#Gifted lyrics series#

Some gifted kids don't have this problem the ones with talents focused on one area, like science or math, will likely not experience it as an issue and might figure out what they want to do (or be pressured into it) early on. Gifted students are often multipotential because they possess a high level of general ability, which makes them capable of performing capably in almost any intellectual endeavor.' 'Multipotentiality,' wrote Kerr in 2003, 'is defined as the ability to select and develop any of a number of diverse career options.

There's a concept in the study of career guidance when it comes to gifted adolescents and college students: 'multipotentiality.' It's partly the brainchild of expert Professor Barbara Kerr, and refers to a tendency among some gifted people to have gifts and interests in multiple areas, which can have interesting consequences: an aversion to choosing a particular career path, for instance. Whether or not you grew from a gifted kid into a troubled adult, then, is a matter of a bunch of factors, from your home life to the precise calibration of your talents. Gifted adults may become frustrated with slower peers, ask too many questions, get annoyed when they're bored, find the ignorance of others irritating, and have too many interests (we'll get to that one in a minute). But he also highlights research about what characteristics might mean gifted kids grow up to be troubled adults: a high level of internal drive, serious emotional intensity and moral concern, and a mismatch between physical and emotional development are among them. James Webb, writing on the disagreement for the National Register Of Health Service Psychologists, does point out that various studies have found links between childhood giftedness and adult depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and eating disorders. She calls the idea that gifted kids might be less emotionally well-adjusted than others a 'dangerous stereotype.' While a few issues, like hypersensitivity and a pervasive belief in perfectionism, may cause worries into later life, they don't dictate the majority of experience in gifted kids.ĭr.

Joan Freeman, one of the world's leading experts on gifted children, raises a few reasons why this might happen: teachers and parents pay more attention to gifted kids and their potential for 'emotional disturbance,' and 'poor emotional balance' is often part of the way we assess how gifted kids might be. Being told you're carrying around a brainload of excellence, and the attendant performance and social issues, logically may leave people more open to concerning problems.īut Dr. Kids designated as gifted have long been thought to be more at risk of emotional issues, and to carry some of them into adult life, because of various factors: the National Association for Gifted Children, for instance, identifies 'heightened awareness, anxiety, perfectionism, stress, issues with peer relationships, and concerns with identity and fit' as potential serious issues. This is an interesting one, and it's disputed. (Maybe that one's just me.) Giftedness isn't a curse we carry into adulthood, but it does definitely change the game a bit, according to science. I'm in what's called a 'gifted marriage' (both people have the designation), most of my friends were in gifted programs at school or seen as high achievers, and we all have our own weird stories about how we fit in, stuck out, went bonkers trying to be perfect, and generally wondered why we hadn't got a Nobel Prize by 25. Here's one anecdotal thing I've learned about life as an adult after gifted childhood: gifted people can flock together. Giftedness (defined as being in the top three percentile of intelligence, or as pushing the roof of IQ tests, which max out at 170) is an interesting thing, and it can lead to unexpected consequences as you grow into your precocity and look beyond high school test scores. Either way, being gifted shaped your adult life, even if you simply ignored it after high school or college and plowed ahead with whatever you wanted to do. Maybe it led to better educational opportunities, or social difficulties, or both.

#Gifted lyrics series#

Were you one of those kids with the 'gifted' label? Maybe you did a test, or went through a series of workshops, or had a few meetings with parents and teachers, and came out the other side with your giftedness on file.