Differentiating Characteristics
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Examples of Related Needs
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Possible Concomitant Problems
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| Large accumulation of information about emotions that has not been brought to awareness |
To process cognitively the emotional meaning of experience; to name one's own emotions; to identify one's own and others' perceptual filters and defense systems; to expand and clarify awareness of the physical environment; to clarify awareness of the needs and feelings of others |
Misinterpretation of information, affecting the individual negatively |
| Unusual sensitivity to the expectations and feelings of others |
To learn to clarify the feelings and expectations of others |
Unusual vulnerability to criticism of others; high level of need for success and recognition |
| Keen sense of humor—may be gentle or hostile |
To learn how behaviors affect the feelings and behaviors of others |
Use of humor for critical attacks upon others, resulting in damage to interpersonal relationships |
| Heightened self-awareness, accompanied by feelings of being different |
To learn to assert own needs and feelings nondefensively; to share self with others, for self -clarification |
Isolation of self, resulting in being considered aloof, feeling rejected; perceives difference as a negative attribute resulting in low self-esteem and inhibited growth emotionally and socially |
| Idealism and sense of justice, which appear at an early age |
To transcend negative reactions by finding values to which he or she can be committed |
Attempts toward unrealistic reforms and goals with resulting intense frustration (suicides result from intense depression over issues of this nature) |
| Earlier development of an inner locus of control and satisfaction |
To clarify personal priorities among conflicting values; to confront and interact with the value systems of others |
Difficulty with conformity; rejects external validation and chooses to live by personal values that may be seen as a challenge to authority or tradition |
| Unusual emotional depth and intensity |
To find purpose and direction from personal value system; to translate commitment into action in daily life |
Unusual vulnerability; difficulty focusing on realistic goals for life's work |
| High expectations of self and others, often leading to high levels of frustration with self, others, and situations; perfectionism |
To learn to set realistic goals and to accept setbacks as part of the learning process; to hear others express their growth in acceptance of self |
Discouragement and frustration from high levels of self-criticism; difficulty maintaining good interpersonal relations as others fail to maintain high standards imposed by gifted child; immobilization of action due to high levels of frustration resulting from situations that do not meet expectations of excellence |
| Strong need for consistency between abstract values and personal actions |
To find a vocation that provides opportunity for actualization of student's personal value system, as well as an avenue for his or her talents and abilities |
Frustration with self and others leading to inhibited actualization of self and interpersonal relationships |
| Advanced levels of moral judgment |
To receive validation for nonaverage morality |
Intolerance of and lack of understanding from peer group, leading to rejection and possible isolation |
| Strongly motivated by self-actualization needs |
To be given opportunities to follow divergent paths and pursue strong interests; to receive help in understanding the demands of self-actualization |
Frustration of not feeling challenged; loss of unrealized talents |
| Advanced cognitive and affective capacity for conceptualizing and solving societal problems |
To encounter social problems; to become aware of the complexity of problems facing society and the conceptual frameworks for problem-solving procedures |
Tendency for "quick" solutions, not taking into account the complexity of the problem; young age of gifted child often makes usable alternatives suspect; older, more experienced decision makers may not take the gifted child seriously |
| Leadership ability |
To understand various leadership steps and practice leadership skills |
Lack of opportunity to use this ability constructively may result in its disappearance from child's repertoire or its being turned into a negative characteristic (e.g., gang leadership) |
| Solutions to social and environmental problems |
To experience meaningful involvement in real problems |
Loss to society if these traits are not allowed to develop with guidance and opportunity for meaningful involvement |
| Involvement with the metaneeds of society (e.g., justice, beauty, truth) |
To explore the highest levels of human thought; to apply this knowledge to today's problems |
Involvement in obscure groups with narrow, perfectionistic beliefs |
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