The Nature of Giftedness
From early childhood,the experience of being gifted is often one of intense opposites.A burning curiosity and desire to accomplish can convince a young gifted person that a unique destiny awaits them.But the notion of making important contributions may feel too grandiose. Unusual ways of learning are often experienced as disabilities rather than strenghts. The secret pleasure of feeling special may be neutralized by feelings of guilt and isolation. Eagerness to share may be disrupted by fears of envy or dependency. Provocative behavior may feel like the only way to regain privacy when the flattery of admiration becomes too stimulating.
In more than 30 years of therapeutic word with gifted children, adolescents and adults,we have found that the failure to resolve these, and other conflicts about being gifted, is why gifted individuals of all ages get into trouble.Although their prodigious intellectual and intuitive endowment may include an unusual degree of psychological sensitivity and insight into the emotional needs of others, gifted individuals rarely have an ability to examine and address their own anxieties and conflicts. This means that many gifted individuals,like many of their “normal”peers use maladaptive psychological coping mechanisms.These may include avoidance,procrastination,perfectionsim,acting out-sometimes against themselves physically-blaming others and by denial and disavowal of giftedness through underachievement.
Unable to effectively resolve these conflicts, many gifted individuals develop symptoms of anxiety,depression mood swings,learning disabilities or become substance abusers. At first these symptoms may mimic psychiatric disorders. If left untreated these symptoms may evolve into true mood disorders, anxiety disorders,psychotic disorders or substance abuse disorders.
Frustrated and discouraged,many gifted individuals abandon efforts to find an appropriate niche for productive self expression and accomplishment. Instead they engage in trivial or inconsequential pursuits and end up leading marginal isoloted lives never able to use their true gifted potential.
Our Diagnostic, Assessment and Therapeutic Approach
Our assessment approach is an eclectic one that uses the principles of psychodynamics-the knowledge of how psychological conflict influences personality and behavior-as well as principles of cognitive and behavioral theory.The cornerstone of our assessment approach is to discover each gifted individual’s unique “central dynamic conflict”and then formulate how it intersects with genetic, medical,social,educational factors as well as the tasks of normal growth and development to cause psychological symptoms and maladaptive behavior.
This formulation allows us to determine if a gifted individual’s psychological symptoms are evidence of a true psychiatric disorder or are a reflection of a gifted person in crisis or both.When necessary,it also permits us to select appropriate psychotropic medications.
Our psychotherapy approach is a flexible psychodynamic one.It includes the techniques of cognitive/behavioral therapy, mentoring,advising and coaching to establish and structure an appropriate venue for gifted growth and accomplishment.It helps an gifted individual understand his/her central psychological conflict and then develop more adaptive psychological coping mechanisms so that gifted endowment can be used more productively.
For a more detailed discussion of these and other issues please read Dr. Grobman’s two articles available for download from the publications section of the website