Abstract
This article represents an attempt to allay the myth that the gifted will be successful anyway and, if they are not, they are not really gifted. On the contrary from an early age the gifted suffer problems in peer interaction. They are bored at school, at University, at work, and in personal relationships. Although their work may be excellent they can impair their promotion prospects and even run the risk of dismissal because they do not ‘fit in’. Career changes are relatively frequent for this minority.
A sample of creatively gifted students has been questioned and followed up since 1973. While it is readily admitted that the sample is small it is strongly suggested that the results make clear that this problem merits investigation. The responses of the creatively gifted students were compared to the responses of a larger sample of students not identifiable as creatively gifted. Of the creatively gifted sample:
- only one has gone on for a Ph.D.
- the entire group found school and university an alienating experience.
-the majority of the females in this group felt that for a girl to be ‘too smart’ impaired social acceptability.
- 66% have contemplated suicide and devised a means.
The dangers of perceiving creativity as a unidimensional construct are discussed.
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Willings, D. Considerations in counselling the creatively gifted. Int J Adv Counselling 7, 3–13 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116458
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116458