other areas of special education, such as teachers of intellectually handicapped or hearing impaired students, in our failure to recognize and respond to the different levels or degrees of the condition we study.

We recognize, for example, that the intellectually handicapped student has learning needs which are different from those of his or her age-mates of average intellectual ability, and the further such a child is from the average the more we acknowledge that he or she needs a special educational setting. We may mainstream a child of IQ 70 or 60, but few educational systems would propose full time main streaming of children of IQ 40. Yet the majority of children 60 or more IQ points above the mean are in heterogeneous classrooms. What happens to them?

Terman, fewer than 10 years into his longitudinal study of 1528 gifted children of IQ 135+, was already discussing the special problems of loneliness and social isolation which had become apparent in the sub-group of children of IQ 170+. (Burks, Jensen, & Terman, 1930). Hollingworth (1926) defined the IQ range 125-155 as "socially optimal intelligence" and claimed that above the level of IQ 160 the difference between the exceptionally gifted child and his or her age-mates is so great that it leads to special problems of development which are correlated with social isolation. Hollingworth emphasized however that this isolation did not arise from emotional disturbance, but was caused by the absence of a suitable peer group with whom to relate. When extremely gifted students who had been rejected by age-peers were removed from the inappropriate grade-placement and were permitted to work and play with intellectual peers, the loneliness and social isolation disappeared and the child became accepted as a valued classmate and friend (Hollingworth, 1942).

The current presentation outlines the major findings of a longitudinal study, formally commenced in 1986, of the intellectual, academic, social and emotional development of 40 Australian children of IQ 160 and above. Very few studies of exceptionally gifted (IQ 160-179) or profoundly gifted (IQ 180+) children have been conducted anywhere in the world and there has been no previous study of this population in Australia.

The study follows a multiple-case replication logic, and employs a wide range of observation techniques. The data gathering procedures include tests of general ability, off-level standardized testing of achievement in several academic subject areas; the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; the Defining Issues Test of moral reasoning; audio-taped interviews conducted with children and parents at regular intervals; several written questionnaires completed by the subjects' parents; official school records; health records; family diaries; and much other documentation. The combination of quantitative and qualitative measures has allowed for a considerable degree of triangulation, increasing both the validity and reliability of the study. Findings of the first few years of the study are reported in Gross (1993).

The study has amassed a great deal of data on the children's academic, social, emotional and physical development. This presentation, however, centers on the social adjustment of the students and particularly on the extreme difficulties they experience in forming congenial relationships with age-peers of average ability.

Of the 40 subjects, currently aged between 6 and 17, 31 have been retained, by their schools, with age-peers of average ability or have been permitted a token grade-skip of a single year. The curriculum with which these children are presented requires them to underachieve by a margin of several years; a discrepancy of 5 years between a student's tested achievement in math or reading, and the level at which he or she is permitted to work in class, is not uncommon, and the study has recorded discrepancies of up to 9 years. An added complication, however, is that the majority of the 31 "non-accelerants" (so termed because this study has shown that acceleration by only one year makes little or no difference to extremely gifted students either academically or socially) also choose to underachieve deliberately in an attempt to gain social acceptance by their classmates. In general these attempts meet with limited success, as the moral development, reading interests, leisure pursuits and play preferences of the subject children are too different to permit effective camouflage and the majority of these children are socially rejected, isolated and deeply unhappy. Children of IQ 180+ who are retained in the regular classroom are even more seriously at risk and experience severe emotional distress.

By contrast, the minority of students (9) who have been radically accelerated by three or more years through a graded series of grade-skips, report that they have stopped, or significantly moderated, their under achievement as they feel that this is no longer necessary. They are now able to work and socialize with students who are three or more years their senior in age but who are their peers in social-emotional and academic development (Gross, 1992).

The study has found striking differences between the self-esteem of the radical accelerants and non-accelerants. In general the radical accelerants obtained positive but modest scores on the academic sub-scale of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, they were comparing their achievements with those of their older classmates. The subjects who scored more than one standard deviation beyond the mean for their age were, in general, non-accelerants who compared themselves with age-peers of average ability. By contrast, the radical accelerants had positive and healthy levels of social self-esteem whereas the majority of the non-accelerants had scores of more than one standard deviation below the mean, with a number of children obtaining scores that were disturbingly low. The social self-peers sub-scale of the SEI assesses students' perceptions of their social acceptability; not surprisingly the children's scores reflected the degree to which they were accepted or rejected by their classmates.

