I think ‘gifted’ is a terrible word. Whether it’s being applied to children or adults. My biggest problem with the word is that it’s not neutral, it has an implication of superiority. It is one thing to say, ‘I am different’ and indeed, some people have a problem with simply acknowledging difference, but to add ‘I am better’ to the mix at the same time…its inevitable that a negative reaction will follow. The implicit superiority sets the stage for ‘giftedness’ to be perceived as a zero sum game: my ability is perceived as someone else being less. The nature of the word ‘gifted’ distances others from accepting someone’s giftedness but also distances gifted people themselves from embracing the concept for themselves. I know it does for me.
There is also the problem of the broadness of the word “gifted” . Often used in a form of verbal shorthand, it’s imprecise. When hearing that a child has been identified as ‘gifted’, a common response is ‘all children are gifted.’ Which I take to mean, ’everyone is special and valuable in their own way’. Or, ‘it is possible for a person to have many gifts and intellectual ability is only one’. Or it could mean, ‘I lack confidence in the methods used to identify a person’s intellectual ability’. All reasonable reactions to the word ‘gifted’ and reason to distance myself from the word.
Not only is the word ‘gifted’ imprecise but its burden by many interpretations. I think the interpretations of the word ‘gifted’ can be broken into six categories:
- - an asset versus a disadvantage
- - specific to intellectual ability versus other/multiple abilities
- - what one does versus who one is
Intellectual giftedness, is often understood as an asset. Which sounds like a good thing but it brings a tremendous number of possible, often inaccurate assumptions, in its wake, such as:
- - the expectation that a ‘gifted person’ should lead an exceptional, if not extraordinary life congruent with their potential
- - since you’re so smart, you should be able to figure it out
- - your intellectual abilities are uniform and cross disciplinary
Intellectual giftedness when perceived as an asset may have the additional downside of feeding a gifted person’s inherent impatience and possible arrogance erroneously concluding: I am better because I think faster. At the same time, intellectual giftedness as an asset may set a gifted person up for unrealistic expectations when they have not led a life that matches their own or society’s expectations, when despite ‘being so smart’ they can’t figure it out or when the inevitable gap between one’s strength’s in one area and weakness in another becomes apparent.
Intellectual giftedness is also sometimes perceived as a disadvantage, by others as well as by gifted people themselves. The negative perceptions of intellectual giftedness sometimes include:
- - social ineptness e.g. the nerd or the absentminded professor
- - inability to focus or understand what’s required to be effective in the real world e.g. Why I Never Hire Brilliant Men
- - lack of understanding why ‘if someone’s so smart’ they may not be able to master all things equally well
It’s my experience that intellectually gifted people themselves may perceive their intellectual abilities negatively. Whether it’s a result of feeling isolated due to the inability for intellectual exchange or negative reaction to personal traits correlated with giftedness, intellectually gifted people are sometimes tempted to view being ’gifted’ as negative. (And if someone doesn’t know that they are gifted, they are more likely to simply define THEMSELVES negatively).
‘Gifted’ – often used to mean intellectually gifted or having higher intelligence, generally defined by standardized IQ measurement but not necessarily so. Some people suggest that gifted includes artistic and creative gifts. Gardner has popularized the idea that there are multiple intelligences only two of which are ‘number/reasoning smart’ and ‘word smart’. Applying the word ‘gifted’ to all kinds of intelligences creates confusion as to what is meant by the word itself. And somehow, a false dichotomy is created with the various concepts: that either intelligence is people with accelerated cognition and overlapping personality traits OR there are many criteria on which intelligence can be understood. I don’t see the ideas as contradictory – there may well be select individuals with high ‘intrapersonal’ ability and they may or may not also have accelerated cognition and related personality traits. But using ‘gifted’ to apply to all of them is confusing.
Sometimes the word ‘gifted’ is used to describe who someone IS but more commonly, it is used to describe what someone DOES as it is easier to understand ‘giftedness’ based on external criteria. Malcom Gladwell’s definition of ‘giftedness’ typifies this perspective:
“What a gifted child is, in many ways, is a gifted learner. And what a gifted adult is, is a gifted doer. And those are quite separate domains of achievement.”
Core to this perspective of giftedness is the idea that one must achieve exceptionally. And exceptional achievement is usually understood in traditional, socially accepted ways e.g. grades, graduate school, professional advancement and awards. This definition of giftedness is problematic to me. First, it largely disregards socio-economic and personal barriers. Also, it strikes me as a typically male idea of achievement as well as of giftedness. For some ‘giftedness’ is only understood by external measures, societal contribution; it is the ability to translate potential that defines ‘giftedness’.
For others, ‘giftedness’ is a state of being. The ability to apply inate thoughts and qualities may be limited, or even denied, by external and internal personal circumstances but a person’s mind will still speed along regardless of whether or not it has be applies in a socially recognized manner.
So I think ‘gifted’ is a terrible word because of it’s implicit superiority, its vagueness and the many ways it is understood. However, my daughter’s teacher had a great way of deconstructing the word for his Grade 5 class and I think it has validity for gifted adults. He told my daughter that she thinks DIFFERENTLY. Not better. Not worse. But that she should understand that it’s different than most people. AND it is her responsibility to make the most of what she is. THAT is a definition of ‘gifted’ that I can embrace.
{ 4 comments }
