Giftedness in psychology, especially gifted person

A person’s social status, his position in society, the recognition of others and well-being largely depend on his personal qualities. But at the same time, people striving for success devote a fairly large amount of time to education. In order to achieve the best results in life, they are ready to constantly work on themselves. In other words, they strive for self-development. This will allow them to complement and expand their own ideas.

The concept of giftedness is directly related to the topic of personal growth and self-development. After all, people who strive for self-improvement pay great attention to their talents and seek opportunities for their manifestation.

Capabilities

Before considering the concepts of giftedness, talent and genius, it is worth familiarizing yourself with a very complex education, which is a combination of a wide variety of personality qualities that provide him with the opportunity to achieve success in a certain activity. These are abilities. They are not the key to success for a person. Ability is only a potential opportunity. The reality will depend on the hard work, determination and perseverance of a person.

Abilities are formed and continue to develop throughout our lives. This can be confirmed by examples of people who, being in adulthood or even old age, achieved success in invention, literature, painting, etc.

Abilities are based on natural inclinations, which are innate qualities of a person, but not necessarily hereditary. Among them:

ear for music;
impressive lung capacity;
high sensitivity to color discrimination;
increased activity of the left or right hemisphere of the brain, etc.

The concepts of “inclinations”, “ability”, “giftedness”, “talent” and “genius” are closely related to each other. Without certain natural qualities, it is quite difficult for a person to succeed. But even with the existing inclinations, it cannot be guaranteed. After all, they can develop in abilities only if a person systematically studies and works hard. That is, in the process of acquiring skills for a certain activity.

The inclinations and abilities associated with the concept of giftedness have two varieties. Yes, they can be special. Such abilities are associated with specific activities and are manifested in them. They are also common. These abilities include primarily cognitive ones. They are necessary in any activity. A person who has a poor memory or a low level of intelligence will not be able to become, for example, a composer, even if he has a phenomenal ear for music. It is general abilities that determine the level of efficiency and speed of receiving, processing and storing information. They also have a direct impact on the effectiveness of an individual’s interaction with the environment and society.

The entire set of a person’s inclinations, which presupposes that he has a high level of general abilities, is, as a rule, considered giftedness. What is it?

Ambidextra and ambitcerebral talent

In the last few years, a third variant of gifted children has been identified - ambidextrous (equally high development of the right and left hemispheres). This type looks like dual behavior (like two children in one) or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Up to a certain point, the hemispheres work alternately or the abilities inherent in one of them are noticeable. Equal expression of hemisphere activity occurs spontaneously. This literally looks like a breakthrough and a big leap in development. This is the moment of peak brain development. Nowadays, ambidextrous people reach full maturity on average by the age of 16.

Since 2008, psychologists have identified especially gifted children, or ambitcerebral children, among ambidexters. Their hemispheres not only work simultaneously and in parallel, but also solve different problems. For example, a child writes different texts with both hands at the same time. The peak of mental development of especially gifted children occurs even later than that of ambidextrous children - 23-27 years.

The problem is that before this peak, children look overly infantile and developmentally delayed. They have difficulty graduating from school, and have difficulty mastering a profession. But as soon as the leap occurs, they demonstrate outstanding abilities. They become successful professionals and get a well-paid position. It is possible that Albert Einstein belonged to this category (he was kicked out of college twice for problems with mathematics).

Definition of the concept

Today in psychology there is no consensus on what constitutes giftedness. This term is most often used in pedagogy. The concept of giftedness here acts as a complex of those qualities that a person possesses. At the same time, their combination allows a person to successfully acquire knowledge and master the skills of educational activities.

In psychology, there are many points of view regarding the essence of the concept of giftedness. However, most often this quality is associated with a person’s attention, cognitive abilities, thinking, memory, creativity and imagination.

That is why the concept of giftedness includes the following individual abilities:

Observation.
High degree of concentration.
Quick and often spontaneous memorization of heterogeneous information.
Associative thinking, which allows quick access to the data that is stored in human memory.
Original thinking that allows you to find non-standard solutions to a wide variety of problems.
Developed imagination.
Flexibility of thinking, allowing you to operate with categories and concepts from various fields of knowledge.
High degree of logical thinking.

Thus, the concept of giftedness, arising from inclinations and abilities, provides a person with the opportunity to master various types of activities. But, as stated earlier, it is only a potential resource. To achieve success, a person must also have special abilities.

In psychology, the concept of giftedness is considered as a person’s tendency to be creative, as well as his high overall activity. That is why people who have a high level of this characteristic are able to find a sphere of self-realization for themselves in any situation, as well as a specific area in which they will certainly achieve success. In addition, some psychologists also identify such a concept as “special giftedness.” This quality has a direct connection with special abilities.

What is meant by the concept of giftedness? A person's ability in sports, science, art or other field. They can also be artistic. To achieve success, it is important how a person himself feels about his abilities, whether he believes that these qualities should be developed. Often people do not believe in themselves and in their ability to achieve great heights, they refuse those prospects that they could quite successfully turn into reality.

It is necessary to understand that the beginning of any achievement is the moment an individual accepts his essence. Giftedness is not only a great blessing. It is also a big responsibility.

What is included in the definition of giftedness? Let us consider the components and characteristic features of this quality.

What is life like for gifted children at school?

