An Intellectually Gifted Individual? Just to be a bit more formal.
I’m talking about Gifted, Intellectually Gifted, Intellectual Giftedness. Smart, curious, eccentric, multi-talented etc etc to name a few common characteristics. And probably have some sort of other issues, maybe a twice-exceptional issue, but also including the issue with the Gifted label & stigma.
As a point of reference about what I’m trying to discuss here, Google Gifted - Google Search or Wikipedia Intellectual giftedness - Wikipedia are solid bases for the subject. With that posted, there isn’t exactly a wide variety of works that address the topic of Intellectual Giftedness. Even here on the Straight Dope Boards, it isn’t addressed as bluntly as I think this post is trying to be.
We’re just trying to get a feel out there at who is willing to respond or lurk at this initial post, and maybe even admit to it. So we’ll throw some self-questions out there:
*** Are you multi-talented?
*** Do you have so many interests and abilities that it is hard to focus your energies on developing any of them to your satisfaction?
*** Do you continue to believe in yourself and your vision, even when no one else does?
*** Do you talk compulsively?
*** Are you adventurous where new sensory experiences are concerned (food, music, erotic experimentation, different environmental settings, for example)?
*** Do you love to explore a wide variety of theories and ideas?
*** Are you excruciatingly sensitive, with intense emotions?
*** Are you an independent thinker, individualistic, and mentally self-sufficient?
*** Are you determined to make a meaningful contribution during your life?
*** Are you hard to get to know, more involved with your internal world than you are with others, and have only a few close friends that know you well?
*** Are you driven to achieve “what could be” when you think of “what is?”
That’s just a general self questionnaire, and there’s more where that came from.
Sound familiar?
And just to address some specific posts, ‘‘Gifted Children’’ - Where Are You Now? is a good one, but maybe some Gifted Adults were lucky / unlucky enough to have been identified as a child, so they share drastically different experiences and perspectives about Gifted.
As well, the majority of Gifted Adults were probably not identified as Gifted in their youth.
Gifted Programs are definitely not the be all end all of defined Giftedness. While they are a popular, solid indication, A number of conflicts may interfere with the purpose of Gifted Programs - From Parenthood politics, to social economics, to even having kids so smartass they manipulate the system and avoid Gifted programs by either dropping out, dumbing down, chance, or altogether.
Then there is the popular excuse / joke that “I was Gifted” & “I’m not Gifted anymore”. In fact, as the saying goes, once you’re Gifted, YOU’RE GIFTED FOR LIFE. So Gifted Children don’t develop into butterflies, they develop into Gifted Adults.
Even though I know "former Gifted or “ex-Gifted kids” or “ex-cons” try to drink or smoke away the Giftedness without knowing what Gifted is, it is a fact that Giftedness doesn’t have an expiration date.
Or The problem of giftedness Which actually just addresses The problem of gifted programs and education.
And more points of reference where I can pinpoint and have browsed through Straight Dope posts that I can associate with Giftedness
What is your IQ
How do you deal with a slacker kid?
- I’ll add more as I browse through the board.
Anyways, just wondering who out there associates with the Gifted label & stigma. Or maybe Gifted + ADD? ADHD? Bi-polar? OCD? Oppositional Defiance? etc etc etc
