Quick response to Shaun on the healthy gifted

[Tabouli]

I have a half-finished long-winded reply to earlier posts on this thread in my Drafts folder, but a quick comment on this... (reply to Shaun, but I thought I'd put it on-list, as lots of people seem to be following this thread...)

Shaun:
> As you say, 'in your observation' - I don't doubt that this is what you've
observed but I don't think you see the people who make it and are emotionally healthy when
they do. Well, you probably see them - but you don't realise who they are. No reason
you should - because their psychological health means they don't stand out.<

I wouldn't assume this!  I do know well-adjusted gifted people.  I've spent a long time in the education system, worked with a lot of postgraduate students and academics in various roles (higher concentration of intellectually gifted people likely, surely, though typically privileged "play the game" types, of course).  Lots of the children in my PEGS class seemed pretty psychologically healthy to me, and still seem so as adults.  Same with the postgrads and academics: there were some very emotionally healthy gifted people among them.  Good self-esteem, good social skills, confident, happy, successful at something they valued.

What I noticed about the *healthy* gifted children forms the basis for my "diversify" motto... they were those who *didn't* define themselves primarily by their gift and who didn't get defined as such by their parents and peers.  The quietly brilliant who didn't make a fanfare about it because their ego didn't depend on feeling superior.  The ones with resourcefulness and social skills who found other sources of stimulation and knew how to play their cards to avoid being socially stigmatised.  Who found ways around the boredom.  Who immersed themselves in e.g. ballet, role-playing, sport, music, etc. and seemed to have spread their self-esteem eggs among a few other baskets.

Can't remember who gave the gifted children lecture at Melbourne Uni - it was a visiting lecturer presenting for the lunchtime seminar series, either last year or the year before.  You mean, we might both have been there?  Eek.

Tabouli.

P.S. Surprised you find the "superiority" issue so rare... academics!  Aargh!  Ne'er a more flourishing hotbed of intellectual supremacists have I seen in my life!  I run *workshops* for academics and their towering intellectual superiority is overwhelming.  You whipped out your IQ score - I have to whip out my PhD before they're prepared to listen to me.  The difference it makes in their attitude is amazing.


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