No easier than any other child. At the same time, children with a specific type of giftedness may have different adaptation problems. Perhaps the easiest to adapt to in school are the “academically gifted.” They delight parents and teachers with their successes. They don’t have any special problems communicating with their peers - they are always ready to explain something, help, even “let them copy it off.” And their extracurricular interests usually do not differ from the interests of their classmates.

“Intellectuals” are treated condescendingly at school. They admire their abilities in one area (for example, physics or mathematics) and sometimes forgive complete failure in something else (for example, illiteracy in writing). They often delight the school with their brilliant successes at competitions at various levels. These children are often so absorbed in their intellectual hobbies that they do not feel much need for attention from their classmates. Although they may also have quite persistent selective attachments (for example, among admirers of their “talent”).

Sports and musical abilities in children are revealed quite early. If such schoolchildren achieve very high results in their field, they almost cease to attend a regular public school due to their busyness. Classmates and teachers are left to admire their achievements from afar. Such children often experience emotional distress due to high competition in their “professional” environment.

Some psychologists believe that creatively gifted children in a regular school do not receive proper understanding from adults and peers, and are subject to ridicule and almost bullying. Therefore, the solution is to “place” them in special schools for the gifted.

However, not all experts agree with this point of view. If a child is talented, this does not automatically mean that he will be incompetent in communicating with his peers. Sometimes such children show arrogance towards the children around them (“What should I talk to them about?”) or towards their teachers (“What can they teach me?”). In this case, communication problems will arise. But this is rather a cost of family upbringing, and not at all an attribute of creative talent. Most often, children with artistic, artistic, and poetic abilities enjoy well-deserved admiration in their home class, fame at school, and all kinds of support from teachers.

Thinking outside the box

It is known that most people strive to be like everyone else. They are afraid of appearing abnormal and strange to others. This is why people, as a rule, refuse to have their own opinions and obey the herd mentality. All this literally ruins wonderful careers, prevents talent from developing, and diminishes existing achievements and ambitions. People do not strive to address their “I”. They waste time reading educational books and prefer idle activities in their free time. But if a person has the ability to think outside the box, then this significantly changes his perception of the world around him. It allows individuality to grow and develop. A person gets the opportunity to get closer to himself and realize his own worth.

What is giftedness?

We often wonder why one person is considered gifted or even a genius, while another is not? Do you have to become a genius or can you be born one? How do diseases affect genius, and does nature really rest on the children of geniuses?

To what extent does giftedness depend on genes or on environment? According to the study of psychogeneticists using the example of analyzing the development of abilities of monozygotic twins, giftedness depends approximately half on genetics and half on the environment. And in the part that falls on environmental conditions, approximately half comes from the first two years of life, and of the remaining half, the family environment and society give equal parts. Nowadays, more and more attention is paid to intrauterine development. When an embryo grows, it is not so much the genes in their pure form that influence, but rather the interaction between the embryo and the environment; all kinds of stress and diseases can very powerfully affect the child’s abilities.

There is an opinion that “nature rests on the children of geniuses,” that they are much less or not at all talented compared to their parents. If we are dealing with genuine genius, this probably means that the corresponding 200-300 genes have come together in a very successful combination. If such a person has a child, then his genes are half mixed with the genes of his spouse, and such a successful combination will most likely no longer exist, but some of the genes will remain, so the child of a genius will most likely be gifted. But if we talk about the child of a simply gifted person, then the chance that his child will inherit giftedness is quite high.

There are cases where people with mental illness can be gifted in a particular area. This optimistic view is now being greatly reinforced by the media. Unfortunately, according to statistics, we can say the opposite - autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy are often accompanied by low IQ and do not contribute to giftedness. However, there are striking exceptions when a disease transforms the brain in such a way that this transformation benefits giftedness. For example, in epilepsy, there is a focus of increased arousal in the brain, which in severe cases leads to seizures. And if this focus throws its activation into the part of the brain that is responsible for a certain ability, then it may happen that the pathology will work as an extra source of energy for, for example, artistic or mathematical abilities. However, the difficulty here is that an epileptic seizure is akin to rebooting a computer, and after it the process is interrupted, which contributes to a greater extent not to mathematical, but to artistic abilities.

Also, giftedness in the case of illness, of course, is accompanied by successful environmental influences - parents make great efforts to educate and create the proper conditions for a special child.

Desire to know

It doesn’t matter what area a person turns his attention to - music, dancing or reading. The main thing is the desire to do something

Moreover, be sure to devote most of your time to your occupation. The desire to learn becomes a source of courage and enthusiasm, the desire to take risks and implement the most, at first glance, incredible ideas. All this fills the individual with new energy and brings him happiness.

Tendency to solitude

Gifted people, such as artists and writers, are known to become completely self-absorbed. This happens because a creative person needs to have a certain personal space.

It allows you to slowly think about your plans and analyze what is happening. A person deprived of such a perspective ceases to feel safe. He regains a sense of comfort only after receiving peace and quiet, which allows great masterpieces to be born.

Signs of giftedness

Most of all, this quality applies to children. After all, in adults, the existing giftedness should already develop into talent. A child who differs from his peers in his high level of abilities is certainly a reason for parents to be proud. He develops faster and is in many ways ahead of other children. And if parents have knowledge of what the signs of a child’s giftedness are, then they will be the first to see the emergence of individuality in their child and provide an opportunity for its development. What are the potential capabilities that a person possesses?

Classification of giftedness

The main modern concepts of giftedness involve dividing this phenomenon according to different criteria.

