Gifted Adults
Information & Resources on Giftedness in Adults
This information was compiled by MSOG team member Faith Ferreira in collaboration with Dr. Debbie Clelland
Credibility statement:
Here at Making Sense of Giftedness we strive to provide the most up to date and reliable resources and information. For this reason, all the information below has been thoroughly researched and vetted to ensure that it lines up with current research. Despite this, please use your own discretion with the authors of each resource, as we do not claim to align with any one person and all their values and beliefs.
Overview of Giftedness in Adults
Gifted Adults website by therapist Lynne Azpeitia
What is it?
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Website run by licensed marriage and family therapist Lynne Azpeitia out of California, that focuses on gifted adults
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Lynne States that she has worked with gifted adults, teens and children for over 10 years as a counselor, educator, coach, consultant
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She provides a vast array of information on gifted and creative adults such as: Characteristics of gifted adults, emotional aspects, challenges they face, the gifted experience, twice-exceptionality, socializing as a gifted adult, work and career as a gifted adult and so much more
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Lynne also provides information on couples and families, as part of her practice is working with couples and families
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This website also includes a blog that offers articles in some of the various areas within giftedness, relationships, counselling and more
Why is it useful?
This website is helpful as it focuses almost solely on gifted adults, providing resources and information that seems otherwise hard to find. This could be a good starting place for anyone wondering if they are gifted and how this could be showing up in their life. In addition, although Lynne is in California she offers online coaching and counseling for those that are interested.
Giftedness Online
https://www.giftedness.online/gifted-adults
What is it?
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This is a website dedicated to giftedness throughout the lifespan
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It's a volunteer-run not-for-profit founded by a clinical psychologist Dr. Shannon who works with gifted folks, as well as being gifted herself and having four gifted children
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This website highlights resources for the following areas of giftedness: gifted children, gifted adults, gifted women, gifted news and global giftedness
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There is further a section on gifted research in a vast array of areas, some of which include: exercise, health, neurology and neuroscience, personality, social functioning, sleep and so much more
Why is this helpful?
This website is dedicated to giftedness through the lifespan and has a whole section devoted to giftedness in adults which includes various articles, research and resources. Some of these areas include the challenges of being gifted, social needs of gifted adults, creativity and emotional intelligence, presence of multi-diagnoses, et cetera. This website provides an incredible synthesis of current resources and research in relation to giftedness. It particularly helpful given its attention to giftedness research across many different domains.
TED talk by New Zealand psychologist Lynn Berresford
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSdrcXTLDlk
What is it?
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Provides an overview of giftedness and the gifted experience, including some of the challenges
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Uses her experience being gifted as an example
Why is this helpful?
If you prefer to consume video content, this short TED Talk is a great starting point to understanding giftedness and the gifted experience. Lynn is a psychologist and counsellor specializing in working with gifted and neurodivergent folks, giving her the expertise to speak about these topics. For those that are gifted, you may find what she talks about is quite relatable to your own life.
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Traits of Giftedness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXM9jZzE1Xs&t=7s
What is it?
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Youtube video talking about 10 unique traits of giftedness
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By Lisa Natacharian who is gifted herself and has a Master of Education and is also a certified life coach
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She started thrivemind to create a forum for gifted folks and for her to share her own experiences as being a ‘formerly gifted kid’
Why is it helpful?
I think this video can be helpful for those that are wondering if they may be gifted, as it addresses some lesser-known traits that could indicate this. She explains each trait thoroughly and provides examples, so it is easy to see oneself fitting within that trait. she has more videos on her youtube that gifted folks may also find helpful.
Sophisticated Theories About Giftedness
Dabrowski Center
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What is it?
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The theory of positive disintegration was developed by psychologist and psychiatrist Kazimierz Dabrowski
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He studied ‘exemplars’ in society which led him to develop his theory of personality growth that is leveled which leads to advanced development
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There were five levels of disintegration and then integration of personality development: primary integration, unilevel disintegration, spontaneous multilevel disintegration, organized multilevel disintegration and secondary integration
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The goal is to go from being integrated in the values you have been given from external sources and moving to disintegrating from them and living in your authentic self in which you choose your own path that is guided by your values
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Dabrowski believed that very few people made it to the fifth level in which they were fully integrated, but rather these were the exemplars like Socrates
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Dabrowski also coined the term “overexcitability” which he described as an increased ability to receive and respond to stimuli.This is something often present for folks that are gifted
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Dabrowski theorized that there are five areas of overexcitabilities: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational and emotional
Why is it useful?
