In her article, 10 Misconceptions About Gifted Adults, Jane Macondo sheds some light on why gifted people can be baffled…and baffling. Gifted adults are largely invisible. One of the reasons very few apply the term to themselves is due to the misconceptions about giftedness – in adulthood as well as childhood. Many adults who have [...]
“All forms of self-expression that tap into curiosities, talents or deeply held interests, when pursued to excellence, are deeply nourishing.” That quote by Kenneth W. Christian, PhD is from his book Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement. There are many deeply rewarding aspects of being gifted and talented, creative, with exceptional [...]
Research by Dr. Ted Zeff indicates : “North American HSMs (highly sensitive males) who reported that they had supportive parents as boys and who played group sports as a boy were “never” or “rarely” teased for being sensitive. “However, the North American HSMs who reported that neither parents were supportive of their sensitivity, and who [...]
The movies Precious, and Phoebe in Wonderland both have characters that make use of their imaginational intensity or overexcitability as part of their personality and a valuable way to deal with challenges in their lives. What is intensity / overexcitability? Stephanie Tolan, a writer and advocate for extremely bright children, notes the original Polish word [...]
When I was a kid I was constantly criticized for daydreaming by my teachers and parents. Once, in kindergarten, I ‘came-to’ and found the entire playground empty – except for me, still singing and swinging, oblivious to the loud end-of-recess bell. My imagination has always been my greatest asset…and my bête noire. In his post [...]
In his article Practice Being Like a Child, Jim Rohn advised: “Learn to be curious like a child… A child’s curiosity is what helps them to reach, learn and grow.” Adora Svitak, 12, points out that children have much to offer, and boldly questions the dismissive label “childish,” citing examples of other non-adults who are [...]
This video of a talk by Ken Robinson – “Do schools kill creativity?” – is an excerpt from the longer video from the TED conference [Technology, Entertainment, Design] – which summarizes the talk: “Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. [...]
Gifted adults often struggle with the same challenges as gifted children. What factors help adults identified as gifted when young to continue to achieve? Educator Carol McGaughey comments about these issues: I think one area that needs to be addressed is what happens to these gifted individuals as they grow into adults. Is the folk [...]
David Shenk is author of The Genius in All of Us – Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong. He says “The public has been poorly served when it comes to understanding the relationship between biology and ability. The clichés we’ve been taught about genetic blueprints, IQ, and ‘giftedness’ all [...]
In her post “to my surprise…” on her site Temporary Reality, “neighbor” writes about the experience of growing up gifted that many of us can relate to. Here is an excerpt [published here by permission]: When I was little I was labelled Gifted. God, it sounds so bad to just up and say that. I’m [...]
In one of her newsletter articles, Elaine Aron talks about the differences between giftedness and sensitivity, in both children and adults. Last summer I was the invited speaker at a conference on developing gifted children, and I have been promising you a report on it. As I discussed my talk with the organizer, Linda Silverman, [...]
“I was at dance school doing about 35 hours practice a week until I was 14. Then ballet started to grate – the whole idea of trying to attain perfection started to ruin the experience.” Mia Wasikowska (“Alice in Wonderland”) What’s so bad about perfection? Isn’t it what we all strive for? In her interview, [...]
Scott Barry Kaufman notes, “Although their unusual abilities compel considerable attention, there are fewer than 100 known prodigious savants living at the present time.” He interviews one of these extraordinary people for his Beautiful Minds blog. Here is an excerpt: Daniel Tammet: I don’t think it serves very much to label someone. IQ is a [...]
On her Gifted Universe site, Elisa provides a good summary of brainwave entrainment. Here is an excerpt: How to shut or slow down the hamster wheel of a gifted mind? This is question I’ve been asked and have sometimes asked myself. Truthfully, it’s only recently that I’ve become aware of the potential for my brain [...]
Leonardo DiCaprio was amazing in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), portraying a teenager with mental health challenges. Not knowing his work before, I thought, How was this autistic kid able to work as an actor? One of the ways he created such a powerful and – many people say – authentic, performance was using his [...]
J.K. Rowling has described herself as a girl as “short, squat, very thick glasses — that’s why Harry wears glasses. “I was shy. I was a mixture of insecurities and very bossy to my sister, but quite quiet with strangers. Very bookish. Terrible at school. That whole thing about Harry being able to fly so [...]
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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.
