The emotional intensities of gifted students affect not only their learning, but the way they live and see the world. This article examines the Theory of Positive Disintegration of Dabrowski (1964, 1972) to explore the inner world of the gifted. The five levels of development and five overexcitabilities of Dabrowski represent an abundance of…

This article presents an overview of factors that contribute to the inequitable underrepresentation of girls of color in gifted and talented with an emphasis on Blacks since they are most frequently absent. After presenting this national context, the authors present Ford's Female Achievement Model for Excellence as a gendered and racial culturally…

This article shares the story of Alex, a gifted child. Alex is clearly gifted when observed through one lens and yet obviously lagging when viewed from a different angle. He knew his letters at 20 months, but did not learn to tie his shoes until the middle of second grade. He taught himself to read just before his third birthday, but in third…

The topic of perfectionism is bound to surface when discussing the social and emotional development of gifted children and adolescents. The author has observed gifted and talented fourth graders who have exhibited perfectionism in a myriad of unhealthy ways. She was able to document and categorize the manifestations of perfectionism. In this…