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…

Adolescence is a developmental journey that is both exhilarating and exhausting, especially for those gifted and talented youngsters who are sensitive, intense, and altruistic. This combines with four major changes in brain circuitry that lead to shifts in thinking, feeling, decision-making, and interacting in the teenage mind. In addition,…

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…

What does it mean for teachers to understand their students? For those of who teach gifted and talented students, teachers strive to understand how they think differently than their age-peers typically do. These teachers develop curriculum that fosters what is unique about their thinking. But to understand students fully, they need also to…

This article explores some of the common causes and solutions to perfectionism in gifted children. We highlight practical implications from studies examining perfectionism in gifted students, including how implicit theories of intelligence (e.g., mindset) relate to perfectionism. Specific strategies are shared to guide gifted children toward a…

Perfectionism is commonly associated with gifted females, yet little research examines perfectionism across racial groups. Although gifted Black girls' perfectionistic tendencies mirror other females, they experience perfectionism uniquely at the intersection of race and gender. Perfectionism can contribute to gifted Black girls' desire to exceed…

The use of technology can promote learning, higher-order thinking, deeper understanding, collaboration, and student engagement. But if unchecked and unfacilitated, online cyberbullying can become an impediment to learning and threaten young people's sense of well-being. Cyberbullying is a type of youth aggression that teachers and parents must…

This column offers a perspective on suicidal behavior among gifted students that moves away from a wholly psychological perspective to more of a community-based perspective. This model does not undervalue the role of the field of psychology in explaining suicidal behavior, but speaks instead to the importance of the salient influences of culture,…

Gifted individuals have unique social and emotional needs that often manifest as challenging interpersonal behavior. Chief among these needs are the fact that gifted students tend to be quite emotionally intense and that they tend to be quite cognitively rigid. Emotional intensity is defined as having stronger, more frequent, more complex, and…

Obsession is multifaceted and may be a catalyst for important development of the person. The author discusses the concept of obsession and how educators might successfully guide the young gifted person who experiences obsessive periods.

This column examines the recent political campaign and possible effects on gifted and talented students. Using psychological theories, the author describes ways that adults can interpret the events and model appropriate American values.

The recent educational legislation in Spain shows a great interest in enhancing the talents of all citizens. Different models of identification and intervention for students with high intellectual abilities (HIAs) coexist. The assessment model based on intelligence is still in force in the psychoeducational guidance field; however, from the…

The purpose of this column is to describe and discuss the use of personal narrative, how it influences the lives of students with gifts and talents (SWGT), and how it can be used as a tool to understanding their dreams and aspirations.

This is a conversation with Randy Asher, principal of New York City's Brooklyn Technical High School. Brooklyn Tech is a selective science high school in New York City, founded in 1922 as a school for boys with potential for careers in engineering and applied science. Today, it provides full-time education for both male and female students from…

When used informally, talent development refers to the deliberate cultivation of ability or giftedness in a specific domain. However, recent discussions have used talent development to refer to a particular framework for viewing giftedness and the education of gifted children. In this article, the authors will present their views on the meaning of…