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GIFTED STUDENTS.
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Social and emotional development of gifted adolescents.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Social and emotional development of gifted adolescents. Self-perception of gifted students. Responses toward stressors such as social coping. Impact of family and educational environment. Self-concept as an indicator of psychological well-being and social adjustment. High standards of parents. Anxiety of adolescents. Cites research studies on topic. Opposite findings.
Paper Introduction:
In recent years, the impact of giftedness -- a demonstration of extraordinary intellectual and creative ability -- on the social and emotional development of gifted children and adolescents has generated tremendous interest among researchers (Chan, 2002). Research studies in the last two decades have indicated that although gifted students have high self-esteem that stems from their talent, they have difficulties with socializing with their peers and have a negative self-concept of their giftedness. Associated emotional problems of gifted adolescents, which have been identified by researchers, include anxiety, depression and poor self-image (Swiatek, 2001; Field et al., 1998).
For gifted adolescents, the period of adolescence that is characterized by drastic growth
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Even when they are placed in regular classrooms withtypical peers, they are also expected to live up to their label by theirteachers and peers (Zeidner & Schleyer, 1999). Moving away from theprotection of their families, adolescents are particularly susceptible tothe influences of the perceptions of their peers. For example, the gifted subjects (mean score = 39.8) scoredhigher than their nongifted counterparts (mean score = 38.4) in the socialsupport scale. Associated emotional problems of gifted adolescents, whichhave been identified by researchers, include anxiety, depression and poorself-image (Swiatek, 2 1; Field et al., 1998). The effects of educational context on individual difference variables, self-perceptions of giftedness, and school attitudes in gifted adolescents. More specifically, the social and emotional development of giftedchildren adolescents is affected in a number of ways: First, giftedchildren and adolescents experience the stigmatizing effects of beinglabeled "gifted" and thus different from their peers. The contradictory aspects of this result study thusilluminated the complexity in determining the most appropriate educationalenvironment for gifted students. Character formation in adolescence. In the studies on the self-perceptions and coping responses of giftedadolescents, their self-concept is a common variable. Although this result would suggest that parents with giftedchildren utilized authoritarian methods in raising their children, thisinterpretation is undermined by the fact that Group B has the lowestpercentage of families with authoritarian parents. In their study, Weissler and Landau (1993) compared three groups offamilies: Group A-families with no gifted children; Group B-families withone gifted child; and Group C-families with more than one gifted child.With regards to this study, the level of authoritarianism of the parentsand their attitudes towards their children are considered. While all adolescentshave to deal with the developmental challenges of asserting their autonomyand forging meaningful social relationships with others, giftedadolescents' ability to make these social and emotional adjustments arehampered by their perceptions of difference from their peers (Zeidner &Schleyer, 1999). (1968). On the other hand, gifted individuals who used problem-focused strategies such as helping their peers with their work had positiveself-concepts in the domains of scholastic competence, romantic appeal andbehavioral conduct. Childhood and society. Parental environment in families with gifted and nongifted children. Evidently, this study's results deviatedradically from other research studies indicating that gifted students havemore social and emotional problems than their non-gifted counterparts. Essentially, while some research studies haveshown that gifted students have more positive self-concepts than theirtypical peers, other studies have proven the very opposite (Chan, 2 2). (1998) administered questionnaires to theparticipants, which elicited their assessments of their relationships withfamily and peers, their social support network, family responsibility, self-esteem, happiness and depression. Chan's (2 2) research study of the relationship between self-perceptions and the self-concept of 116 gifted junior secondary schoolstudents produced results that differed from the above study. Although this sounded positive, the increased conflicts andtensions between parents and children in the negotiation process exertednegative effects on the children's social and emotional development. Asdescribed by developmental theorists such as Erikson (195 ), thepsychosocial stage of adolescence is characterized by the need of theadolescents to explore his identity and assert his independence, whilereaching out to forge intimate relationships. Therefore, theyexperienced tremendous anxiety about their ability to fulfill theirparents' high standards. The Journal of Psychology, 127(2), 129-142.Swiatek, M. Based on the exploration of the correlations between the IQ and thefive specific self-concepts, Chan (2 2) found that three of the self-concepts, close friendship (- .35), physical appearance (- .22) and socialacceptance (- .17)-all critical indicators of social and emotional well-being -- had a high negative correlation with IQ. New York, NY: W. Second, because of their exceptional abilities, gifted adolescents andchildren also feel pressured to fulfill the high expectations of theirparents, teachers and friends. (2 2, August). High activity level, another problem-focused strategy,also had a positive relationship with an individual's self-concept in thedomain of social acceptance and the independent measurement of global self-worth (Swiatek, 2 1). E., & Parker, W. Social coping among gifted high school students and its relationship to self-concept. 