Ginger Lewman's List: Gifted Adults

"There is no great sense of accomplishment for an attribute that seems to have been with one all one's life, even if that attribute contributes to unusual and high levels of achievement in a culturally recognized field. "Oh, sure, I'm good at math. What could you expect from somebody who calculates that fast." We're likely to value something we've had to work at or study hard to acquire far more highly than something that comes naturally -- something that's just "me."" Stephanie Tolan, "Self-Knowledge, Self-Esteem and the Gifted Adult"

In early childhood, some children come to the attention of parents and teachers because of very advanced abilities or exceptional interest in an area. They may read very early, display a fascination with numbers or exhibit an exceptional memory for music. Parents and teachers, impressed by their young charges, may attempt to fuel their interests, satisfy their curiosities and nurture their talent. However, many of these children will not go on to be very exceptional in adulthood. Some will not receive the proper kind of guidance and support to sustain their involvement within the domain. A few, burdened by the overinvolvement of parents, will burn out in adolescence or early adulthood (Winner, 1996). Many will acquire expert levels of knowledge and perform at a high level in their area. But, only a very few will become eminent in adulthood and produce groundbreaking work in their field, the kind of work that earns them a place in history and significantly alters the domain that they work in. A major issue for the field of gifted education is why so few highly gifted children grow up to be renowned and creative producers.

Are you relentlessly curious and creative, always willing to rock the boat in order to get things done . . . extremely energetic and focused, yet constantly switching gears . . . intensely sensitive, able to intuit subtly charged situations and decipher others' feeling? If these traits sound familiar, then you may be an Everyday Genius--an ordinary person of unusual vision who breaks the mold and isn't afraid to push progress forward. . . .

Gifted adults can misinterpret their complex and deep way of thinking as craziness. They can mistake their emotional intensity for emotional immaturity or see it as a character flaw. Because they have never been given information to explain what is "normal for gifted" they frequently experience frustration in the world, alienation, anger, self blame and emptiness. Without an adequate explanation of their gifted difference, they develop a façade with which they cover their authentic self; a face that they show to the world in order to fit in and so avoid disapproval or sanction.

"What then needs to be done that is crucial to the future success of this educational field? One of the biggest problems is that we have been mainly 'preaching to the choir' rather than presenting our case for gifted education to average Americans who pay most of the taxes for operating public schools. This is a major challenge which must be addressed if gifted students and their education programs are to survive and thrive."

Advanced Development is the first journal on adult giftedness. It is published by the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development, a nonprofit research corporation dedicated to the study of giftedness, advanced development, and undeveloped potential in women.

The vast majority of adults who were labeled *gifted* in childhood are unaware that their advanced development would continue to have an impact throughout their lives. Contrary to popular belief, giftedness is not characterized by high intelligence alone. Rather, gifted individuals experience early & exceptional psychological, spiritual, and intellectual development. As a result, gifted adults exhibit common personality traits and face similar challenges on the road to self-actualization.