Is there life after school? problems, perceptions and potentials of gifted adults

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-231)While studies of the gifted are numerous, until recently, they have tended to focus on identification and special educational issues. Social and emotional issues have been explored as adjuncts to education. Except for a few longitudinal follow-ups of classical studies (Terman's and Hollingworth's), once the gifted individual has left school, he/she has been of little interest to researchers. Studies of adult giftedness have focused primarily on historically eminent individuals. There have been two traditional views of the gifted in terms of emotional and social stability. The gifted are either viewed as too well adjusted to require assistance, or they are regarded as inherently neurotic, or even insane. The former view seems to apply in research and education, while the latter is prevalent in society at large. Both positions tend to treat the gifted individual as if he/she were an essentially closed system, as if the effects of social interactions and responses have been excluded from consideration as factors in their lives. This paper describes six personality types, and five personality traits ascribed to gifted individuals in terms of the issues they present for gifted adults. Developmental aspects are also delineated. The gifted adult has grown up expressing traits that characterise giftedness, experiencing feedback from others, and has made choices for expression of excellence or satisfaction of intimacy needs based on this feedback. This forced choice creates internal stressors, while the overt expression of the traits of giftedness creates external stressors. These stressors lead to counseling needs unique to the gifted