2) Parents of gifted children place excessivepressure on them to succeed, thus undermining their social and emotionaldevelopment. Nonetheless, the results of this study, which challenged thecontention that parents with gifted children pushed them to succeed, werealso slightly qualified by the outcomes of the following two researchstudies. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31(4), 243-252.Erikson, E. Research studies inthe last two decades have indicated that although gifted students have highself-esteem that stems from their talent, they have difficulties withsocializing with their peers and have a negative self-concept of theirgiftedness. In this case, the feeling ofbeing different was the primary cause that undermined the giftedadolescents' social and emotional well-being. The firstscale, the Self-Perception Profile was used to measure the gifted subjects'self-concept in the areas of "scholastic competence, social acceptance,athletic competence, physical appearance, job competence, romantic appeal,behavioral conduct and close friendship" (p. On all of the scales, the giftedsubjects rated themselves as highly as or even higher than their giftedparticipants. Norton.Field, T., Harding, J., Yando, R., Gonzalez, K., Lasko, D., Bendell, D., & Marks, C. The impact of the home environment on the social and emotionaldevelopment of gifted individuals has also been investigated. In recent years, the impact of giftedness -- a demonstration ofextraordinary intellectual and creative ability -- on the social andemotional development of gifted children and adolescents has generatedtremendous interest among researchers (Chan, 2 2). Furthermore, in themeasurement of the parents' attitudes, no significant difference was foundin the parents' attitudes towards their children's intelligence for parentsin Groups B and C, thus refuting the significance of the impact of parents'authoritarian behavior on their children's giftedness. Each of these research studies has succeeded in addressing thedistinctive dilemmas of gifted adolescents whose difference from others hashampered their ability to fit in with their peers. Second, the responses of gifted subjects towards these stressorssuch as their social coping strategies are also considered. According to the results of this study, the direction of thecorrelation between the self-concept scores in the individual domains andthe social coping strategies indicated that emotion-focused social copingstrategies were negatively correlated with self-concept. The Journal of Psychology, 127(2), 143-152.Zeidner, M., & Schleyer, E. 3) than their counterparts in regular classes (Mean score =25.12 and Mean score = 1.65 respectively). Parents' achievement goals and perfectionism in their academically talented children. (1999, December). In this sample,gifted students in special classes exhibited greater evaluation anxiety(Mean score = 29.64) and lower self-perceptions of their giftedness (Meanscore = 2. In theeducational context, gifted students who are placed in a special class withother gifted students also experience heightened stress as they seek tocompete successfully with their gifted peers in a highly challenginglearning environment. Swiatek's (2 1) research investigation into the social copingstrategies of gifted high school students and the relationship with theirself-concepts also verified the negative conclusions about the social andemotional development of gifted adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28(6), 687pp. At the same time,because of their difficulties with socializing with the peers, it iscritical for families to provide both intellectual and emotional supportfor gifted adolescents. Characteristics of families with no, one, or more than one gifted child. ReferencesAblard, K. D. In conclusion, the research studies about the social and emotionaldevelopment of gifted adolescents have captured the complexity andchallenges faced by adolescents during this developmental phase. (1993, March). Although the gifted subjects (mean score = 1 .5) scoredlower than their non-gifted counterparts (mean score = 1 .6) in theiroverall happiness, they had a higher score in self-esteem (gifted = 44.2vs. (2 1, February). As described in thedevelopmental theory, this difficulty of socialization can have adversepsychological consequences for many gifted adolescents. J. For gifted adolescents, the period of adolescence that ischaracterized by drastic growth in all areas of life and the emerging senseof adult identity can be especially challenging. Although the gifted subjects regarded the high expectation oftheir parents and their critical attitude towards their performance asbeing the most influential forces on their perceptions of giftedness, theirnegative self-concept stemmed primarily from their perceptions of feelingdifferent from others. nongifted = 44.1) and a lower score in depression (gifted = 2 .3 vs.nongifted = 21.6). Similarly, in their investigation of parental attitudes of 127 giftedchildren, Ablard and Parker (1997) reported that approximately 73 percentof the parents had healthy attitudes towards their children's giftedness.Essentially, they were more interested in their children's process oflearning and understanding, rather than the outcomes of their learning.Nonetheless, gifted children of the remaining families (with parentscharacterized by dysfunctional perfectionism) reported that they feltexceedingly pressured by the expectations of their parents and werecompelled to be highly critical of their own performance. Therefore, in the future, studies shouldattempt to establish the relationship between multiple definitions ofgiftedness and several domains of self-concepts in order to reflectaccurately the social and psychological perceptions of gifted adolescents.Furthermore, research studies on the social coping strategies of giftedadolescent should assess how interventions can integrate positive problem-based strategies to help gifted adolescents overcome their frustration withthe consequences of their giftedness. In the domains ofscholastic competence, social acceptance and behavior conduct, the inwardrejection of one's giftedness as a strategy was negatively related withself-concept. Finally, more research studiesshould be conducted to help determine what types of educationalenvironments are ideal for gifted adolescents, which will minimize theadverse impact on their social and emotional development. The researchstudies approach the issue from two opposing perspectives: 1) Parents ofgifted