By type of inclination

Academic

It is an opportunity to quickly learn new things, assimilate certain knowledge and skills and quickly apply them in practice. It can also be defined as a certain mindset. The presence of this type is especially important when conducting research activities. To a lesser extent in teaching practice. Includes three components. Intellectual as the basis, motivation, leading progress forward and creative component. Thanks to the last component, it is possible to introduce new features into the application of knowledge and skills and solve problems in a non-trivial way.

Intelligent

Intellectual giftedness is characterized by initially increased cognitive abilities. Primarily abstract thinking. The ability to analyze (decompose the whole into parts), synthesize (generalize), use the conceptual apparatus, formalize phenomena, give them a verbal form (give definitions), operate with judgments, make deductive and inductive conclusions, think by analogy. This is only part of the whole. In addition, this also includes memory, the ability not only to remember, but also to arbitrarily reproduce with one’s own interpretation. Intelligence consists of many components.

One can include in this area increased sensitivity (sensitivity), a high degree of curiosity from an early age, which can be considered as tactlessness, which is, of course, false. Often this form occurs in parallel with the academic one. Children and people with high intellectual abilities usually learn quickly, including on their own. They have initiative, have such features as non-standard thinking, purposefulness in mental activity.

Creative

If academic talent manifests itself more in the intellectual sphere, like the intellectual itself, this is in increased sensitivity. The right hemisphere of the brain works predominantly. The person is creative, thinks outside the box, shows interest in music, fine arts, and working with the means of language. Musical and motor talent is characterized by increased body plasticity. Since creative potential comes from approximately the same premises, the same person can quickly develop different abilities. This is proven, among other things, by the many people simultaneously engaged in music, artistic activity and other types of art with certain successes in each.

The highest degree of creative talent in any named field is called genius. It is rare.

Sometimes sports talent is included in a separate area. Having good reflexes, understanding the essence of the activity, a good eye and other specific inclinations.

At the moment of manifestation of the property

Innate talent

Occurs spontaneously. Basically, this is the result of a combination of qualities inherited from different ancestors. Occurs especially often. Without sufficient development, it fades away just as quickly.

Acquired form

The result of long and painstaking work. The reverse development of the process takes place. If in a classic situation everything goes according to the inclinations-skills-result scheme, in this case everything works like this: long-term activity-experience-giftedness. Such individuals achieve greater results than most natural talents because they work without ceasing.

By age aspect

Children's giftedness
Adult form. A person does not always know about his own inclinations; disclosure may be greatly delayed

Based on the degree of disclosure

Potential giftedness

This is a rough guide. The extent to which a person can achieve success in his chosen field.

Real

What is available at the moment. These are very approximate and rough estimates. The degree of maturity of giftedness can be differentiated through various tests; this is already a matter of diagnosis.

There is also a more extensive method of division

General variety

The general talent of children is manifested in the ability to successfully engage in creative and intellectual activities. However, it does not always occur and not for everyone.

Special

Defined by one specific aspect. How does general giftedness affect special giftedness? Without a special approach - negative. Because a person cannot complete anything, because everything works out and interest quickly disappears. This is a problem of too many deposits.

Types of giftedness are not just a theoretical calculation. Thanks to understanding the essence of the issue, educational psychologists have the opportunity to guide young people in the right direction.

Fast development

What does the concept of giftedness include at an early age? A gifted child first appears between three and five years of age. This is the time when the formation of his personality takes place. The baby begins to realize his abilities and talents, realizing that he is doing something very well. The child, comparing himself with his peers, begins to realize that he is different from them.

A clear sign of giftedness is progressive development. If a child at 3-4 years old can already read syllables, then you should pay special attention to him. After all, this child has his own rhythm of life, and soon he will no longer be interested in communicating with his peers. He will reach out to older children or adults. With an ever-increasing pace of development, we can talk about genius.

Development of giftedness

Are there any specific genes responsible for giftedness? Despite the search for genes, it is impossible to talk about the presence of one single gene that determines giftedness. We can only consider individual genes, up to one and a half dozen, that provide each ability. For example, according to DNA analysis and a genetic passport, already at the age of one or two years one can see greater endurance due to the special structure of proteins, optimally configured blood vessels and high cardiac output, thereby predicting high abilities for physical achievements. However, this is just a predisposition - whether a person becomes a famous athlete will be further influenced by upbringing and the amount of training. One great violinist, in response to admiring press reviews of his genius, said resentfully: “Since I was five, I’ve been playing the violin every day for 12 hours, and they call me a genius.”

In more subtle areas, for example, artistic, mathematical, pedagogical talent, there are much more of these genes influencing them, the number goes into hundreds. These are genes for a number of hormones that activate brain function, genes that control brain assembly during embryonic development, genes that are responsible for brain function in adulthood - this list is large and has not yet been sufficiently studied. It is not enough to know about genes; it is also important to know how they interact, and creating a mathematical model of genetic endowment is still a long way off. However, even with this genetic passport, parents will need to remember about the child’s own will. A very important factor is the joy of this or that type of activity, which engages the pleasure center in the development of abilities.

Is it possible to develop giftedness with the help of special drugs? Such drugs exist, but they fall into the category of narcotic, psychomotor stimulants. They allow the brain to work much more actively than usual for some time. And with this surge of activation, a person can make significant progress in his abilities. Some great works of art and brilliant breakthroughs in the knowledge of various fields were made under the influence of stimulants. However, such an influence is not harmless - when artificially influenced, nerve cells begin to resist and act in the opposite direction. And to maintain a high level of activation, increasingly large doses of the drug are needed, and at the moment of failure, a sharp rollback occurs. This is how addiction is formed.