Social acceptability was also found to be related to the students' level of moral development.

In almost all cases, the subjects' scores on the Defining Issues Test were several years beyond the mean for their ages. Those students whose moral reasoning was unusually accelerated, and who were retained in the regular classroom, had the most severe difficulties with social acceptance. Children of similar ages, with similar DIT scores, who had been radically accelerated, were much more likely to be accepted and valued by their classmates.

The results of this study suggest that whereas ability grouping with age-peers, or a moderate degree of acceleration, or a combination of these and other intervention procedures, may be an appropriate response to the academic and social needs of moderately gifted students, they are not adequate to the needs of the exceptionally and profoundly gifted. Extremely gifted students require a carefully designed and monitored program of radical acceleration, linked to ability grouping and individualized instruction. Keeping them with age peers is not the way to "socialize" these children. If we isolate them from true peers in the heterogeneous classroom we place them in the position of being the one-eyed man in the country of the blind who, far from being king, is feared and ostracized because he has vision or, perhaps, because of what he can see.

References Burks, B.S., Jensen, D.W., & Terman, L.M. (1930). Genetic studies of genius: The promise of youth (vol. 3). Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. Gross, M.U.M.(1992). The use of radical acceleration in cases of extreme intellectual precocity. Gifted Child Quarterly, 36(2), 90-98. Gross, M.U.M. (1993). Exceptionally gifted children. London: Routledge. Hollingworth, L.S. 1926). Gifted children. Their nature and nurture. New York: Macmillan. Hollingworth, L.S.(1942). Children above IQ 180. New York: World Books.

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Dr. Miraca Gross is Professor of Gifted Education and Director of the Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

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Factors in the Social Adjustment and Social Acceptability of Extremely Gifted Children

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By Miraca U.M. Gross. Citation: From Talent Development. 1994 2. Reproduced with permission from Great Potential Press. This presentation proposes that, as practitioners and researchers in gifted education, we differ significantly from our counterparts in other areas of special education, such as teachers of intellectually handicapped or hearing impaired students, in our failure to recognize and respond to the different levels or degrees of the condition we study.

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"When gifted children are asked what they most desire, the answer is often 'a friend'. The children's experience of school is completely colored by the presence or absence of relationships with peers." (Silverman, 1993, p. 72.)

The need for friendship and, even more, for emotional intimacy, is a driving force in both children and adults. This report of recent Australian research explores the nature of friendship as it is conceived by elementary and middle school students and how perceptions and expectations of friendship differ among children at different age levels, at different levels of intellectual ability, and between boys and girls.

A wealth of research studies over the last 70 years have shown us that when intellectually gifted children look for friends, they tend to gravitate towards other gifted children of approximately their own age, or older children who may not be as bright as they are, but who are still of above average ability (Hollingworth, 1926; O'Shea, 1960; Gross, 1993). This fits comfortably with what we know about friendship choices in children generally; children tend to choose friends on the basis of similarities in mental age, rather than chronological age.

Previous international studies have found, not surprisingly, that children's conceptions of friendship develop in stages and are hierarchical and age-related (see, for example, Bigelow and La Gaipa, 1975; Selman, 1981). Children in the early years of school tend to view friendship in a strongly egocentric or subjective light; the capacity to step outside one's own needs and perceptions, and see one's friend as an individual with her own needs and values, does not develop till around the age of 9. The perception of friendship as an intimate and mutually rewarding relationship which allows friends to draw strength from each other and contribute to each other's emotional growth does not, in general, develop until around age 12.

However, these studies of children's conceptions of friendship were conducted with unselected populations, comprising children of average intellectual ability. Until recently, no research has been undertaken to investigate whether intellectually gifted children pass through the stages of friendship conception at the same ages, or at the same speed, as children of average ability.