This is a helpful website for those folks that know and can resonate with Dabrowski’s theory of positive integration. It is a commonly referenced theory in the world of giftedness, as many find it to explain their experience of being gifted in our world. If you are not familiar with this theory and are looking to find out more, they have some good short articles explaining his main points, as well as some pdfs of longer articles or even some of his books! It has a lot of great resources such as these articles, books, a newsletter, and even their own podcast if this is a way you prefer to consume content.
Gifted Adults at Work
https://www.davidsongifted.org/gifted-blog/gifted-adults-in-work/
What is it?
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Davidson Gifted is a non-profit serving gifted and talented young people
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They offer some free resources for children and their families, summer camps/seminar/institute, online programs to support school curriculum during the year
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They also have the Davidson Academy which is a public school for gifted students in Reno, Nevada, as well as the Davidson Academy online which is an online school for gifted students living in the U.S and Canada.
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There is also the Davidson Gifted Blog which has articles from a wide range of topics including: gifted and twice exceptional, gifted programs, gifted research, gifted social and emotional challenges, etc.
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They even have a Spotify playlist of relevant podcasts relating to giftedness
Why is it useful?
This specific article highlights gifted adults and the challenges they face at work. They highlight some of the characteristics of gifted adults and how that may show up in work. Some of these include high speed of thinking, high sensitivity, over-stimulation, introversion, creativity, perfectionism, et cetera. The author also highlights some strategies that gifted adults can utilize to overcome some of the common challenges they may face in the workplace. This is a topic that is relevant for gifted adults yet one that does not have a lot of available information and resources, which is why I think this article is informative and helpful.
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Article on Career Challenges Faced by Gifted Adults
What is it?
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Psychology today is one of the largest online destinations for mental health and behavioral science destinations
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Their publications are written by clinicians, experts and researchers within the fields of behaviour and psychology
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The author of this article Imi Lo also authors the books, ‘Emotional Sensitivity and Intensity’ and ‘The Gift of Intensity’
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This article goes over some of the most common career challenges that gifted adults face and how to address them
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Some of these challenges include emotional intensity and misunderstandings, boredom, loneliness and perfectionism
Why is it useful?
This article provides helpful insights into the experience of being gifted in the workplace. There may be comfort in reading this article if you resonate with it, knowing that you are not alone in these struggles. It also may provide insight as to what your next steps could be.
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Video of talk done by Rianne Van de Van at the Mensa foundation colloquium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3wuRmcFLTM
What is it?
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She is a gifted adult herself, as well as a gifted adult coach from Netherlands
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In this talk she focuses on gifted folks in the workplace and some of the qualities that they have, challenges they face, some skills to improve and some jobs that may be best suited for them
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She also touches on some of the concerns in identifying gifted folks before adulthood in the Netherlands and in the US
Why is it useful?
I think that this video/talk is helpful in talking about some of the challenges of gifted folks in the workplace. She also speaks from some of her personal experiences which some folks may find helpful in connecting to those experiences. As well, for those that find watching videos/listening to someone speak instead of reading an article, this may be helpful for you!
Gifted Adult Communities
https://intergifted.com/gifted-community/
What is it?
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An online community of 900+ gifted adults from around the world in a forum where they discuss various themes including exploring giftedness and giftedness integration
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This online community is hosted on Facebook and is moderated by the creator psychologist Dr. Jennifer Harvey Salin
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Within this Facebook group there are also subgroups like a creatives’ group, business builders' group and a group for highly to profoundly gifted people (fee for service for admin costs)
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They also offer a gifted mindfulness practice community for women via Gifted Mindfulness Collective, which has a separate cost to be a part of it
Why is it useful?
As being gifted is an experience outside of the norm, many gifted folks may feel misunderstood or like they do not fit in. Finding a community where you feel understood and welcomed can make a huge difference, which is where an online community like interGifted can fill a gap. Although this form of community may not work for everyone, many gifted folks report interGifted to be a good support for them.