Love of reading

Today there are few children who enjoy reading fiction. Their books remain unclaimed. But the concept of giftedness in children necessarily implies a love of reading.

For such a child, a book is an opportunity to participate in an exciting adventure, full of amazing discoveries and mysterious secrets. If there is such a sign of giftedness, parents need to do their best to support it in their child.

The desire for self-expression

Gifted children do their best to demonstrate their own position. From an early age, they defend their point of view and want their opinion to be listened to. It is also important for them to be recognized, since talent certainly strives for self-expression. Such children will never hide from people what they really think, even if they remain misunderstood by others. By the age of 3-5, such a child is a bright individual. And adults cannot impose their opinion or force him to do anything. All this speaks of the little person’s self-sufficiency, which finds expression in stubbornness.

Favourite buisness

Very rarely do children, even as teenagers, think about what they want to do in life. But this does not at all apply to someone who is gifted. Such children already have plans for the future in elementary school. They don’t need adult advice, because it will only lead them astray.

Having a child’s own business is a sure sign of his talent. It is important for adults to pay attention to this and begin to develop the activities of the little person that he likes.

Giftedness problems

Giftedness is a deviation with a plus sign. This is a deviation from the average statistical norm, but in a positive direction. Any deviation requires the attention of a psychologist and causes misunderstanding on the part of society.

What difficulties do gifted children face?

bullying by classmates, incompetent adults and teachers;
loss of motivation to learn (the program is too simple);
internal anxiety due to the inability to fully realize potential.

Gifted children are antisocial if they understand that the environment is not suitable for them. They express their negative attitude towards studying (due to boredom) by violating discipline and absenteeism. Social (leadership) talent, developing chaotically, results in destructive behavior and hooliganism. In a regular school, gifted children inevitably have problems with adaptation.

The child does not understand his giftedness, and even if he senses it intuitively, he is lost without the support of an adult. In conditions of uncontrolled giftedness, the child is arrogant and selfish. For him, other children are not interesting, especially since he sees his superiority. To prevent such reactions, competent work of parents and psychologists is necessary:

timely identification of giftedness;
directing it in the right direction (appropriate training);
explaining the normality of this phenomenon and preventing the birth of a god complex (education).

In psychology, there is the concept of “giftedness syndrome,” which implies a person’s painful pride, a constant desire to assert himself and demonstrate abilities. Later this causes neuroses, depression, and disorders. Some gifted children reach great heights in the future, some become “average”, and some make history (art, science), but often end their lives early and sadly.

The education system promotes holistic personal development and an individual approach to each child. But in practice this is not implemented everywhere. Yes, and it is physically difficult to simultaneously work with gifted, lagging, and normally developing children. And in the classrooms such a “vinaigrette” is obtained, especially in rural schools or small towns, where there is no differentiation in the educational system and there is one institution for everyone.

Types of giftedness

Potential opportunities can be grouped according to various criteria. Their classification is made according to intensity, which includes expressed and unexpressed talent, according to the time of occurrence (early and late), etc. However, when considering the concept and types of giftedness, the most popular grouping of such abilities is based on the area of their manifestation. According to this they are:

In practical activities. This category includes natural talent for crafts, sports, or organizational skills.
In intellectual and theoretical pursuits (the field of science).
In the artistic and aesthetic direction. Abilities in drawing, music and sculpture are considered here.
In the communication field. An example of this is oratory.
In the spiritual and value direction. This group includes activities related to serving society and creating new values.

It is worth keeping in mind that giftedness does not only manifest itself at an early age. That is why adults should not give up those sports, spiritual, intellectual and creative activities that they strive for in order to master the relevant skills. In other words, the concepts of inclination, giftedness and talent are not alien to them. It is quite possible that by doing what they love, adults will be able to find new abilities in themselves and develop them.

Giftedness can also be classified according to the degree of its expression. To do this, you need to mentally imagine a certain scale along which human abilities will be located.

And here the concept and types of giftedness can be distributed accordingly, starting from zero (in the absence of potential) to its highest values, which corresponds to genius.

There is also a classification by shape. In this case, they distinguish between obvious talent, which is noticeable to everyone, and also hidden, which has not yet manifested itself. In the latter case, an erroneous conclusion is often made about a person’s lack of potential. However, they can always appear quite unexpectedly. This happens when external conditions change or due to any events relating to the internal psychological world.

According to the breadth of its manifestation, giftedness can be general or special. The first of these two types finds its manifestation in most areas of human activity. Special talent concerns only specific areas.

Actual and potential talent

Vrpros.

In psychology, giftedness is a special level of development of personal abilities. Today, there is constant interest in the issue of giftedness, both in the field of science and in society. And not always famous people who are considered geniuses are truly brilliant from the point of view of science. Giftedness is a phenomenon known even to children. Giftedness in psychology is a property that allows its owner to achieve extraordinary results in activities. This can apply to one or several areas of life in which a person can be gifted at the same time. Also giftedness in the case of illness, of course, it is accompanied by successful environmental influences - parents make great efforts to educate and create the proper conditions for a special child.

Question 2. Signs of giftedness.

