Emotional vulnerabilities
Children who fall into the category of being gifted or talented can face many issues as they move through their educational journey. These students can have many positive experiences. However, these students also may face some areas of vulnerability as they progress. According to research, “while the label of gifted has many positive aspects, there are psychological, emotional and social prices to pay for the label of gifted and talented” (O’Connor,2012, p. 293).These students can experience feelings of isolation, fear, anxiety, stress, perfectionism, boredom, and frustration. They can experience problems in their interpersonal relationships and can also have feelings of self-criticism. There are also indications that insomnia can be associated with giftedness (Lamont, 2012). Academically or artistically gifted students can experience problems with physical limitations or a lack of desire to perform in physical activities. These vulnerabilities are areas that need to be addressed in the educational and home settings for these children so as to help them create a more positive attitude concerning their abilities.
In the area of social and emotional development, gifted students can have several ways in which they may experience feelings of vulnerability. These can occur through isolation, poor interpersonal relationships, self-criticism, and struggles with fear and anxiety. Gifted students usually exhibit weaknesses in the areas of “stress management, tolerance, and ability to control impulses compared to the normative sample” (Seon-Young, 2006, p. 57). Highly gifted students can often times feel unchallenged in the traditional school environment. These students tend to be either overachievers or can become underachievers as they feel they are not being challenged in their academic studies (Gibbons, 2012) According to Gibbons, Pelchar and Cochran (2012), highly gifted students will often experience the beginnings of underachievement as early as elementary school. They interviewed gifted students interviewed who said they felt “disrepected by peers and teachers and unaccepted at school in general.” (p. 115)
In the area of social and emotional development, gifted students can have several ways in which they may experience feelings of vulnerability. These can occur through isolation, poor interpersonal relationships, self-criticism, and struggles with fear and anxiety. Gifted students usually exhibit weaknesses in the areas of “stress management, tolerance, and ability to control impulses compared to the normative sample” (Seon-Young, 2006, p. 57). Highly gifted students can often times feel unchallenged in the traditional school environment. These students tend to be either overachievers or can become underachievers as they feel they are not being challenged in their academic studies (Gibbons, 2012) According to Gibbons, Pelchar and Cochran (2012), highly gifted students will often experience the beginnings of underachievement as early as elementary school. They interviewed gifted students interviewed who said they felt “disrepected by peers and teachers and unaccepted at school in general.” (p. 115)