Giftedness in Adults
September 10th, 2006 by rivercrow
When I was a kid, I was considered “gifted.” It meant I got sent off to book-rooms to read stuff outside of the normal curriculum and that the whole group would take special field trips to interesting places.
When I graduated from high school, the “gifted” label dropped off. I was just a kid with good grades who had a lot of interests and had the benefit of parents who could send me to music lessons. I remained “a kid with good grades” though college. When I graduated college, I was expected to blend into the real world and get on with life.
I think that was expecting too much from me.
I was turned loose on the world with the vague impression I was special, but no comprehension of what that specialness was or what it meant. With no awareness that I was indeed different (not just unique like everyone else, but actually with different thought-processes) and what those differences were, I found myself trying to minimize myself to fit in.
Recently, this strategy has backfired.
I’ve only recently begun to understand what “giftedness” means. It can’t be encompassed by MBTI (I’m INTP) or Enneagram (5w4 sx variant), although these tools are useful for improving relationships and understanding ourselves and others.
I’ve been reading The Gifted Adult this week. I’m beginning to see that the traits I consider “just me” are part of being gifted. It’s as good to understand these traits are indeed normal for me as it is to realized not everyone works like this.
It’s almost a diversity issue. The non-gifted should embrace the differentness of the gifted.
Some collected links on the topic:
An article on what giftedness is.
“Tips for parents: The real world of gifted teens”. Equally applicable for adults.
Links on gender issues and giftedness
HTML version of “Gifted People and Their Problems”. PDF doesn’t seem to work.
“Misdiagnosis of the gifted”
“Gifted children: Emotionally immature or emotionally intense?”
One Response to “Giftedness in Adults”
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Yay I’m gifted!!!
I must say that I associate with lots of that stuff in those lists (I commonly have little respect for Maslow though due to his popularity).
Something my father kept saying to me haunts me and my conscience. According to him I am more intelligent than most people (I guess he’s thinking about 140-150 +). He thinks that’s why I find it difficult to connect with people and get frustrated when they don’t understand. Personally I don’t like to think along such lines, it promotes arrogance and I’ve found many people who consider themselves dumb who have astonished me with their insight and such.
It’d be nice if there was a reliable gauge of intelligence so people would know what to expect and you’d know what to aim for. At almost 30 I still have no idea of my relative intellect and whether I should be aiming to lead or to follow. People do offer their evaluations but they often cannot or will not validate them which leaves me thinking that those who see me as clever often think highly of me anyway and those who think me dumb often don’t like me much. I need objectivity damnit!!!