To identify a child’s giftedness, psychologists focus on the parameters “I want” and “can”, to eat, the presence of motivation for a certain activity, interest and pleasure from it, the appearance of this motivation in the activity, which are already visible results of abilities. The motivational side of giftedness as “I want” is determined by the fact that the child selectively reacts with great attention to individual stimuli. For example, when listening to the sounds of music, he listens, freezes and is able to listen to the sounds of music for a long time instead of games. The child is ready not only to be interested, but also wants to strive to bring his hobby to the highest result, receives personal satisfaction from this. These aspirations are an investment of energy resources in the chosen area and necessarily have their results, associated with the next sign of giftedness - this is activity. The active side of giftedness as “I can,” in addition to the fact that it is a continuation of the desire to engage in a certain activity and, as a result of this motivation, logically leads to high results, is also associated with the ability to quickly and successfully assimilate information, find new non-standard solutions, go deeper into the activity and set goals goals are more complex. Giftedness in a certain area is manifested in the master’s own style of action, the personal style of the master, confirming his originality and the creative nature of his abilities as opposed to simply learned methods of action. The result of this style is a unique product of activity. Psychologist define giftedness as the ability to create new meanings.

3Characteristics of gifted children.

Gifted children always stand out from other children. Characteristics of gifted children: 1) need for knowledge. Children with greater potential tend to strive for more and more new knowledge. This property appears very early and accompanies it throughout their lives. 2) hypersensitivity to problems. We can safely say that quality distinguishes a true creative person from mediocrity. 3) A tendency to solve divergent type problems. These are any problematic or creative problems that have many possible solutions. 4) originality and flexibility of thinking. Originality of thinking is manifested in everything: in the child’s drawings, writing and fantasy, in design, etc. Flexibility of thinking largely depends on the methods of assimilation. 5) ease of generating ideas or fluency of thinking. A gifted child reacts to a complex problem situation in this way, giving many options for solving it. Of these, he will definitely choose the optimal one. 6) ease of association. They see connections and analogues where an ordinary child, and an adult too, may not immediately recognize them. 7) ability to forecast. 8) high concentration of attention. They tend to be completely immersed in a task and complete the task for a long time. 9) excellent memory. This is the most important factor in giftedness. 10) ability to evaluate. He can evaluate his own actions, as well as the actions and thoughts of other people. 11) breadth of interests. The interests of gifted children are very stable, that is, such children are dedicated to their work and achieve their goals with perseverance.

Question 4 Experts differentiate children's giftedness in one more aspect. If it is manifested by a child at a given time and is clearly noticed by teachers, psychologists, and parents, then it is called “current” giftedness. And on the contrary, if giftedness is not immediately noticeable or obvious to others, then it is classified as “potential” giftedness. It is known that children who did not excel in childhood achieved outstanding results in adulthood. The potential may not be manifested until a certain time for various reasons. The inattention of parents, teachers, and other adults to the subtle movements of the child’s soul, lack of knowledge, intuition did not work. It often happens that, due to misunderstanding, they did not notice these outstanding potential capabilities in the child, underestimated and even considered creative manifestations and intellectual initiative as negative properties, considering completely different ones to be the most valuable. The fact of the existence of actual and potential talent raises the problem of predicting its development. What signs, personality traits, character traits, characteristics of behavior and activity can indicate to an adult that a child may become an outstanding scientist, artist, or leader in the future? In childhood, giftedness can be considered as the potential for mental development of an individual in relation to subsequent stages of life. The specificity of giftedness in childhood (as opposed to the giftedness of an adult) is manifested in the following: 1) Giftedness often acts as a manifestation of the laws of age-related development. Each childhood age is characterized by its own prerequisites for the development of abilities. In preschool - a special predisposition to mastering languages, a high level of curiosity, and vivid imagination; in adolescence - various forms of poetic and literary creativity, etc. This often creates the appearance of giftedness. 2) Under the influence of changes in age, education, mastery of norms of cultural behavior, type of family upbringing, etc. signs of children's giftedness may fade. 3) The formation of children's giftedness can manifest itself in the form of uneven mental development. Along with a high level of development of some abilities, there may be a lag in the development of others. As a result, according to some characteristics, a child can be considered gifted, but according to others, as lagging behind in mental development. 4) Often, a good result of teaching and raising a child in favorable living conditions (when the family makes efforts to develop it) can be difficult to distinguish from the manifestation of child talent.

Question 5 There are different types of giftedness. Depending on what criterion is used as the basis for the classification, the following types of giftedness are distinguished: actual and potential, obvious and hidden, general and special, early and late giftedness. Actual giftedness is a psychological characteristic of a child who has existing indicators of mental development, which are manifested in a higher level of performance in a specific subject area compared to age and social norms. Potential giftedness is a psychological characteristic of a child who has only certain mental capabilities (potential) for high achievements in a particular type of activity, but he cannot realize his capabilities at a given point in time due to their functional insufficiency. Obvious giftedness is revealed in the child’s activities quite clearly and clearly (as if “by itself”), even under unfavorable conditions. Hidden talent manifests itself in a somewhat disguised form; it is not noticed by others. General talent manifests itself in various types of activities and acts as the basis for their productivity. The psychological basis of general talent is the result of the integration of mental abilities, motivational sphere and value system. Special talent reveals itself in specific types of activities and is usually defined in relation to certain areas (poetry, music, sports). Early and late giftedness are distinguished according to the criterion of “features of age-related development.” In addition, the following types of giftedness are distinguished. Psychomotor ability. This type of giftedness is studied in sports psychology. There is a whole network of educational institutions that develop these abilities - sports schools, sections, clubs, etc. Artistic talent. This type of giftedness is supported and developed in special schools, clubs, and studios. It implies high achievements in the field of artistic creativity and performing skills in music, painting, sculpture, and acting abilities. General intellectual and academic talent. Children with general intellectual giftedness quickly grasp concepts and easily remember and retain information. Their highly developed information processing abilities allow them to achieve success in many areas of knowledge. A child’s academic talent is manifested in successful learning in individual academic subjects and is considered more private and selective. Children with this type of giftedness can show high results in ease, depth, and speed of progress - in mathematics, physics or a foreign language, literature, and sometimes have poor performance in other subjects that are not so easy for them.

