Psychology of the gifted

It's ok, genius's were always complex. No one was rewarded for simplicity.

http://talentdevelop.com/articles/GPATP2.html

GIFTED PEOPLE AND THEIR PROBLEMS

 A gifted person is not a morally superior human being, necessarily. Also people may fear others will think they're stuck up if they think of themselves as gifted - and there's the stereotype, right there. And that's one of the real struggles of embracing one's own giftedness is that we have these ideas in this culture that gifted people are arrogant, gifted people are snooty, that they think they're better than others. And that's typically not the case; they're more likely to feel inadequate to others, because of their own high standards. 

Highly gifted people have a number of personality traits that set them apart, and that are not obviously connected to the traits of intelligence, IQ, or creativity that are most often used to  define the category.

Many of these traits have to do with their particularly intense feelings and emotions, others with their sometimes awkward social interactions.

These traits make  that these people are typically misunderstood and underestimated by peers, by society, and usually even by themselves. As such, most of their gifts are actually underutilized, and they rarely fulfill their full creative potential.

This is particularly true for gifted women, as they don’t fit the stereotypes that society has either of women or of gifted people (typically seen as men). 

Overexcitabilities are often used to describe certain characteristics of the gifted. “It is often recognized that gifted and talented people are energetic, enthusiastic, intensely absorbed in their pursuits, endowed with vivid imagination, sensuality, moral sensitivity and emotional vulnerability. . . . [They are] experiencing in a higher key.” - Michael Piechowski. 

It has been reported that the higher the level of giftedness, the greater the chance of psychological and social adjustment difficulties.

Gifted persons are more likely to make sense out of their intellectual experiences than the average person. Another important difference is in the desire to know complex ideas. Average persons have less desire to know ideas for their own sake.

I have a strong need to "make a difference."
I have a penchant for risk-taking.
I can and do ignore my own needs for the sake of others. 

I am deeply disturbed by inequity, exploitation, corruption, and needless human suffering. 

I tend to look for consistency and security in systems, rules, and orderliness. 

I can see many sides to nearly any issue.
Honesty, integrity, and ethics are important to me.
I can help others understand themselves better.
I am a seeker and champion of ultimate truths. 

My preference for the complex can fool me into underestimating the simple answer. 

I tend to be very independent.

Characteristics of Gifted People

Perfectionistic and sets high standards for self and others.
Has strong moral convictions.
Is highly sensitive, perceptive or insightful. Fascinated by words or an avid reader.
Feels out-of-sync with others.
Is very curious.
Has an unusual sense of humour.
A good problem solver.
Has a vivid and rich imagination.
Questions rules or authority.
Has unusual ideas or connects seemingly unrelated ideas.
Thrives on challenge.
Learns new things rapidly.
Has a good long-term memory.
Feels overwhelmed by many interests and abilities.
Is very compassionate.
Feels outrage at moral breaches that the rest of the world seems to take for granted.
Has passionate, intense feelings.
Has a great deal of energy.
Can't switch off thinking.
Feels driven by creativity.
Loves ideas and ardent discussion. Needs periods of contemplation.
Searches for ???? in their life.
Feels a sense of alienation and loneliness.
Is very perceptive.
Feels out of step with others. 

Normal Behavior for Gifted People

It is NORMAL for Gifted People to:

Have complex and deep thoughts. Feel intense emotions.
Ask lots of questions. Be highly sensitive.
Set high standards for themselves. Have strong moral convictions.
Feel different & out-of-sync.  Be curious. Have a vivid imagination. Question rules or authority. Thrive on challenge.
Feel passion and compassion. Have a great deal of energy.
Have an unusual sense of humour. Feel outrage at injustice.
Look for meaning in life. Feel sad about the state of the world.
Feel a spiritual connection to life.

Characteristis: 

The possession of the desire to know means that gifted individuals have a need to search for the inherent pattern, logic or meaning in a set of data information, while average people prefer to have the pattern, logic, or meaning already generated and explained.

Another problem for the highly gifted is they grow up with and are often socialized by significant others who do not understand them well enough to guide their ideas and actions with valid feedback. 

Qualities like introversion are also common among gifted people, and another quality called the autonomous factor - which means that if you're gifted, you're not interested in whether other people see the value of what you're doing, and you don't relate your work so much to other people's opinion, but more to how that vision seems to you, how important it seems to you

"When you're introverted in an introverted culture, there's more acceptance; but America is a very extroverted culture. To be introverted in an extroverted culture is to sort of give you a double whammy. 

Another thing is that part of giftedness involves an affective awareness. Not a hundred percent of the time, but a lot of gifted women have intense radar; they're very psychic, and that can intensify introversion, if you withdraw from crowds because you always feel raw, or pick up too much energy. So if you do have that kind of sensitivity, you really have to honor it, and respect it, and learn how to choose those energies that nourish you and avoid those that drain you. That's hard. We're learning all the time. 

"In terms of finding peers, you have to realize it is hard, and you have to work at it. [...] The internet is providing the means to find and explore relationships.

"That's why I think if a person, a gifted woman, is going to seek help from a therapist, the first she has to do is educate herself about giftedness. That is critical. And then she has to educate her therapist about giftedness, because very, very few mental health practitioners know the first thing about it." 

Traits of highly creative people

 • sensitive
• not motivated by money
• sense of destiny
• adaptable
• tolerant of ambiguity
• observant
• perceive world differently
• see possibilities
• question asker
• can synthesize correctly, often intuitively
• able to fantasize
• flexible • fluent • imaginative • intuitive
• original • ingenious • energetic
• sense of humor • self-actualizing
• self-disciplined • self-knowledgeable • specific interests
• divergent thinker • curious • open-ended • independent
• severely critical • non-conforming • confident
• risk taker • persistent

Social/Individual Characteristics

Gifted: Independent, individualist, self-sufficient, stubborn. Bored by routine. Good sense of humor. Easily occupies own time without stimulation from others. Likes to be with and converse with adults and older children. Impatient with no challenge. Considered different by other children. Generally thoughtful, assuming leadership easily. Good sense of justice, dependable and responsible. Developing thinking.