The Effects of Peers on the Academic and Creative Talent Development of a Gifted Adolescent Male

Abstract

Psychologists have long recognized that there are critical periods in a person's life in which some specific person or agency serves as a driving force toward a higher level of human development. For example, Benjamin Bloom and Erik Erikson, two researchers concerned with individual development, noted that peers play particularly a critical role in children's development during adolescence, a period in which children tend to be more actively involved outside their home environments with nonfamily members. This study was concerned with how peer relations impact the development of the academic and creative talents during adolescence. A comprehensive case study was conducted wherein the relationships between Chris, a talented 12-year-old male, and 5 of his peers were examined. The purpose was to gain insights into how peers may influence, positively or negatively, the development of academic and creative talents in adolescents. Results from this study suggest that Chris' peers did, indeed, have favorable influences on his academic and creative talent development in 4 areas: competition, support, motivation, and role modeling. A discussion of these findings and the various factors that may have contributed to them are presented along with implications for parents, teachers, and counselors.