Stigmatization

The psychosocial experience of giftedness is also a rich area of inquiry. There are a myriad of messages and expectations about giftedness in the [Page 834]general population. Gifted youth can be buffeted by these sometimes unrealistic, incompatible messages. What's more, the paradox of being both lauded and spurned for the same behaviors is a source of conflict for these children. They are left to wonder how best to please themselves and others. Tracy Cross and Laurence Coleman have suggested that the social cognition of gifted youth deserves attention.

Social cognition is manifested in the integration of social experiences with behavior. Social cognition describes the way people think and reason about social situations as they observe the social world around them. People use social cognitive processes to ...