High ability and talent development literature present different and sometimes competing or contradictory goals for talent development. One side emphasizes that talents should be developed to enable individuals with high abilities to make societal contributions, while the other side focuses on the individual's personal life goals. This article…

A program is described which was intended to assist gifted ninth graders to develop skills, perspective, and characteristics needed to deal effectively with change. The program's goals (development of a futures perspective, futuring competencies, and self-actualization); philosophy; organization; evaluation; and content are reviewed. (CL)

This article, anchored in current self psychology theory, defines the self experience as the person's subjective experience of organization and meaning. Traits of giftedness, and the reactions of others to these, are seen to contribute to the gifted self experience. Social and emotional problems of giftedness are thought to be based on a…

Identifies fundamental principles of psychology to explain how the self begins and develops over the life span. The influences that contribute to the creation of false and true selves in gifted children are discussed and strategies for promoting the true self of gifted children are offered. (Author/DB)

A study of 140 Polish secondary students with high and medium abilities and high and low levels of self-actualization found gifted students had a significantly higher level of self-actualization, whereas gifted and self-actualizing students had a significantly higher need for intellectual stimulation and a higher level of self-acceptance.…

In this reprint of an article published in 1978, the role of women in society and its impact on gifted girls is discussed. It is argued that gender stereotypes work against gifted girls and that the women's movement has helped gifted girls develop a new image and concept of womanhood. (CR)

The self-actualization of 167 women who lived in the Martha Cook (MC) dormitory of the University of Michigan (1950-1970) was compared to that of a group of Ivy League men researched in another study. In addition, two groups of MC women were compared to each other to identify differences which might explain why some self-actualized while other did…

The cofounder of the Roeper School explains the school's focus on the complex inner-conscious and unconscious development of the gifted child and the school's philosophical basis in self-actualization and interdependence. The need to focus on gifted self rather than on defining the gifted child in relation to cognitive development or talent…

This article presents scenarios that rationalize a developmental approach to giftedness. It argues that in order to be gifted, one needs to be increasingly active in one's own development as an adult. The implications of viewing giftedness as developing from being to doing are discussed. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article explores the advancement of gifted girls in the past 25 years and argues that the problem of underachievement of talented females continues to exist. The diversity of gifted women's creativity, their need to engage in meaningful work, and their need to balance work and family is discussed. (Contains references.) (CR)

Interviews with 12 gifted female educators indicated respondents demonstrated resiliency and reflectiveness, the need for a creative outlet, a need for collaboration and community, and the desire to effect change. Careers as educators enabled them to apply these characteristics and fulfill these needs, which are common to the gifted. (Author/CR)

This study examined the self-perception and motivational orientation of 49 intellectually gifted fourth and seventh graders. Compared to controls, the gifted children perceived themselves as more scholastically competent, better behaved, but less athletically competent. Gifted girls perceived themselves as more scholastically competent than either…

The relationship between emotional maturity and the developing self in the gifted individual is examined. Emotional maturity is seen to involve the integration of intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of the personality. The developing self is thought to be more than the sum of its components and becomes a global factor in the development of a…

This essay argues that academic achievement for gifted students should be viewed in the context of the life of the spirt--life guided by a desire to realize oneself; find and live a vocation; and embody great virtues, such as generosity and love of life. (Author/DB)

Actual/idealized and actual/public self-concept coherence was used as a measure of adjustment to being labeled gifted and subsequently participating in a gifted education program for 128 fourth through eighth graders. Results indicated overall better adjustment was significantly related to greater coherence between self- and ideal-self…