Article by Cathy Goodwin
“James is so restless and energetic. I wonder if he’s hyperactive.”
“Nancy seems to be all over the place. She’s got a dozen projects going at once!”
“Harley does things so fast! He put up a website in two weeks.”
“Marlene is so intense. She needs to lighten up.”
While it’s possible that James is hyperactive, [...]
Backgrounds and practical recommendations
By Noks Nauta, Sieuwke Ronner
This article was published in Dutch in Tijdschriftvoor Bedrijfs-en Verzekeringsgeneeskunde (Journal for Occupational Health- and Insurance Physicians), TBV 16, no. 11 (Nov. 2008): 396-399. Publisher: Bohn Stafleu Van Loghum, Houten, The Netherlands. The editor agreed with translation and publication on this website.
Key words: GIFTEDNESS, CHARACTERISTICS, FAVOURABLE AND [...]
In a very real sense, everyone may be called “underachieving” regardless of whether they are gifted or not. One short definition is “Performance below potential.”
But high ability and giftedness are much more than advanced potential, high scores and notable achievements. What really matters in talking about underachievement is the inner experience of “falling short of [...]
To avoid being seen as too weird or different, and to fit in better with others, gifted children often learn to stifle or cover up their unusual cognitive and other abilities. As adults, many still follow a pattern of hiding.
When she began directing in the forties, Ida Lupino sometimes claimed not to know the best [...]
“The natural trajectory of giftedness in childhood is not a six-figure salary, perfect happiness, and a guaranteed place in Who’s Who. It is the deepening of the personality, the strengthening of one’s value system, the creation of greater and greater challenges for oneself… becoming a better person and helping make this a better world.”
That quote [...]
How does talent become passion?
“The presence of talent is not sufficient. Many people have more than one talent, and wonder what to do with them.”
Jane Piirto, Ph.D. continues in her book Talented Children and Adults, “What is the impetus, what is the reason, for one talent taking over and capturing the passion and commitment of [...]
Three types of perfectionists
In his article on the subject, Benedict Carey of The New York Times explores how there are, in fact, problems resulting from some kinds of striving for perfection.
He writes, “Some researchers divide perfectionists into three types, based on answers to standardized questionnaires: Self-oriented strivers who struggle to live up to their high [...]
Giftedness often tied to achievement
So much categorizing people as gifted children or adults emphasizes having achieved significantly, having some distinction – high IQ or SAT scores, having a bestseller book or movie or being a sport superstar.
And with perfectionism and high levels of self criticism, many gifted and talented people feel they don’t make it.
Ellen [...]
Genius: born or made
“The young Mozart’s prowess can be chalked up to practice, practice, practice. Compelled to practice three hours a day from age three on.. No wonder they thought he was a genius.” Malcolm Gladwell
How we think of talents in others and ourselves may have a profound effect on nurturing and realizing those abilities. [...]
When it’s too easy
“Great accomplishment, and even what we call genius, is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift.”
In her article The Secret to Raising Smart Kids, Stanford Professor of Psychology Carol S. Dweck writes about children “who coast through the early grades under [...]
The Great Debaters
The photo shows Denzel Washington as Melvin B. Tolson, coaching his students (played by Jurnee Smollett, Nate Parker and Denzel Whitaker) in the upcoming movie “The Great Debaters.”
It is based on the real story of Tolson, a professor at Wiley College in 1935 Texas, who inspired students to form the school’s first debate [...]
Good Will Hunting
The movie Good Will Hunting (1997), as summarized on Wikipedia, tells the story of Will Hunting (Matt Damon), “a troubled prodigy who works as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, despite the fact that his knowledge of and facility with higher mathematics far outstrips that of anyone in the university.
“Good Will [...]
Dismissive of intuition
It can be a challenge for people who are predominantly intellectual to acknowledge and make use of intuition.
Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D. notes, “Individuals with higher intelligence are likely to be well educated. Higher education indoctrinates students to think logically and skeptically and to dismiss intuitive information.
“Scientific evidence and logical argument are considered legitimate, [...]
Is IQ relevant?
High ability in children is typically evaluated by cognitive performance. That may be convenient for schools and college entrance gatekeepers, but is IQ relevant for adults as a measure of potential contribution – or life satisfaction?
Certainly there are job performance and achievement measures such as Academy Awards, Nobel Prizes and MacArthur fellowships, but [...]
“The natural trajectory of giftedness in childhood is not a six-figure salary, perfect happiness, and a guaranteed place in Who’s Who.”
An alternative ideal of gifted development
That is a comment by Dr. Linda Silverman, director of the Gifted Development Center [site], who goes on to describe an ideal of adult development, beyond the awards won as [...]