Despite diverse conceptions of giftedness, I couldn't find any other way to describe the impact of giftedness on onself as compelling as the Columbus Group (1991).
"Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heigthened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally." (The Columbus Group, 1991, as quoted in Silverman, 2000)
In the past 10 years, among the hundreds of families I worked with in Hong Kong, I found lots of gifted individuals in pain. Dr. Linda Silverman put it very concisely that .....
"It is painful to be different in a society that derides differences......
Pain may also come from internal sources-from a finely tuned psychological structure that experiences all of life more intensely.....
Giftedness has an emotional as well as a cognitive substructure: Cognitive complexity gives rise to emotional depth. Thus, gifted children not only think differently from their peers, they also feel differently." (Silverman, 2000)
Families struggled with parental stress, lack of school support and community care, interpersonal communication, helplessness and so on. Whatsoever the struggles, you just name it, the underlying issues look like the same. Talking without speaking, hearing without listening, voices that never heard, wisdom that never received, souls that never touched....
Many times when I helped the individuals tell about their inner experiences, their families became awakened. Like landing on a new horizon, from that moment, the family could see what the gifted individuals felt and who they were. Regardless their age levels, how finely tuned their feelings, perceptive their mind, insightful their thoughts, observant their eyes, value-driven their passion, caring their hearts.... the gifted individuals are always ready to tell what they are passionate about and how they want to be supported to make something they see as important happen.
The greatest challenge is how to handle misunderstanding and mismatching when the gifted individuals
are too young to speak up for themselves,
'too bright' to know something,
'too advanced' to teach,
'too independent' as a student to tell what directions s/he wants to pursue and how s/he wants to learn',
'too scared' to tell you their true feelings,
'too compliant' to refuse arrangements against their preference,
'too accommodating' to assert their needs,
'too hurt' to receive love and care,
'too self-reliant' to ask for any help,
'too resentful' to trust, 'too mature' to initiate changes,
'too old' to take the lead,
'too isolated' to be part of the community,
'too late' to reach out,
'too self-giving' to be cared for,
'too modest' to be forgotten
We understand the silent impact of giftedness on these individuals. They are borne to be gifts of the world. They simply want so much to offer their passion. They are called to make an impact on things and people they care about.
They need nothing particular. The greatest gift I can give to these gifted individuals is and only is HONOURING their UNIQUENESS.
I would invite everyone who care about optimizing human potentials to care about the inner experiences of the gifted. While the prevailing views of giftedness are about academic performance and intellectual advancement, I would love to highlight the passion of the gifted. I couldn't find any description as beautifully stated as Dr. Annemarie Roeper and Dr. Michael Piechowski.
"Giftedness is a greater awareness, a greater sensitivity, and a greater ability to undnerstand and transform perceptions into intellectual and emotional experiences." (Dr. Annemarie Roeper, 1982) "One of the basic characteristics of the gifted is their intensity and an expanded field of their subjective experiencs.... It is not a matter of degree but of a different quality of experiencing: vivid, absorbing, penetrating, encompassing, complex, commanding--a way of being quiveringly alive." ( Dr. Piechowski, 1991)
Taken together, I believe that one of the fundamental issues of support to the gifted individuals is acknowledging the life-long impact of giftedness on the person. How it affects the way the gifted individuals think, feel, care, learn, share, work and make an impact. In other words, what is the impact of giftedness on the individuals, families, community and wider world.
Without deeper understanding, the support we give to these gifted individuals and their families may not meet their needs. Even worse is the support not matching their needs, it is getting into their way, becoming counter-productive and, turning out to be a burden.
It is important that understanding of the gifted starts with a greater awareness of individual uniqueness, caring for the gifted begins with our faith in their passion and readiness for being flexible and openminded.
"Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heigthened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally." (The Columbus Group, 1991, as quoted in Silverman, 2000)
In the past 10 years, among the hundreds of families I worked with in Hong Kong, I found lots of gifted individuals in pain. Dr. Linda Silverman put it very concisely that .....
"It is painful to be different in a society that derides differences......
Pain may also come from internal sources-from a finely tuned psychological structure that experiences all of life more intensely.....
Giftedness has an emotional as well as a cognitive substructure: Cognitive complexity gives rise to emotional depth. Thus, gifted children not only think differently from their peers, they also feel differently." (Silverman, 2000)
Families struggled with parental stress, lack of school support and community care, interpersonal communication, helplessness and so on. Whatsoever the struggles, you just name it, the underlying issues look like the same. Talking without speaking, hearing without listening, voices that never heard, wisdom that never received, souls that never touched....
Many times when I helped the individuals tell about their inner experiences, their families became awakened. Like landing on a new horizon, from that moment, the family could see what the gifted individuals felt and who they were. Regardless their age levels, how finely tuned their feelings, perceptive their mind, insightful their thoughts, observant their eyes, value-driven their passion, caring their hearts.... the gifted individuals are always ready to tell what they are passionate about and how they want to be supported to make something they see as important happen.
The greatest challenge is how to handle misunderstanding and mismatching when the gifted individuals
are too young to speak up for themselves,
'too bright' to know something,
'too advanced' to teach,
'too independent' as a student to tell what directions s/he wants to pursue and how s/he wants to learn',
'too scared' to tell you their true feelings,
'too compliant' to refuse arrangements against their preference,
'too accommodating' to assert their needs,
'too hurt' to receive love and care,
'too self-reliant' to ask for any help,
'too resentful' to trust, 'too mature' to initiate changes,
'too old' to take the lead,
'too isolated' to be part of the community,
'too late' to reach out,
'too self-giving' to be cared for,
'too modest' to be forgotten
We understand the silent impact of giftedness on these individuals. They are borne to be gifts of the world. They simply want so much to offer their passion. They are called to make an impact on things and people they care about.
They need nothing particular. The greatest gift I can give to these gifted individuals is and only is HONOURING their UNIQUENESS.
I would invite everyone who care about optimizing human potentials to care about the inner experiences of the gifted. While the prevailing views of giftedness are about academic performance and intellectual advancement, I would love to highlight the passion of the gifted. I couldn't find any description as beautifully stated as Dr. Annemarie Roeper and Dr. Michael Piechowski.
"Giftedness is a greater awareness, a greater sensitivity, and a greater ability to undnerstand and transform perceptions into intellectual and emotional experiences." (Dr. Annemarie Roeper, 1982) "One of the basic characteristics of the gifted is their intensity and an expanded field of their subjective experiencs.... It is not a matter of degree but of a different quality of experiencing: vivid, absorbing, penetrating, encompassing, complex, commanding--a way of being quiveringly alive." ( Dr. Piechowski, 1991)
Taken together, I believe that one of the fundamental issues of support to the gifted individuals is acknowledging the life-long impact of giftedness on the person. How it affects the way the gifted individuals think, feel, care, learn, share, work and make an impact. In other words, what is the impact of giftedness on the individuals, families, community and wider world.
Without deeper understanding, the support we give to these gifted individuals and their families may not meet their needs. Even worse is the support not matching their needs, it is getting into their way, becoming counter-productive and, turning out to be a burden.
It is important that understanding of the gifted starts with a greater awareness of individual uniqueness, caring for the gifted begins with our faith in their passion and readiness for being flexible and openminded.
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