>Also see the High Ability site and High Ability – gifted/talented articles
What are Excitabilities? One of the key concepts of Polish psychiatrist and psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski, MD, PhD (1902 – 1980) is that individuals with strong “overexcitabilities” are good candidates for higher level development. Stephanie Tolan, a writer and advocate for extremely bright children, notes the original Polish word for psychiatrist Dabrowski’s concept of overexcitabilities or [...]
Lisbeth Salander is one of the most intriguing and powerful characters in literature, and both Rooney Mara in the new movie of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Noomi Rapace in the 2009 Danish version, bring to life a richly complex and dynamic young woman. The “extra intelligent and intense” of my title is [...]
“I liked him. He was kind of skinny and wiry and full of energy.” Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, about meeting Steve Jobs in 1969. “Jobs doesn’t sit through much of anything; one of the ways he dominates is through sheer movement.” Joe Nocera The bio ‘Steve Jobs’ has topped Amazon’s list of 10 best-selling books [...]
The ‘gifted’ label & the pressure to deliver In his book “Your Own Worst Enemy..” psychologist Kenneth W. Christian, PhD delineates some of the most prominent patterns of thinking and behavior he has found that may lead to undermining and underachievement as adults. He notes, “Without explicit demands and support, being labeled ‘bright’ or ‘gifted’ [...]
“The Creative Adult is the Child Who Survived” – From the facebook page of Artizen Magazine A couple of related posts: Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? Healing and art: SARK and others on abuse and creativity 3 Things To Learn From The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – A Gifted Trauma Survivor, By [...]
From a tribute to Steve Jobs: ‘Those who knew Jobs often spoke of his passion for his creations. “It sounds ridiculous to talk about love when you are making a gadget,” said Larry Brilliant, the former director of Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, and a longtime friend of Jobs. “But Steve loved his work, he loved [...]
Among the purposes of this site – Talent Development Resources – is celebrating multitalented creative people, and exploring how they realize their many talents. In his post “That’s DR. Winnie to you: A New Child Star Stereotype” (on his Psychology Today blog), creativity researcher James C. Kaufman, Ph.D. writes about a number of people well-known [...]
Many multitalented people explore and implement a variety of interests in multiple fields. One example is Dean Kamen – an inventor, entrepreneur, and advocate for science and technology. He holds more than 440 patents, many for innovative medical devices, which can require mechanical engineering, biomedical research and ergonomics, among other fields. His more public inventions [...]
Willem Kuipers is author of the book Enjoying the Gift of Being Uncommon: Extra Intelligent, Intense, and Effective. In a section of the book – Is it a Gift to be Uncommon? – he writes about how people who are Xi [eXtra Intelligent or Intense] may view their exceptional abilities. Here is an excerpt: Giftedness [...]
By Cynthia Morris I’ve been accused of being ‘too much’ all my life. Too loud, too fast, too smart, too multi-talented, too audacious. I’ve never been able to live according to that external standard of ‘just right’. Artists are often ‘too much’. It’s the job of the artist and writer to reflect what they see [...]
Michele Kane, Ed.D., gave a presentation on Stress and Anxiety: Helping Gifted Kids Cope – which also has helpful perspectives for us adults. She points out that stress is universal and experienced by everyone, and that “Being bright, talented, creative, motivated, smart, ambitious, and even good looking can add to the stress in your life.” [...]
Victoria Cowie, 11, scored 162 on the adult admission tests for Mensa, above the IQ scores thought to have been achieved by Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates. Her father cites one example showing how uncommon she is: “When she was just three years old we were sitting in a cafe and she turned [...]
Mia Wasikowska portrayed an emotionally intense teen gymnast in the psychotherapy drama series “In Treatment.” She has commented, “As a teenager I was very anxious. I had a lot of energy and passion that I wanted to channel into creative things, and I always felt like I wasn’t achieving enough.” [From my post Mia Wasikowska [...]
By Edith Johnston PhD LPC I have lots of ideas. I am intelligent and inquisitive with lots of interests. Yet, I am insecure and everything seems incongruent as I move through life. Does this sound like something you experience? Being a multi-talented individual, or said another way, a smart person, can lead to this kind [...]
In her Foreword to the book “Enjoying the Gift of Being Uncommon” by Willem Kuipers, Linda Silverman of the Gifted Development Center writes: The vast majority of gifted adults are never identified. Even those who were tested as children and placed in gifted programs often believe that their giftedness disappeared by the time they reached [...]
By Sarah Williams. Pop culture as a medium always strives to focus on the extraordinary. As an escape and release from everyday tedium, it is only natural that it would gravitate towards extremes, the ends of the everyday spectrum that tend toward the fantastic, unbelievable, and unforgettable. Hence, many highly gifted characters have graced television [...]
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Site author: Douglas Eby, M.A./Psychology, is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative expression and personal growth, especially for high ability adults. He is publisher of the Talent Development Resources series of sites.
