How Can We Better Understand, Identify, and Support Highly Gifted and Profoundly Gifted Students? A Literature Review of the Psychological Development of Highly-Profoundly Gifted Individuals and Overexcitabilities

Wood Vanessa R,Laycraft Krystyna C

doi:10.36959/447/348

Abstract

Human prosociality has often been regarded as an important step towards the capacity for empathy; i.e. to think of others in compassionate and caring ways. This ability, in turn, is related to social attachment. Many writers have rightly argued that, in order to understand the biology and evolution of social attachment, a comparative approach across many taxa is needed.

Highlights

Terman, Hollingworth, and Gross [1,2,3], pioneers in the field of the gifted, studied the development of children with an unusually high intelligence quotient (IQ)
This seemingly naturally accelerated process of growth, sparked by unique biology, produces greater-than-typical neurological responses, behaviors, and abilities. These traits, which appear to be propelled by heightened sensitivity, intensity, and awareness, are the underpinnings of gifted development or what Dabrowski [5] referred to as overexcitabilities that resemble the hallmark characteristics, behaviors, and development of the highly-profoundly gifted population
In a recent meta-analysis of 16 studies of overexcitabilities and giftedness, Steenbergen-Hu [6] found that giftedness was significantly correlated with all five areas of overexcitabilities

Summary

Introduction

Hollingworth, and Gross [1,2,3], pioneers in the field of the gifted, studied the development of children with an unusually high intelligence quotient (IQ). They found that these children exhibited significant differences in social, emotional, physical, and altruistic development, in addition to the significant difference in cognitive ability, compared to their moderately gifted age-mates. Whether giftedness is identified through inborn nature or outward achievement, or a combination of the two, it can be viewed as a degree of experience on the continuum of human development. Indicating advanced and accelerated development, Accepted: August 13, 2020. These traits, which appear to be propelled by heightened sensitivity, intensity, and awareness, are the underpinnings of gifted development or what Dabrowski [5] referred to as overexcitabilities that resemble the hallmark characteristics, behaviors, and development of the highly-profoundly gifted population

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion