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From Underachievement to Suicide: How Students Cope with Being Gifted

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From Underachievement to Suicide: How Students Cope with Being Gifted

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    1. From Underachievement to Suicide: How Students Cope with Being Gifted Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Research, & Assessment George & Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Psychology & Gifted Studies

    2. The Modern Family

    3. Myths of Being Gifted The Gifted . . . are more prone to emotional disturbances have everything going their way can succeed without help should be valued mostly for their brain power are more stable and mature should assume responsibility for others enjoy being examples to other children have abilities that are always valued by their families excel or exceed the norms in all areas of development need to be disciplined more than others will always reveal their giftedness are high achievers with high motivation to excel in school

    4. Gifted Student Disclaimer Gifted students are the most heterogeneous group to study because they can vary the most on the most variables

    5. Gifted Characteristics Personality Insightfulness Intensity Sensitivity/Empathy Need to Understand Non Conformity Perfectionism Acute Self-Awareness Need for Mental Stimulation Excellent Sense of Humor Need for Precision/Logic Questioning Rules/Authority Perseverance Intellectual Capacity for reflection Passion for Learning Early Moral Concern Complex Thought Processes Exceptional Reasoning Ability Divergent Thinking/Creativity Analytical Thinking Facility with Abstraction Intellectual Curiosity Rapid Learning Rate Vivid Imagination

    6. Endogenous Characteristics Originate from characteristics of the individual Examples in Gifted Students: Overexcitabilities Asynchronous Development Perfectionism Excessive Self-Criticism Multipotentiality

    7. Exogenous Characteristics Emerge as byproducts of the interaction of characteristics of the child with the environment Example in Gifted Students: Desire for academic engagement within a school environment not accepting of students who are very serious about learning

    8. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Extraverts (E) ?? Introverts (I) Sensing (S) ?? Intuitive (N) Thinking (T) ?? Feeling (F) Judging (J) ?? Perceiving (P)

    9. Gifted v. Nongifted MBTI Gifted adolescents have higher tendency to be: N and NP About 50/50 E and I INFP, INTP, ENFP, and ENTP Nongifted adolescents have higher tendency to be: ESFP, ENFP, ESTJ, and ESFJ

    10. Issues in Development Gifted students are children first Many psychological and social needs are the same for gifted and nongifted students Developmental Examples: Making Friends Dating

    11. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Transcendence Self-Actualization Esthetic Cognitive Esteem Attachment Safety Biological

    12. Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages Stage Approximate Age Trust v. Mistrust 0 - 1 ˝ Autonomy v. Self-doubt 1 ˝ - 3 Initiative v. Guilt 3 - 6 Competence v. Inferiority 6 - Puberty Identity v. Role Confusion Adolescent Intimacy v. Isolation Early Adult Generativity v. Stagnation Middle Adult Ego-integrity v. Despair Late Adult

    13. Gifted Students in Schools

    14. Traits Meet Social Expectations and are Interpreted as Possible Problems

    15. The Stigma of Giftedness There is evidence to show that the gifted are influenced by their peers’, parents’ and teachers’ feelings about their abilities. If they are seen as mental freaks, unhealthy personalities, or eccentric simply because they are brainy or creative, many of them will avoid the stigma through conformity. Some would rather underachieve and be popular than achieve honor status and receive ostracism. Tannenbaum

    16. Is Being Gifted a Social Handicap? Schools are largely social enterprises Stigma of Giftedness Paradigm Gifted students want to have normal social interactions They learn when others discover their giftedness, they will be treated differently They learn they can manage information about themselves that will enable them to maintain a greater amount of social latitude

    17. Coping Methods Underachieving Identify with Non-intellectual Group Downplay Abilities Deny Giftedness Intellectualize Reactions to Perceived Social Difficulty Manage Information Sit Quietly Suicidal Behavior

    18. What is Suicidal Behavior? Ideators – think about killing themselves Gesturors – make suicidal gestures but not serious efforts to end their lives Attemptors – make attempts but fail to end their lives Completors – complete suicide

    19. Suicide of Gifted Students Limited research due to: Non-disaggregating of the current national data on suicide rates according to giftedness or non-giftedness Varying definitions of gifted and talented used across the U.S. make it difficult to identify suicide completors as gifted Issues of confidentiality limit access to data Conducting psychological autopsies of suicide victims is expensive in time and money Secondary schools are not as actively engaged in identifying gifted students Terminal nature of suicide requires information to be garnered after the event

    20. Conclusions about Suicide among Adolescents Adolescents are committing suicide Gifted adolescents are committing suicide The rate of suicide has increased over the past five decades for the general population of adolescents within the context of an overall increase across age groups Given the limited data, it is not certain whether the incidence of suicide or suicide ideation among gifted adolescents is different from the general population of adolescent

    22. Social Coping Questionnaire Identifies factors used as coping methods by gifted students: Denying Giftedness Social Interaction Humor Conformity Peer Acceptance

    23. Information Management Model (IMM)

    24. Coping Strategies Continuum of Visibility

    25. Invisibility Strategies Don’t carry a calculator Miss a few answers on a test Wear contact lenses Don’t volunteer answers Don’t admit a test was easy When asked about accomplishments, be noncommittal Avoid asking questions about moral or ethical concerns Go out on a date with a “dumb” kid Don’t tell your age if you were accelerated

    26. Disidentifiers Be seen with people who are not gifted Ask silly or crazy questions Tell jokes Go out for extracurricular activities for which you have little talent Be very pleasant Claim a test was difficult Feign interest in small talk Make fun of other gifted kids

    27. Coping Strategies

    28. “Biology Exam” Setting: In the cafeteria line, several people from your class are discussing the biology exam. Tracy: Man! Wasn’t that test impossible? I must have spent 10 minutes trying to label that crazy diagram of the muscular system. Chris: I blew the whole thing, even though I studied really hard. Marti: I probably failed it too. Marti says to Jon, “I bet you breezed through it and didn’t even open the book to study.” Actually, Jon spent several hours studying and thought it wasn’t a difficult test. If you were Jon, what would you be most inclined to say?

    29. “Biology Exam” Responses A: “Tests can be hard sometimes.” (cover-up) B: “Yeah, that exam was a pain.” (lie) C: “I probably studied as hard as you did, but the test wasn’t too hard.”(placate) D: “I thought it was kind of easy.” (truth) E: “How long did you study?” (cop-out)

    30. “Substitute Teacher” Setting: In the hallway between classes Pat: Wasn’t that substitute teacher for Ms. Cross awful? I couldn’t figure out what she was trying to say about the Western Expansion. She really lost me. Fran: How about what Pete pulled on her, pretending he was sick and ready to throw up on her desk! Jo: She even believed it. I wish I had thought of that one! I would rather have spent the period in the clinic instead of sitting in that class. Everyone but Billy nodded their heads in agreement. Fran looked at Billy and asked, “Didn’t you think that was hysterical?” Billy felt the substitute had started an interesting topic, but Pete had made it impossible for her to teach. Billy thought Pete had been unnecessarily rude. If you were Billy, which would you be MOST inclined to say?

    31. “Substitute Teacher” Responses A: “Pete can be funny sometimes.” (cover-up) B: “I thought the class got out of control; Pete went too far.” (truth) C: “Some of it was funny, but Pete shouldn’t have gone that far.” (placate) D: “Pete was funny; the substitute was asking for it.” (lie) E: “I wonder when Ms. Cross is coming back.” (cop-out)

    32. Recommendations Treat gifted children as children first Establish communication among parents, teachers, and counselors Teach gifted children social skills, ways to manage stress, and to enjoy nonacademic activities Try to understand the social milieu of school

    33. Recommendations Learn about individual child’s personality, social goals, and needs Find counseling for gifted students and their families Create opportunities for gifted children to interact Model adaptive behaviors

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