Similarly, research has established that boys and girls in the pre-adolescent years tend to have different expectations of friendship, with girls being more likely than boys to distinguish between "best friends" and "regular friends" (Gamer, 1978), and with girls reporting higher levels of intimacy, trust and loyalty than do boys in same-sex bestfriendships (Sharabany, Gershoni and Hoffman, 1981). However, once again, these friendship studies focused on students' chronological age or grade placement; the children's level of intellectual capacity or mental age were not taken into consideration.

However, through a recent empirical study undertaken with 700 children aged 5-12, I was able to investigate whether children's conceptions of, and expectations of, friendship are determined by chronological age or by mental age. I was interested to explore whether intellectually gifted children have conceptions of friendship which are more mature than those held by their age-peers. I was also interested to investigate whether the gender differences observed in the general population translated into the gifted population.

The study surveyed, through a standardized questionnaire, conceptions of friendship held by three groups of children aged 6 through 12: children of average intellectual ability, moderately gifted children, and highly gifted children. The study confirmed that children's conceptions of friendship do indeed form a developmental hierarchy of age-related stages, with expectations of friendship, and beliefs about friendship, becoming more sophisticated and complex with age. The five stages appear in order as follows, from the lowest to the highest level in terms of age and conceptual complexity:

Stage 1: "Play Partner": In the earliest stage of friendship, the relationship is based on "play-partnership". A friend is seen as someone who engages the child in play and permits the child to use or borrow her playthings.

Stage 2: "People to chat to": The sharing of interests becomes an important element in friendship choice. Conversations between "friends" are no longer related simply to the game or activity in which the children are directly engaged.

Stage 3: "Help and encouragement": At this stage the friend is seen as someone who will offer help, support or encouragement. However, the advantages of friendship flow in one direction; the child does not yet see himself as having the obligation to provide help or support in return.

Stage 4: "Intimacy/empathy": The child now realises that in friendship the need and obligation to give comfort and support flows both ways and, indeed, the giving of affection, as well as receiving it, becomes an important element in the relationship. This stage sees a deepening of intimacy; an emotional sharing and bonding.

Stage 5: "The sure shelter." The title comes from a passage in one of the apocryphal books of the Old Testament. "A faithful friend is a sure shelter; whoever finds one has found a rare treasure" (Ecclesiasticus, 6:14). At this stage friendship is perceived as a deep and lasting relationship of trust, fidelity and unconditional acceptance. As a highly gifted 12 year old described it: "A real friend is a place you go when you need to take off the masks. You can say what you want to your friend because you know that your friend will really listen and even if he doesn't like what you say, he will still like you. You can take off your camouflage with a real friend and still feel safe."

The study found, however, that what children look for in friends is dictated not so much by chronological age but by mental age. A strong relationship was indeed found between children's levels of intellectual ability and their conceptions of friendship. In general, intellectually gifted children were found to be substantially further along the hierarchy of stages of friendship than were their age-peers of average ability. Gifted children were beginning to look for friends with whom they could develop close and trusting friendships, at ages when their age-peers of average ability were looking for play partners.

However, the differences between gifted children and their average ability age-peers were much larger in the primary and early years of elementary school than in the later years. In grades 3 and 4, even moderately gifted children have the conceptions of friendship which characterise average ability children at least two years older.

As mentioned at the start of this article, many years of research (as well as the observations of parents of gifted children, and perceptive teachers!) suggest that intellectually gifted children look for friends among other gifted children of approximately their own age, or older children of above average ability. This study suggests that they may not only be seeking the intellectual compatibility of mental age peers; they may also be looking for children whose conceptions and expectations of friendship are similar to their own.

More than 70 years ago the great psychologist Leta Hollingworth (1926) noted that the social isolation experienced by many highly gifted children was most acute between the ages of 4 and 9. The present study supports Hollingworth's findings. Exceptionally gifted children (children of IQ 160+) tend to begin the search for "the sure shelter" - friendships of complete trust and honesty - four or five years before their age-peers even enter this stage. Indeed, in this study, exceptionally gifted girls aged 6 and 7 already displayed conceptions of friendship which do not develop in children of average ability until age 11 or 12.

