dabrowksi

 

I wanted to learn more about gifted adults, so what did I do?  Went looking for books, of course.  Went to Amazon and searched ‘gifted children’ and came up with 1,525 results.  Searched ‘gifted adult’ and came up with 175.  Must have been some kind of Amazon practical joke because almost all of the 175 ‘gifted adult’ books are actually about children.  Mary-Elaine Jacobsen’s The Gifted Adult: A Revolutionary Guide for Liberating Everyday Genius, is one of the few books written about gifted adults.  And even still, I had to special order it!

So here are my thoughts about the book.  In addition, many reviewers at Amazon have weighed in, pointing out many of the books strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, they provide a better summary of the book than you’ll find below.

I’ll start be saying, considering the paucity of information, mostly, I’m just glad the book exists – regardless if one agrees or disagrees with the content, Jacobsen’s book provides a terrific starting place for exploring the topic of giftedness in adults.

Jacobsen’s theory of giftedness is not based in IQ testing.  Instead she suggests that giftedness is a personality type based in two ‘First Nature’ traits: heightened receptivity and the urge to perfect.  Jacobsen argues that these two traits are the basis for these associated characteristics: intensity, complexity and drive.  Jacobsen’s theory includes Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, and though she doesn’t explicitly say so, it seems to incorporate Dabrowski/Piechowski’s theories involving Overexcitabilities and giftedness as well.   As the theory is based in personality traits, Jacobsen believes her definition of giftedness would apply to approximately 10 per cent of the population and, like Gardner, expands her definition of giftedness to include the artistically talented.  The idea of a qualitative approach to evaluating one’s giftedness is in line with gifted education pioneer Ann Marie Roeper’s gifted methodology as well as Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory.  Both Roeper and Gardner focus on the qualitative aspects of intelligence rather than quantitative. Anyway, Jacobsen’s theory, which she calls Evolutionary Intelligence (EvI) is evidence of Multiple Intelligences (exceptional talents which may include naturalist abilities, artistic or intrapersonal among others), Gifted Traits ( Intensity, Complexity and Drive) as well as Advanced Development (intrinsic mental picture of what humanity could be if it joined forces). 

So I get caught here…not with Jacobsen exactly but the bigger questions: what is giftedness?  What is intelligence?  My need to measure and quantify for something to be valid.. .and yet I get lost in all the problems with the methodology of measurement.  But on the other hand, what are we talking about if it can’t be quantified…than what is it that we’re talking about?  A purely qualitative understanding of giftedness…that’s an even more difficult idea to wrap my head around. 

Nevertheless, for now, I’ll work within Jacbobsen’s concepts.  So, despite my intellectual inability to wrap my mind around Jacobsen’s methodology, did I recognize myself in her descriptions of what it is to be a gifted adult?  Very much so.  Now, is that because it’s written so broadly that anyone might recognize themselves?   I’m not sure.   Would anyone reading this book think it applied to them?  I don’t know but I do know that  Jacobsen sure seemed to have good handle on MY experience. 

At the heart of Jacobsen’s The Gifted Adult is this: gifted people are defined by common characteristics that are different than the majority of the population (that it’s not about simply ‘being smart’).  And, often, the feedback gifted people receive in response to these inate gifted qualities, is negative.  So gifted people tend to be faced with what seems like two choices: assimilate and construct a ‘false self’ that is more socially acceptable, often at significant spiritual and psychic cost.  Or remain true to who they are and feel marginalized and unacceptable.  My favourite example Jacobsen offers as typical feedback that a gifted person experiences is that they are ‘too much’ – whether it be thinking, doing, saying, imagining or emoting.  Jacobsen suggests the following as frequent criticisms gifted people experience are different reactions to  someone being ‘too much’: 

• - Why don’t you slow down?
• - You worry about everything.
• - Can’t you just stick with one thing?
• - You’re so sensitive and dramatic.
• - You have to do everything the hard way.
• - You’re so demanding.
• - Can’t you ever be satisfied?
• - You’re so driven!
• - Where do you get all those wild ideas?
• - Who do you think you are? 

I’m guessing everyone, gifted or not, experiences some of these criticisms at one time or another.  However, it’s the consistency of experiencing this kind of reaction that Jacobsen suggests influences a gifted adult’s sense of self.  I know that ALL of them are a persistent theme in my life, no question.  

