Test Yourself – Are You Gifted AND Overexcitable?

A couple of years ago I was having lunch with a friend and he said, “I’ve come to the conclusion, I am just not a moderate person.”  He’s not – he’s a full on, work hard, play hard, excessively kind man.  And having a similar disposition to him, I understood and had reached the same acceptance about myself:  Immoderate in all things.

Now, I should also mention that my friend is ridiculously brilliant – never occurred to me that our mutual tendency to run hard at EVERYTHING could be related to being gifted.  Then I came across this: Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration outlining Overexcitabilities.  Dabrowski’s research identified 5 overexcitabilities that were linked to giftedness in children and adults.  Dabrowski’s theory has formed the basis for the idea of a ‘gifted personality’.  Overexcitabilities are inborn traits linked to a heightened response to stimuli.   “…overexcitabilities are expressed in increased sensitivity, awareness, and intensity, and represent a real difference in the fabric of life and quality of experience”. You don’t have to be gifted to have one or more of these overexcitabilities.  And you can be gifted and have none of them.  However, if you are gifted you are more likely to have overexcitabilities.  How many overexcitabilities do you recognize in yourself?  For a fuller description of overexcitabilities, please see the link to this article: http://www.sengifted.org/articles_social/Lind_OverexcitabilityAndTheGifted.shtml

Psychomotor Overexcitability

I’m guessing this one is the reason a lot of bright children receive the label of ADD: A heightened excitability of the neuromuscular system.  Characterized by rapid speech, the need to expend physical energy, drive, communicate physically and high energy.  I think my son summed it up when he said, “mom, I’m not so much about sitting at a desk, I’m more about action”. 

I definitely recognize myself in this:  I talk fast and with my hands.  Work hard.  Have A LOT of energy.  Always feel best moving and connected with my body.

Sensual Overexcitability

This excitability is characterized by understanding the world through all the senses: heightened appreciation of sight, taste, smell, touch and sound.  The example I’ve come across most frequently is that people with this sensitivity are often bothered by tags on clothes.  People with sensual overexcitability can be transported by the way something smells or tastes etc.

This isn’t me so much since I have little sense of smell, and therefore, little taste.  But I do very much understand things by touch and sound.  I am totally overwhelmed by the experience of shopping at Costco – does that count?

Intellectual Overexcitability

Intellectual OE is demonstrated by a marked need to seek understanding and truth, to gain knowledge, and to analyze and synthesize.  The curiousity.  The relentless questioning.  The search for morality and a better world. People with this trait like to think about thinking!Independent thought.  The tendency to interrupt and potential to critical and impatient.

Me?  Yes.  Definitely yes.  Maybe that’s why I lost sleep as a child worrying about the environment and wondering how to convince Ronald Reagan and Brian Mulroney that not ALL people living in the Soviet Union could be possibly be bad and that’s why nuclear missiles should not be launched.

Imaginational Overexcitability

This overexcitability is characterized by a vivid fantasy life, one that may be more real than actual life.  Complicated, detailed dreams.  Use of visual language. 

This overexcitabilty is not so much me.  But I can totally enjoy the work created by people who do possess this trait.

Emotional Overexcitability

People with emotional overexcitability experience emotions intensely, are highly compassionate, become strongly attached to the people close to them and often have a greater self-awareness about their own emotions as well the feelings of those around them.  People with this trait, particularly in our culture are often perceived as immature.  Emotions are often expressed passionately.

Do I recognize myself in this?  Absolutely.  I think that my emotional overexcitability as much as my intellectual overexcitability that has the potential to put me out of step, particularly at work. 

When I read about overexcitabilities, I felt like someone who had never met me had peered inside me and captured me exactly.  All the things about me that often don’t align, that are perceived as immoderate, too much.  And that these qualities are linked to people who are gifted…total revelation.  Also, the author of the linked article points out: “It is often quite difficult and demanding to work and live with overexcitable individuals. Those who are not so, find the behaviors unexplainable, frequently incomprehensible, and often bizarre. Overexcitable people living with other overexcitable people often have more compassion and understanding for each other, but may feel conflicts when their OEs are not to the same degree.”   Since I self-identify with 3of the 5 overexcitabilities, this is probably good information for me to keep in mind….particularly at work.

So, do you recognize yourself in these overexcitabilities?

Some further/better explanations of overexcitabilities:

Dabrowski’s Theory of Disintegration

Piechowski Developmental Model - Piechowski is credited with expanding Dabrowski’s theory by further research and applying the theory to gifted education. 

Patterns of overexcitabilities

Tagged as: adult, career, dabrowksi, emotion, gifted, Gifted Adult Characteristics, intelligence, IQ, overexcitabilities, personality traits, Piechowski, Work