Substantial gender differences were noticed. At all levels of ability, and at all ages, girls presented as significantly higher on the developmental scale of friendship conceptions than boys. Exceptionally gifted boys who begin the search for intimacy at unusually early ages may be at even greater risk of social isolation than girls of similar ability.

Such are the differences in the friendship conceptions held by average and gifted students in the earlier years of primary school that it is at this level that gifted children are most likely to have difficulty in finding other children who have similar expectations of friendship.

The results of this study raise, once again, the question as to why schools in Australia and the United States so often reserve programs of ability grouping for students in the upper years of elementary school, and why teachers are so reluctant to allow young gifted children to accelerate. This study suggests that it is in the lower, rather than the upper, grades that placement with chronological peers, without regard to intellectual ability or emotional maturity, is more likely to result in the gifted child experiencing loneliness or social isolation.

Ability grouping and grade advancement can be of invaluable assistance in the early years of school to young gifted children whose accelerated conceptions of friendship are urging them to seek the sure shelter of a relationship of trust, fidelity and authenticity, at ages when their age-peers are seeking playmates or casual conversation. In the case of exceptionally and profoundly gifted children, it is difficult to justify, either educationally or socially, the inclusion of these children in classes comprised of age-peers whose conceptions of friendship are so radically different from theirs.

"A faithful friend is a sure shelter; whoever finds one has found a rare treasure." The word "rare" has several meanings. The writer of the book of Ecclesiasticus used it in the sense of "exceptional" or "incomparable".

However, "rare" also means "scarce". Intellectually gifted children grouped by chronological age may find that the treasure of a sure shelter is rare indeed. In the case of highly and exceptionally gifted children, it is difficult to justify the inclusion of these children in classes comprised of age-peers whose expectations of friendship are so radically different from theirs.

References Bigelow, B.J. and LaGaipa, J.J. (1975). Children's written descriptions of friendship: A multidimensional analysis. Developmental Psychology, 11, 857-858. Gamer, E. (1978). Children's reports of friendship criteria. Dissertation Abstracts International, 36, 616. Gross, M.U.M. (1993) Exceptionally Gifted Children, London: Routledge. Hollingworth, L.S. (1926) Gifted children: Their nature and nurture. New York: Macmillan. O'Shea, H.E. (1960). Friendship and the intellectually gifted child. Exceptional Children, 26(6), 327-335. Selman, R.L. (1981). The child as a friendship philosopher. In S.R. Asher and J.M. Gottman (Eds.) The development of children's friendships (pp. 242-272). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sharabany, R., Gershoni, R. and Hofman, J.E. (1981). Girlfriend, boyfriend: Age and sex differences in intimate friendship. Developmental Psychology, 17, 800-808. Silverman, L.K. (1993). Counseling the gifted and talented Denver: Love.

Dr. Miraca Gross is Professor of Gifted Education and Director of the Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

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“Play Partner” or “Sure Shelter”: What gifted children look for in friendship

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By Miraca U.M. Gross. Citation: From The SENG Newsletter. 2002 May 2(2) “When gifted children are asked what they most desire, the answer is often ‘a friend’. The children’s experience of school is completely colored by the presence or absence of relationships with peers.” (Silverman, 1993, p. 72.)…

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By Sharon Lind.
Citation: From The SENG Update, July 2004
My overriding passion is to encourage people to cherish, celebrate, raise awareness about, and discuss individual differences. It is OK to be different, to feel differently. One group of people, gifted introverts, is not only misunderstood and overlooked, but the people in it are also often saddened because there is confusion or a lack of understanding about their characteristics and needs. One misunderstanding is that introversion is mistaken for shyness. Introverts draw their energy from being solitary, and are private people who enjoy doing things by themselves and who reveal their innermost thoughts to only a few. They need to first process, plan, and react privately and internally before responding. In contrast, shy people are afraid of others, especially those who seem emotionally threatening, and retreat for emotional safety, not to re-energize.

I believe there are marked distinctions between true introversion, shyness, extroversion, and sociability. There is also overlap - introverts can be shy or sociable or somewhere in between. A shy introvert finds it extremely difficult to interact outside of a select, small community and enjoys isolation. A sociable introvert develops a safe outward persona to be with people, share of themselves, and maintain their personal safety. They find it relatively easy to learn effective social skills.

