This article explores the effects of labeling children as gifted, including possible sex differences in labeling effects, effects on self-concept and self-esteem, and effects on family and peer relationships. The need for empirical data regarding the process of labeling; the labeling event; and the changed or modified expectations of parents,…

This article gives suggestions for bibliotherapy as a counseling strategy to help gifted boys dealing with six issues: image management, self-inflicted pressure, the trauma of being labeled "different," male bonding, cultural expectations, and gender role conflict. Thirty children's books addressing these issues are suggested. (DB)

Describes the development of the self in gifted individuals based on observations in therapy and counseling settings. The concept of the self, problems of "differentness," and the gifted self are considered. Issues such as perfectionism, labeling, adult development, and excellence versus equity are discussed and illustrated with…

This study investigated the effect of labeling a girl as "patient" on the girl's subsequent self-imposed delay of gratification. Subjects were 78 girls from 5 1/2 to 9 years of age. In a delay task, each child's possession of accumulating candy rewards was made contingent upon her stopping further accumulation. Labeled girls waited longer than did…

Describes a classroom icebreaker that examines the assumptions inherent in racial and ethnic labels. The exercise involves students using connected Post-it notes on which to write their names, the racial label people give them, and the ethnic/racial label they give themselves. Later discussions address the use of labeling. (MJP)

The model minority image of Asian Americans authorizes the flat denial of racism and structures of racial dominance and silences those who are not economically successful. This book explores how young people incorporate, interpret, and make meaning of the "model minority" stereotype in the context of their lived experience in school and…

Three issues are addressed in this research review. First, do gifted and average children differ in their self-concepts? Second, what, if any, are the effects on self-concept of labeling a child as gifted or exceptional? Third, does placing the child in a separate enriched or accelerated classroom have any impact on self-concept? The paper begins…

Guided by findings from various studies, the general thesis of this study was that identity polarization tends to be a reflections of meaningful structural divisions within the Mexican American population. This study considered such social status attributes which seemingly serve as discrete indicators of group heterogeneity as sex, socioeconomic…

This paper reviews previous research into ability grouping and describes a study of the relationship of heterogeneous and homogeneous grouping plans on children's concepts of their interpersonal relationships with other students and their academic success. Most studies on the emotional impact of ability grouping indicated that being placed in the…

This paper examines how American Indians construct and describe their own cultural identities. In particular, it focuses on cultural group identity from the perspective of three American Indians living in an urban setting, and on the ways that cultural identity can be communicated and enacted. Two American Indian women and one American Indian man,…

Conversations with 19 predominantly Chicano middle-school students labeled "at risk" revealed that students viewed their at-risk status as a source of both shame and unity, thereby reproducing the category on one hand and producing a counterculture to adult world views on the other. A communication perspective on student success offers…

This study investigates stigmatization in the probation process from the perspective of the probationer. Hereby we use the concepts of primary and secondary deviance provided by labeling theory to differentiate between stigmatization by others and self-stigmatization. While stigmatization by others is less direct in the guidance of the…

This study sought to determine if there is a difference in the self-concept of students who are labeled or nonlabeled as having a disabling condition. Subjects in the study were 50 general education Chicago (Illinois) students (ages 12-15) and 50 special education students labeled as having learning disabilities, educable mental handicap, or…

Critiques the assumptions about the nature and meaning of disability advanced in social-psychological writing, suggests the origins of these assumptions, and proposes a return to a Lewinian/minority-group analysis of the situation of people with disabilities. Introduces the other articles in this issue. (Author/ BJV)

Discusses the historical plight of African Americans, Native Americans, and those of mixed ancestry in their fight against stereotyping, racism, and prejudice, and their fight for the right to self-identification and self-definition in the United States. Considers the various classifications of different races and the reasons for these…