Jacobsen argues that there is a third choice for gifted adults beyond assimilating or feeling marginalized: to manage one’s intensity, complexity and drive rather than letting them run wild. She suggests that the key to mastery is…balance.  I have to confess that while this sounds like a nice idea, I have very little personal understanding of what that means.  And Jacobsen acknowledges this: (note, Jacobsen calls gifted adults, ‘Everyday Geniuses’) “as a rule, Everyday Geniuses wince at the idea of finding a middle ground, fearing that striking a balance in their lives is equivalent to granting too many concessions or settling for an agonizingly mediocre existence”.  It’s not that I wince at finding a middle ground exactly, but the idea just seems counter to Jacobsen’s exhortation to honour my gifted traits because I have to tell you, ‘balance’ is totally antithetical to my innate qualities, gifted or not.  Nevertheless, I found Jacobsen’s exploration of how typical gifted traits could manifest in collapsed, exaggerated or optimal versions interesting.  Or put another way, how all the larger than life parts of being a gifted person can serve us or harm us – notice there are two examples of how it can harm us versus one version of how it can serve us.  

For example, Jacobsen suggests that emotional sensitivity could take the collapsed form of being cold and remote, closed off, rationalizes feelings away, inhibited, blurred identity, imposterism, melancholic and despairing. The exaggerated form of emotional sensitivity could take the forms of: being doting, smothering, easily wounded, transparent and gullible, artificial, impersonates to camouflage true self, crisis driven alarmist. The balanced form of emotional sensitivity is: warmth and caring, open and receptive, authentic, expressive, emotionally fluent, comfortable with a wide range of emotion.  Again, it’s my guess emotional sensitivity is not unique to gifted people – what’s distinct it the constellation of traits as well as the tendency to oscillate between the extremes between collapsed and exaggerated.  

 
Jacobsen’s list is quite extensive, detailing subcategories of Intensity, Complexity and Drive and when I first read the descriptions, I thought it pretty much captured every possible variation, including everything and everyone, gifted…not gifted.  But maybe I missed the point which could be this: the description of collapsed, exaggerated and balanced behaviours should be considered in the context that gifted adults are Intense, Complex and Driven.  That is what we ARE and the continuum of possible associated behaviours are what we DO. A very fuzzy and much argued concept: what we are versus what we do.  But intuitively, I believe there are is a difference between the two and Jacobsen’s descriptions paint a very interesting picture of a what a gifted adult looks like when…well, unbalanced. 

So back to why a Gifted Adult would want balance…Jacobsen suggests that the spiritual cornerstone of a gifted adult is Advanced Development and the authentic pursuit of a higher purpose, to give back and properly honour ourselves compels us find balance.  Failing to find balance means we can never truly attain the higher purpose for which we’re all pre-wired.  A new idea for me.  I’m still turning it around in my brain.  It’s hard for me to reconcile that I can still ‘be me’ in pursuit of a longer term goal.  For example, according to Jacobsen, gifted people have a profound sense of injustice…perhaps laudatory when fighting against child labour laws, more of problem in the work environment when ‘truth telling’ flies in the face of being a ‘team player’.  Jacobsen suggests that pursuit of truth should be balanced by compassion and respect and that before speaking up, one should ask one’s self: if speaking up is tied to one of my most important convictions?  Am I willing to go to the wall for this, no matter what the outcome?  In other words, pick one’s battles.  I get it and it’s probably wise advice but holy moly, I find it very hard to keep quiet and be engaged in the face of what seems to me a mountain of bureaucratic apathy.  Maybe she’s right, I just need a clearer sense of personal purpose.

I figure it is very possible that I am not….ummm, fully evolved and as a result, I had some difficulty with the parts of Jacobsen’s references to connecting with the Divine, as well as some of the generalizations.  She could be right, everything she suggests COULD be true for all gifted people as she defines them, however, I did wonder if everything she said applies to ALL gifted people.  Also, stylistically, I was a little distanced by some of the language, for example, the use of the term Everyday Genius. Finally, Jacobsen believes that gifted adults are the vanguard of humanity, uniquely provided with the tools and responsibility to make this world a better place.  Again, maybe that’s true but I struggle with that idea. 
Nevertheless, I am reluctant to criticize this book as I think it’s terrific that it even exists.  I found it meaningful to me and good food for thought.  Some additional things Jacobsen explores that I found interesting: 

• - a comprehensive gifted self assessment based on Jacobsen’s Evolutionary Intelligence Profile
• - that Jacobsen’s research and personal clinical practice suggests that there is a link between giftedness and anxiety/panic attacks 
• - she includes reference to one of my all time favourite guys: Martin Seligman.  No, I don’t know him.  But I LOVE his concept of Learned Optimism…it’s not about being  gifted, just all around good stuff: check it out.
• - giftedness and being in love/intimate relationships  

Jacobsen touches on being gifted and work.  But only briefly.  However, The Gifted Adult: A Revolutionary Guide for Liberating Everyday Genius at least provides a good starting point for considering giftedness in the workplace.  

 

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