There is a Sarah MacLachlan song called Elsewhere which has a refrain that says:

I believe this is heaven to no one else but me and I'll defend it long as I can to be left here to linger in silence if I choose to would you try to understand

I see this as a sort of mantra for introverts: they need time to linger alone in silence and they need others to respect that need.

We have several articles on the SENG site which discuss introversion and personality development. Check these out:

· Introversion: The often forgotten factor impacting the gifted

· "Play Partner" or "Sure Shelter": What gifted children look for in friendship

· A Synthesis of Research on Psychological Types of Gifted Adolescents

________________________________________________________
In July of 2004, Sharon Lind was past-president of SENG and had served on the SENG Board for four years.

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By Sharon Lind. Citation: From The SENG Update, July 2004 My overriding passion is to encourage people to cherish, celebrate, raise awareness about, and discuss individual differences. It is OK to be different, to feel differently.

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By Patricia Schuler. First published in the SENG Newsletter, 2002 "Shut up!" "Stop humiliating me!" "Stop it before I destroy you!" I had been observing a second grade classroom when I was jolted by these screams. Remembering these desperate words still causes chills to race up my spine.

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By Lori Comallie-Caplan.

Last month at our local gifted parent group, I asked what they would like the next presentation to be about, and the answer was unanimously "Gifted Children and Friendships." This week when I asked one of the children I work with what she wanted for this holiday season, her answer was "more friends." Parents are often worried about their gifted child's lack of friends. Gifted children often think they do not have friends or that they want more friends. More recent research and literature shows that gifted children's smaller number's of friends relates more to personality style than to a lack of social skills. Friendship is not simply acceptance by peers or social competencies. Rather, it is a dynamic relationship that offers more than the acceptance of others based on certain attributes (Aiken, 2012).

Gifted children do sometimes have difficulties finding friends. They generally require a "like-minded" peer both in intellect and interest. In their younger years, they can be somewhat impatient with those who are not as quick as they are. In their middle years, they struggle with whether to conform to a peer group or remain individually true to themselves. Parents can help by promoting socially healthy relationships and helping their children to understand that there is a relationship continuum from "play partner" to "sure shelter," as Miraca Gross (2002) explains:

'A faithful friend is a sure shelter; whoever finds one has found a rare treasure.' The word 'rare' has several meanings. The writer of the book of Ecclesiasticus used it in the sense of 'exceptional' or 'incomparable'.

However, 'rare' also means 'scarce'. Intellectually gifted children grouped by chronological age may find that the treasure of a sure shelter is rare indeed. In the case of highly and exceptionally gifted children, it is difficult to justify the inclusion of these children in classes comprised of age-peers whose expectations of friendship are so radically different from theirs.

Another important aspect of how many friends is enough is whether the gifted child is introverted or extroverted. Introverted children may not want or need as many friends. They are not as likely to initiate friendships but more likely to sit back and observe and wait to be invited in. They enjoy their alone time and generally have only one or two very close friends. They "are private people who enjoy doing things by themselves and who reveal inner most thoughts to only a few," according to former SENG President Sharon Lind (2004). Lind continues, "Introverts draw their energy from being solitary, and are private people who enjoy doing things by themselves and who reveal their innermost thoughts to only a few. They need to first process, plan, and react privately and internally before responding." Gifted children, both introverts and extroverts, do prefer and have the need for alone time. That is not to say that they feel "alone". Lego characters, book characters and other imaginative play can provide a "peer" experience for our gifted children.

Friendships between two gifted children can be intense and consuming. Sometimes one friendship can meet all friendship needs. This intensely loyal relationship can grow stronger over time. The ending of this type of friendship can cause great emotional upheaval in a child's life. Even though it may be difficult, it is important for parents to help their gifted children develop a few less intense relationships.

The authors of Parenting the Gifted Child (Webb, Gore, Amend, & DeVries, 2007, p. 182) offer this great list of tips for parents to help their child with friendships.

Help your child to:

· Make time for friends.