6 Question General talent is manifested in various types of activities and acts as the basis for their productivity. The psychological basis of general talent is the result of the integration of mental abilities, motivational sphere and value system. Special talent reveals itself in specific types of activities and is usually defined in relation to certain areas (poetry, music, sports).

Question No. 37. Independence and perfectionism

The desire for creative activity is considered a distinctive characteristic of such gifted children. These students, as a rule, show increased independence in the learning process and therefore need adult help to a lesser extent than their classmates. Sometimes teachers mistake a student’s independence when completing assignments for giftedness: he chose the material himself, analyzed it and wrote an essay, etc.

Excessive interference from teachers and excessive care from parents can have a negative impact on the progress of gifted students’ education, inhibit the development of self-regulation processes, and lead to loss of independence and motivation to learn new things.

Motivational signs of gifted children are a high level of cognitive need, great curiosity, passionate dedication to what they love, and the presence of pronounced internal motivation. From early childhood, gifted children demonstrate an intense interest in learning, displaying an amazing ability to concentrate on a problem and even a kind of obsession.

A significant portion of gifted children are characterized by so-called perfectionism, that is, the desire to achieve perfection in performing activities. Sometimes a child spends hours redoing an already completed work (an essay, a drawing, a model), achieving compliance with one criterion of perfection known to him. Although in general this characteristic is positive, in the future turning into a guarantee of a high level of professional achievements, teachers and psychologists nevertheless need to introduce such exactingness within a reasonable framework. Otherwise, this quality turns into a kind of “self-criticism”, the inability to complete the work.

Consistently high self-esteem, on the one hand, is a distinctive characteristic of a gifted child. On the other hand, his current self-esteem may fluctuate. It is this inconsistency of self-esteem that is the condition for the progressive development of his personality and abilities. Hence, the strategy for encouraging a gifted child, or any child, should be quite restrained - you cannot constantly praise him. It is necessary to accustom him to the idea of the possibility of failure. Moreover, the child himself should perceive the presence of constant success as evidence of the insufficient difficulty of the activity that is offered to him and which he undertakes.

Question No. 38 Psychopathic behavior of orphaned children

Unfortunately, children with a high level of intelligence and extraordinary abilities may exhibit character traits that make it difficult to communicate with them, or even severe psychopathic manifestations. Their increased mental capabilities may seem to fade into the background, and severe conflicts with others come to the fore. The oddities and shortcomings of their character lead to the fact that those around them focus primarily on what is bad about these children. For some of their teachers and many fellow students, only the thorns are visible, and the roses themselves are hidden from them.

Question No. 39 Problems in relationships with peers

The normal development and adaptation of gifted children in society is hampered by socio-psychological and personal difficulties. Social and psychological problems of gifted children very often manifest themselves in forms of maladaptive behavior, such as, for example, associative and aggressive. A child’s protest against the attitude of peers and adults towards him, dissatisfaction with relationships, long-term suppression of his important needs - can take forms of demonstrative asociality and defensive aggression in behavior. Such a child behaves defiantly, reacts violently and unkindly to the actions and assessments of others, indulges in non-normative, even clearly antisocial behavior: spoils things, swears obscenely, fights, etc. A child with early mental blossoming often has difficulties in relationships with peers. It is known that conflicts that arise in the process of children communicating with each other are inevitable. For gifted children, the situation is complicated by the fact that the difficulties that children experience in establishing and maintaining good relationships with their peers are enhanced by their high mental and speech development. In other words, the abilities of gifted children are a kind of barrier separating them from their “average” peers. There are often cases when the general mass of schoolchildren does not accept extraordinary peers, expels them from their ranks, hanging offensive labels. They begin to actively reject such a student and try to put him in an awkward position. And the one, in order not to be rejected, strives to be “like everyone else”: he avoids revealing himself to be the most knowledgeable or, even more so, the most diligent, withdraws into himself, withdraws

Vrpros.

Question 2. Signs of giftedness.

3Characteristics of gifted children.

Actual and potential talent

Actual giftedness is a psychological characteristic of a child with such existing (already achieved) indicators of mental development that are manifested in a higher level of performance in a specific subject area compared to age and social norms. In this case, we are talking not only about educational activities, but also about a wide range of different types of activities.

Talented children constitute a special category of actually gifted children. It is believed that a talented child is a child whose achievements meet the requirement of objective novelty and social significance. As a rule, a specific product of a talented child’s activity is assessed by an expert (a highly qualified specialist in the relevant field of activity) as meeting, to one degree or another, the criteria of professional skill and creativity.

Potential giftedness is a psychological characteristic of a child who has only certain mental capabilities (potential) for high achievements in a particular type of activity, but cannot realize their capabilities at a given point in time due to their functional insufficiency. The development of this potential can be hampered by a number of unfavorable reasons (difficult family circumstances, insufficient motivation, low level of self-regulation, lack of the necessary educational environment, etc.).

