How Do Highly Gifted Adults Show Developmental Potential? Part 2

What is Inner Growth? What is Self-Actualization?

Once again, we visit Gifted Adults in Their 40s and 50s during the 1990s — from Environmental, Familial, and Personal Factors That Affect the Self-Actualization of Highly Gifted Adults: Case Studies. Also published in the peer reviewed (and more edited) book, Morality, Ethics, and Gifted Minds.

Introduction to Dabrowski’s Levels II and III from the Study of Highly Gifted Adults

For the current discussion, it is necessary to review the thoughts that went into decisions related to how the adult subjects were initially ranked by their emotional and moral development. It’s important to be aware of the thoughts of others who have studied the topics, too.

In a study that looked at how gifted adolescents might demonstrate potential for personal growth, two main patterns of development were found: rational-altruistic and introspective-emotional (Piechowski, 1989). The first pattern resembles Peck and Havighurst’s (1960) rational-altruistic type and foreclosure identity as defined by Marcia (1980) — individuals who establish their identity without going through a developmental crisis. According to Peck and Havighurst, such a person is

“rational” because he assesses each new action and its…