· Take initiative to open doors for possible friendships.

· Learn to be a good host.

· Practice friendship skills in low stress situations.

· Be a good listener to show interest and caring for others.

· Be sincere about abilities, but avoid bragging.

· Give compliments to others to bring attention to their good qualities.

· Participate in group activities, perhaps even in areas of weakness to create friendship opportunities. Be accepting of those who think and act differently from you.

Parents can model compassion and friendship. When your gifted child sees you standing by your friends when they need you most, being a good listener, celebrating their successes, and being patient with their differences, they will truly know what friendship is all about.
References
Aiken, E. (2012). "Gifted Children and Friendship: Finding Balance between Research and Reality." NAGC Convention 2012, Denver, CO.

Gross, M.U.M. (2002). "Play Partner" or "Sure Shelter": What Gifted Children Look for in Friendship. Available online at https://www.sengifted.org/post/play-partner-or-sure-shelter-what-gifted-children-look-for-in-friendship

Lind, S. (2004). Introversion. Available online at https://www.sengifted.org/post/introversion

Webb. J. T., Gore, J. L., Amend, E. R. & DeVries, A. R. (2007). A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children. Tucson, AR: Great Potential Press. ________________________________________________________
Lori Comallie-Caplan, LMSW, is in private practice specializing in therapy and evaluation of gifted children and adolescents in Las Cruces, NM. She is a frequent presenter at SENG and NAGC and provides professional development to school districts and parent groups. Lori is also president of SENG's Board of Directors.

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By Lori Comallie-Caplan. Last month at our local gifted parent group, I asked what they would like the next presentation to be about, and the answer was unanimously "Gifted Children and Friendships." This week when I asked one of the children I work with what she wanted for this holiday season, her answer was "more friends."

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By Tracy Riley.

When I was in junior high school, I recall being given a test in the guidance counsellor's office over the summer holidays. When school began, I was in a special class called Project SAIL (Searching the Atmospehere for Intellectual Learning - I think!). Years later, when I studied education at University, I came to realise that I was in a gifted program - with one of my best friends, Denise. Fast forward almost 40 years and Denise and I live in different countries, but we are both mothers, teachers with advanced degrees and share a common interest (at the moment) in Monarch butterflies!

Why butterflies? Well, because as I watched my caterpillar population dying under attack from predators, I was compelled to try to save them. Being a science teacher, Denise knew exactly what was needed and over a Saturday afternoon across the internet we created a home for my caterpillars. My photos and videos, as my caterpillars morphed to beautiful catalysts, have been shared with her students and we message daily as we await the first butterly to unfold her wings.

Denise and I remain steadfast friends and like-minded peers. It is because of her and my experiences in school that I have pursued questions about gifted education passionately and fervently for most of my career. My latest questions circle around what the term like-minded means, the opportunities for like-minded interactions and if they really make a difference to gifted learners. I have been talking with gifted students, their parents and teachers, and what has been most interesting to me is that every child I talk with describes like-mindedness in relation to thinking.

As one student explained, it is about "thinking along the same lines." Another young girl described thinking not outside the square but "outside the triangle. Yeah, we think in triangles." The students have talked about sharing similar thinking processes and styles, or as one boy said, like-minded peers are "similar and think on the same kind of path as you." Last year, I had the opportunity to write about this study in a SENGvine feature article and to present at the annual conference. I concluded, "Gifted and talented students have the opportunity to learn how to learn, take risks and develop resiliency when learning with like-minded peers. Knowing how to think - not what to think - is what really matters."

I continue to ask questions of gifted children because I am intriqued to hear them talk about how they think, and I wonder what role thinking plays in their social and emotional development. To me, asking gifted students about their experiences gives them a voice and better enables the SENG vision that they have "gratifying, meaningul lives and contribute to the well-being of others". Sharing the experiences of gifted children and young people is another step toward our mission to empower families and communities to guide the gifted toward fulfillment - intellectually, physically, culturally, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

That's why I am so delighted to have the opportunity to be on the SENG Board of Directors, and to be the 'champion' for SENG's publications. I am excited to be working with our team as we explore new ways of sharing information, inspiration and support through our publications. Re-engaging with the SENG editorial board and our many contributors, whether through re-purposing some of the 'classic' SENG articles, invited columns or publication, or reviewing work for publication, is going to be an excellent way for me to meet and develop my thinking with like-minds. Please feel free to share your ideas with me - and, in doing so, please feel free to think outside the triangle! Like my caterpillars, I am looking forward to being part of a metamorphosis, a change - and spreading my wings to create ways of sharing what we know and want to know about supporting the emotional needs of our gifted learners.