Talent

What does this concept mean? If we consider the concept of inclination, giftedness and talent, then by the last of them we mean special abilities that are at a very high level. It is believed that this is a gift that a person receives from God. Inclinations form the basis of talent and create conditions for achieving success in a certain field of activity and developing talent. However, when will the talent take place? The concepts of ability and giftedness will certainly precede the attainment of this highest level of mastery. A person will have to, despite his natural abilities, work hard, persistently mastering the methods and techniques of certain activities. That is, to go through the path of development and further improvement of abilities. Only this will allow you to become a master of your craft, and not just a craftsman. Otherwise, as people say, he will bury his talent in the ground.

Experts note that almost all children can be called potentially gifted at birth. And only on the process of upbringing and the child’s own perseverance will it depend in the future whether his talent will turn from potential to real.

Giftedness

The article is based on an interview (07.07.04) with Victoria Solomonovna Yurkevich, head.
sector “Psychology of Gifted Children” of Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, professor, State Prize laureate and simply a talented – gifted person. V.S. Yurkevich has more than one hundred and sixty publications (articles, monographs) in the field of “gifted children.” The concept of “giftedness” is a unique combination of abilities on which the possibility of achieving success in performing one or another activity depends. The peculiarity of the concepts of “giftedness” and “ability” is that the properties of a person are considered in them from the point of view of the requirements that this or that practical activity places on him. Therefore, we can talk about talent for something, for some activity. The concept of “giftedness” becomes meaningless if it is considered as a biological category. The understanding of giftedness depends significantly on the value attached to certain types of activities. Many psychologists have studied the phenomenon of giftedness in children. American psychologist Howard Gardner described the characteristics of manifestations and examples of kinesthetic, spatial, logical-mathematical, musical, linguistic and social giftedness in children. Creativity is a person’s creative potential and is the most important factor in giftedness. American psychologist Paul Torrance explains the concept of creativity as a process that is generated by a person’s strong need to relieve stress that arises in a situation of information deficiency, the search for which includes defining a problem, putting forward hypotheses, etc. “Creativity means digging deeper, looking better, correcting mistakes, talking to a cat, diving into the deep, walking through walls, lighting up the sun, building a castle in the sand, welcoming the future.” Creativity can manifest itself in thinking, communication, certain types of activities and characterize the personality as a whole and (or) its individual abilities. A person's creative capabilities are not directly and directly related to his ability to learn. Many domestic scientists are engaged in research into children's giftedness. Victoria Solomonovna Yurkevich is a well-known scientific researcher in the field of “Gifted Children”. She believes that children’s giftedness is characterized by its degree, quality, originality and other indicators. Tests cannot be used to identify particularly gifted children. The essence of children's special giftedness is a particularly bright and powerful cognitive need. Normal giftedness is when these types of giftedness are included in a number of other needs. Especially gifted children have an extreme cognitive need. Psychologists talk about the so-called “desynchrony”, i.e. uneven development of a particularly gifted child. Mentally and intellectually, such a child is extremely developed, but everything else: social development, understanding of human relationships, family relationships, communication with peers and understanding of their interests - is underdeveloped and sometimes lags behind. In gifted children, as we see, their development occurs according to completely different principles. Gifted children are a risk group, and especially gifted children are a special risk group, since they are not sufficiently adapted to their living environment. High intelligence often does not meet the expectations of the environment, and from this point of view, they, of course, belong to the risk group. Natural prerequisites, genetics, are initially of great importance. At six months, special attention can be observed in especially gifted children; they linger their gaze on new objects for a long time (i.e., innate inclinations already have a difference). All children need to develop their abilities. And especially gifted children, regardless of their inclinations. Here's an example. If a particularly gifted child ends up in a family where there is no developmental environment, then these inclinations will still not turn into abilities. No one can be born gifted, since there are no abilities by nature, but there is something that we call inclinations, which may or may not turn into abilities. For many children, these inclinations have not turned into abilities. The numbers are monstrous. About 70% of children go through life with undeveloped abilities. It follows that abilities must be developed! The role of education in the formation of giftedness is important. It is necessary from childhood to look at what the child’s nature is and educate based on individuality, carefully monitor the development and inclinations of the child. This is the problem of education. Education must clearly focus on the natural uniqueness, the mental uniqueness that a given child represents. And only then follow the path that the child actually chooses to one degree or another himself. Development is the food that we adults will give, we are educators. If abilities have been formed, they cannot disappear, because abilities come from the word “method”. If a person has learned to ride a bicycle, then after many years, these skills are retained. Same with abilities. Another thing is that when they talk about an adult, they mean something else. Abilities and achievements are not commensurate. Most gifted children, at the level at which their abilities have developed, often cannot realize themselves. This situation is due to a number of circumstances. This is a kind of “risk group”. If a person with normal abilities “grows up” - achieves a normal apartment, a car, a good family, but a gifted person cannot do this, cannot realize himself for people, then for him this is a crisis. This pain often leads to mental illness. There is such a concept: a “social crisis” is a failure of one’s life to live up to what it promised. These people are often difficult in interpersonal communication. It's very difficult with them. Many gifted people have a serious state of unfulfillment. Such people are ready to live in poverty for the sake of fulfillment. Usually society is interested in scientific discoveries, and therefore, creative, gifted people. Society rests on two things: continuity and change. But there is a Chinese proverb: “God forbid we live in an era of change,” therefore, on the one hand, society needs bright, talented people, and on the other hand, it restricts the access of geniuses. Some countries suffer from a lack of creative people and are forced to engage in “brain drain” - importing brains. The need to leave oneself in society and history is more inherent in gifted people, like the desire to be immortal. The main obstacle to the realization of giftedness is in gifted children themselves. Inability to manage oneself is a lack of self-regulation. Gifted children do not need to make volitional efforts to do things they don’t like. Such a child will never learn to do what he does not like, i.e. will not force himself, show will, strong-willed skills, but you need to overcome failures, be able to do routine and monotonous work, and bring the job to the end. All these are shortcomings of self-government, shortcomings of communicating with people. The task of the psychologist in this case is very important. Psychologists from Moscow State University of Psychology and Education took part in the interview. Consent Yurkevich V.S. available for publication of interview materials. Giftedness is a special level of development of personal abilities in psychology. Today, there is constant interest in the issue of giftedness, both in the field of science and in society. And famous people who are considered geniuses are not always truly brilliant from a scientific point of view. Even Alexander the Great, whom the average person would probably consider a genius, was unlikely to be one; he was just a successful student of the true genius Aristotle. And today this is often the result not of personal abilities, but of the help of behind-the-scenes forces - coaches, trainers, PR people, a whole team of professionals. Without it, a person cannot be so exceptionally successful in his business.

