The term “gifted” refers to a higher than normal intellectual aptitude. It was used for the first time in 1946 by a neuropsychiatrist, to qualify a child who possessed skills clearly superior to the capacities of other children of the same age. Also referred to as “high potential”. If giftedness is often mentioned in a school context, this characteristic does not only affect children. Many adults are gifted who have never been diagnosed as such. What are the evocative signs of a possible giftedness? (2nd parag.) And if you were too, how could you turn this particularity into a strength? (3rd par.)
Giftedness can take different forms. Contrary to popular belief, being gifted does not necessarily mean having been at the top of the class throughout one's schooling. In reality, this extraordinary intelligence translates more into a mode of reasoning different from that adopted by most people. In no way does it guarantee success; on the contrary, many gifted people suffer from this difference and struggle to live with (1) .
Gifted people show an insatiable curiosity about everything around them. They are also hyperactive and hypersensitive. Their way of reasoning is based on associations of ideas (we speak of reasoning in tree structure). There are several forms of giftedness, the best known being without doubt “high intellectual potential” (HPI) or “very high intellectual potential” (THPI). A scientific consensus has set the value of the intelligence quotient of a person with HPI at 130 — a threshold that corresponds to two standard deviations above the mean.
But this is only a number, and an IQ test is not enough to make a diagnosis of HPI:a complete psychological assessment must also be carried out by a professional. Again, it's important to understand that someone at HPI doesn't have to be a whiz; it is distinguished above all by its cognitive approach and its creativity. Their relationship to the world and their social ties are also very different from those of the average person.
For many practitioners, giftedness is limited to HPI. However, there is another form of giftedness:high emotional potential (HPE) or very high emotional potential (THPE). It corresponds to particularly developed emotional aptitudes, to a form of emotional intelligence. Note that people at HPE do not necessarily have a very high IQ; on the other hand, they have a very high emotional quotient. This is reflected in particular by hypersensitivity (emotional and sensory) and highly developed empathy:these people thus have the ability to easily understand what others are feeling. They are also particularly sensitive to any form of injustice.
Be careful not to confuse hypersensitivity and HPE! Admittedly, this is a characteristic found in many people at HPE, but it is very common to be hypersensitive without being HPE. Finally, like HPIs, HPEs adopt a tree-like thinking mode and show perfectionism in everything they do. They also have the impression of being permanently out of step with others, of not being in their place, which can cause great suffering. “A mismatch in interests or because you feel like you are always going faster than others “says Blandine Berthet, clinical psychologist. A constantly "boiling" brain, unanswered questions, injustices against which we are powerless, can also cause stress and anxiety, even obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD).
Note that some research also mentions a "high creative potential" (2) . Individuals belonging to this category would have an exceptional ability to generate new ideas, adapted to possible contextual constraints.
Psychologists have compiled a list of the main...