When she transformed in to the butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back to what she always had been. But she had wings. - Dean Jackson

________________________________________________________
Dr. Riley specializes in gifted and talented education at Massey University in New Zealand. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the field in addition to supervising postgraduate research. Tracy is the co-editor of APEX: The New Zealand Journal of Gifted Education and is on the editorial board of Gifted Child Today. An active advocate for gifted and talented students, Tracy has served on numerous Ministry of Education advisory groups and has co-authored the Ministry handbook, Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting Their Needs in New Zealand Schools (2000, 2012). She publishes and presents widely at both national and international levels. In 2007, Tracy was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching and was the recipient of a national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award. Tracy is a past member of the executive committee of the Ako Aoteoroa Academy of Tertiary Teaching Excellence and is chairperson of the board for giftEDnz: The Professional Association for Gifted Education. Tracy was a keynote speaker at The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (WCGTC) 20th Biennial World Conference, August 2013 in Louisville, KY.

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By Tracy Riley. When I was in junior high school, I recall being given a test in the guidance counsellor's office over the summer holidays. When school began, I was in a special class called Project SAIL (Searching the Atmospehere for Intellectual Learning - I think!).

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5 Tips for Helping Gifted Children Make Friends

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By Colleen Kessler. Making friends can be hard for any child, but for socially awkward gifted children or twice-exceptional kiddos, the challenge is only multiplied.

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Resources for families on anxiety and perfectionism

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Keeping a Healthy Perspective on Stress and Test Anxiety

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By Vidisha Patel. April is one of my favorite months of the year. April signifies the advent of spring, and with it comes the promise of longer days and warmer weather and a sense of hope that winter is finally behind us. For our school-going children, spring also marks the commencement of the "testing season."

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Keeping a Healthy Perspective on Stress and Test Anxiety

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By Vidisha Patel. April is one of my favorite months of the year. April signifies the advent of spring, and with it comes the promise of longer days and warmer weather and a sense of hope that winter is finally behind us. For our school-going children, spring also marks the commencement of the "testing season."

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When Your Child Goes Overboard: Fears and Compassionate Concerns

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By Nancy M. Robinson, Ph.D. When Johnny was 5, he was greatly disturbed by the accounts of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Not only was he deeply sympathetic to the orphaned children and their uprooted families, but desperately fearful of an earthquake and radiation dangers happening here at ho…

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De-Escalating: Helping Gifted Children Identify Their Emotions and Regain Control

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By Sarah Young. It's the week before winter break. Utter chaos reigns. Every day there is a condensed schedule, an assembly, or other interruptions that distress my anxious, perfectionist, or autistic gifted kids.

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Female Voice: The math test is tomorrow, and Michael is dreading it. He doesn't understand the material. So he's just hoping the test will be easy. He thought about studying more, but studying math makes him feel dumb because it's so hard. He thinks asking for help would be even worse than failing because then everyone would see that he doesn't get it, even though he's trying.

So he procrastinates, and he tries to convince himself that math doesn't matter anyway. That way, at least he'll have an excuse for bombing tomorrow's test.

Male Voice: Stories like this play out in homes and in classrooms across the country every day. Students make poor choices about learning, not because they are lazy, but because they're secretly paralyzed by fears of feeling dumb when they have to try hard. Their beliefs about effort and struggle hold them back and make learning a scary experience.

It doesn't have to be that way. New research shows that the way parents talk about abilities and learning can have powerful effects on their kids' beliefs. Certain types of seemingly positive praise like "You're smart at this!" can backfire and make children more likely to avoid challenges or give up in the future when something is difficult.