Giftedness is a phenomenon known even to children. They were asked what they knew about giftedness, and this is what they answered: “Giftedness is a talent when you are very good at something.” “Giftedness is when a person has a special gift, such as singing.” This understanding corresponds to the everyday concept of giftedness in adults. However, how does science reveal the concept of giftedness?

Giftedness in psychology is a property that allows its owner to achieve extraordinary results in activities. This can apply to one or several areas of life in which a person can be gifted at the same time. A bright, extremely rare talent, when a person differs so significantly from others in his performance results that he makes a breakthrough in an area of interest to him or even in several, is called genius.

Genius

This phenomenon is also associated with the level of human abilities. Nevertheless, it occurs quite rarely in life. On the one hand, giftedness and genius are concepts closely related to each other. On the other hand, the last of them is a phenomenon that goes beyond the upper values of the mental norm. That is why people with such abilities are very rare in life.

Genius, despite being outside the normal range, is not at all a disease or pathology. It’s just that a person’s abilities in this case significantly exceed the standard norm that is accepted in society. They allow geniuses to achieve success in several areas of activity at once. In addition, such people, as a rule, influence the development of human society. And if a talented person differs from a capable person in the level of his capabilities in quantitative terms, then a genius already has qualitative differences. After all, he has the highest level of human capabilities.

A genius can be called someone who:

has an unusual perception of the environment;
thinks outside the box;
has the highest degree of creativity, which manifests itself spontaneously, which allows new original ideas to arise naturally and easily;
has intuitive thinking that is ahead of rational thinking.

Brilliant people are characterized by such traits as passion and interest, which often turns into obsession. They can achieve success in any field, thanks not only to talent and talent, but also to dedication, perseverance and hard work.

Children's giftedness and development potential

What is children's giftedness in principle? First of all, this is the endowment of the child with certain expressed abilities. But no less important is the second condition - the child’s desire to demonstrate these abilities in activities and, in addition, to test his capabilities in new situations.

Children's giftedness presupposes creative potential, which includes a high level of development of cognitive processes, the presence of abilities, need-motivational levers, and the child’s personal characteristics. This creative potential can unfold if the conditions are conducive to it.

But in real life there are many obstacles that suppress a child’s potential. For example, the creative inclinations of a child may be alien to a given family: the child is endowed with musical abilities, while his parents have little interest in music and do not pay attention to this area of development. Or parents, noticing the child’s intelligence, fill him with interactive toys so that he gets carried away with the game for a long time and does not distract them from their own affairs.

There is no point in expecting that if a child has been given special abilities, then sooner or later they will manifest themselves. Children's giftedness needs support from adults, but for this they must be more knowledgeable about this topic.

Features of children's giftedness

The development of a child’s extraordinary abilities largely depends on the conditions that adults provide him. And these are not educational toys, children's aids, etc., although they are useful. We are talking about different conditions.

Early childhood giftedness occurs only where parents and educators provide children with psychological safety and psychological freedom in their activities.

Psychological safety is manifested in respect for the child as an individual, no matter how small he is. Talents do not develop through prohibitions and repressions, through criticism and unreasonable restrictions on independence.

Psychological freedom is ensured by the fact that adults do not allow any restrictions in the child’s expression of his feelings and experiences. The kid has every right to be angry if something doesn’t work out for him; jump with joy that he succeeded in making a craft, even at the cost of a table smeared with glue (many adults try to make a child feel guilty in such a situation).

When studying children's giftedness, both intellectual and personal components are considered. Three factors definitely influence talent development:

The inclinations inherent in the child himself;
Environmental conditions (what conditions are created in the family, relationships with parents and other significant adults);
Personal factor (motivation, cognitive activity of the child).

Openness to experience and dominance of self-esteem are important. If a preschooler is focused on a result that adults will praise, the discovery will not take place for him.

Psychologists almost unanimously state that the parenting style prevailing in a particular family also greatly influences the development of a preschooler’s giftedness. If parents suppress the child with their authoritarianism, or with excessive care they protect the child from independent actions, they do not give the child the opportunity to develop his extraordinary abilities.