children provide an ideal environment that enables them to thrive inall areas of development vs. With this research study, Swiatek (2 1) raised the concerns about thestrategies utilized by gifted adolescents to deal with the social andemotional ramifications of their giftedness. While they want toestablish their individuality, adolescents also want to feel a sense ofbelonging to a group (Blos, 1968). The seven researchstudies have been selected because they offer multiple perspectives forinvestigating the social and emotional challenges and perceptions of giftedchildren and adolescents. Two hundred and twelve giftedhigh school students selected for four high schools were administered threetypes of questionnaires: 1) General Information Questionnaire to obtaininformation on their background and grade-point average; 2) Social CopingQuestionnaire to determine the various types of strategies used by thestudents; and 3) Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents to elicit theirratings of their competence in eight domains that were listed in the abovestudy. A. (195 ). (1993, March). Therefore, the relationshipbetween the self-concepts, or the emotional and social well-being, shouldnot be directly correlated without considering other intervening variablessuch as the adolescents' coping strategies. 9; Group B = 47.91; Group C =59.92). Essentially, giftedstudents rated themselves poorly on their physical appearance and theirability to cope with all types of personal relationships, even though theyhad tremendous confidence in their job competence ( .21) and romanticappeal ( .17). Just as importantly, through the introduction of the other scales(DCS, CES and HES), Chan (2 2) illuminated the underlying causes of theresults. Therefore, the results of this study validatedother research studies' concern of the challenges faced by giftedadolescents in the social and emotional area. However, gifted students inspecial classes had a positive perspective of their classroom environment(Mean score = 15.61) and their teachers (Mean score = 18.58), compared totheir counterparts in these two areas (Mean score = 13.48 and Mean score =15.52 respectively). In this paper, the research studies that address the issue of thesocial and emotional development of gifted adolescents will be analyzed toidentify the areas of consensus and controversies. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 26(6), 651-667.Blos, P. (1998, Summer). Perceptions of giftedness and self-concepts among junior secondary students in Hong Kong. In order to minimizenegative social efforts, gifted adolescents and children will try to rejecttheir giftedness by underachieving, hiding that aspect of their personalityfrom their friends or denying the existence of their giftedness tothemselves. In both ofthese types of research studies, the relationships of the gifted subjects'self-perceptions and social coping strategies with their self-concept arealso studied. W. Because anindividual's self-concept encompasses the thoughts and perceptions aboutoneself, it is regarded as an important indicator of one's psychologicalwell-being and social adjustment. However, the assessment of therelationship between giftedness and self-concepts has triggeredconsiderable controversy with the emergence of conflicting and inconsistentresults in various studies). (1997, December). First, the self-perceptions of gifted subjectstowards the pressures and expectations associated with their giftedness arestudied. Essentially, these scores indicated that giftedsubjects were no different from their non-gifted peers in terms of socialand emotional development. Although much research has been done on this topic, future researchstudies still need to address the controversial aspects of this topic suchas the proper definition of giftedness and the inclusion of adequatedimensions of self-concept. They may become underachievers and sabotage their schoolwork.The effort to cope with the social challenges by suppressing an integralpart of their identity can have adverse social and emotional consequencesfor gifted children in the long run and even lead to the development ofpsychological disorders (Swiatek, 2 1). In this area, they found that in families with giftedchildren, the gifted children were highly involved in decision-makingprocesses. Adolescence, 33(13 ), 331-342.Landau, E., & Weissler, K. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 23, 245-263.Chan, D. Based on theresults of this study, Weissler and Landau (1993) found that Group C hadthe highest number of families that scored above the group mean in theauthoritarianism questionnaire (Group A = 53. Perfectionist parents who constantly pushtheir gifted children to reach ever higher standards of excellence oftenplace excessive stress on the latter (Ablard & Parker, 1997). Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 3 (1), 19pp.Weissler, K., & Landau E. Feelings and attitudes of gifted students. W. In another study involving 143 families with gifted children and79 families with nongifted children, Landau and Weissler (1993) found thaton most variables such as the affective interaction, no significantdifferences could be found between the two groups except for the familyatmosphere domain. The survey of 743 gifted subjects placed in two different programs-special gifted class or regular class-addressed the effects of classplacement on the social and emotional development of gifted adolescents.Zeidner and Schleyer (1999) reported ambivalent results. 246). Third, the impact of their family and educationalenvironment on the gifted subjects is also studied because they play alarge role in shaping the social and emotional development of giftedadolescents. In their comparison of 62 gifted and 162 nongifted high schoolfreshmen, Field et al. Their use of avariety of social coping strategies is a result of their effort to minimizethe negative social consequences of their giftedness. Apart from theStudent's Adjustment Problems Inventory that evaluated their perceptions ofenvironmental stressors, the Difference Concern Scale (DCS), the CriticalEvaluation Scale (CES) and the High Expectation Scale (HES) addressed thecommon perceptions of gifted subjects of being different, of being criticalin evaluating for their work and the high expectations of their parents,teachers and peers.
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