Gifted, But Stuck: Why Exceptional Minds Struggle to Soar

Aspects of Giftedness That Make a Journey to Self-Actualization More Difficult — Part 2 of this Inner Growth Issue

Being highly gifted usually means you spend much of your life, and certainly most of your school years, being different from many of the other people around you. Reactions to this differ, of course, with some feeling superior and misunderstood and yet others feeling something is wrong with them somehow. It may be a result of feeling like an outsider — and often being treated as an outsider — that many, but not all, Level II reasoners from the study don’t have a lot of friends. Many talk about other people in a critical, un-empathetic manner. The tone of their complaints indicates both a disapproval of others and an apparent belief that others could easily change if they would only try. It is possible — even likely — that for some highly gifted people, feeling too different and too alone — like an outsider — is a significant hurdle to overcome on the path to self-actualization.

Can We Identify Developmental Potential?

In this re-examination of the Highly Gifted Cases, the goal is to identify possible precursors or predispositions to advanced development as well as possible outside…