Fortunately, the same research also shows that there are many things that we can do to help children develop into resilient learners.

Female Voice: Stanford University's professor Carol Dweck has spent decades studying how people think about intelligence. Dweck and her colleagues have found that people tend to hold one of two very different perspectives about intelligence. One perspective is called a fixed mindset. That's the belief that intelligence is fixed at birth and doesn't change or changes very little with practice. It's the belief that intelligence is like eye color. You're stuck with whatever you're born with.

The other perspective is called a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence improves through study and practice. In other words, people with a growth mindset think intelligence is like a muscle that grows stronger with training.

Male Voice: For children with a fixed mindset, the classroom can be a scary place. They see school as the place where their abilities are evaluated, not as a place where their abilities are developed. Their goal in school tends to be to show that they are smart or at least to avoid looking dumb. For them, mistakes are a sign that they lack talent.

Female Voice: For children with a growth mindset, the classroom is a more exciting and less judgmental place. They believe they can develop their ability, and they understand that the classroom is just the place to do that. Children with a growth mindset tend to see challenges as opportunities to grow because they understand that they can improve their abilities by pushing themselves. If something is hard, they understand it will push them to get better.

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Mindset Kit - What is a growth mindset?, Growth Mindset for Parents

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Female Voice: The math test is tomorrow, and Michael is dreading it. He doesn't understand the material. So he's just hoping the test will be easy. He thought about studying more, but studying math makes him feel dumb because it's so hard.

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How exactly do you help students switch mindsets? Here are some strategies that have proven effective for helping them make this transition.

1. Help students recognize their strengths and their weaknesses. Show them how to use their strengths to develop their weak areas or find learning partners who are strong in areas where they may be weak.

2. Provide descriptive, accurate, and constructive feedback that focuses on how students can develop themselves in specific tasks or skill areas.

3. Focus praise on the effort students put forth toward a goal.

4. Offer authentic challenges on issues they or others care about that will take time, effort, and persistence to solve.

5. Teach specific skills of studying, organization, metacognition, time management, goal setting, and monitoring.

6. Use preassessments to help students recognize what they already know/understand and are able to do, and what they don't know/understand and are not yet able to do. Be mindful that students may perceive preassessments as shameful (especially if they are in the fixed mindset). Reassure students that preassessments are meant to focus teaching and learning.

7. When teaching discrete strategies, show students how using the strategy will help them develop certain skills. Some gifted students are whole to part learners and may avoid practicing discrete strategies (part) if they don't understand how it leads to greater skill development (whole).

8. Structure time throughout the day when students can reflect on their learning process, talk with others about tasks that were easy or difficult, or take note of their personal feelings on the topic.

9. Create learning activities where students will need to rely on others to complete the tasks. In these "unlike" groups, students learn to appreciate other people's skills and realize they have skills unique to themselves.

10. Continually support students by showing them how their efforts lead to success.

From Differentiation for Gifted Learners: Going Beyond the Basics by Diane Heacox, Ed.D., and Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., copyright © 2014. Free Spirit Publishing Inc., Minneapolis, MN; 800-735-7323; www.freespirit.com. For more strategies for teaching gifted students check out Differentiation for Gifted Learners.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.

© 2018 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved.

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Ten Strategies for Developing a Growth Mindset in Gifted Students

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How exactly do you help students switch mindsets? Here are some strategies that have proven effective for helping them make this transition. Help students recognize their strengths and their weaknesses. Show them how to use their strengths to develop their weak areas or find learning partners who are strong in areas where they may be...

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The realistic, practical, do-able guide to managing perfectionism.

This is the one-stop shop for managing the perils of Perfectionism. Loaded with practical tips, real-life examples, action steps, and great stories.
earn how to redefine your relationship with perfectionism, what the research says, and why it's not all bad news..
Change the way you look at perfectionism and set yourself on the path to mastering its effects in your life and the lives of those you care about.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The realistic, practical, do-able guide to managing perfectionism. This is the one-stop shop for managing the perils of Perfectionism. Loaded with practical tips, real-life examples, action steps, and great stories. earn how to redefine your relationship with perfectionism, what the research says, and why it's not all bad news..