Boys, Gifted

In the 1920s, Lewis Terman, a psychologist interested in young people with high ability, took on the serious task of reshaping American society's view of giftedness. In doing so, Terman's landmark longitudinal investigation, Genetic Studies of Genius, dispelled the stereotypes of gifted children as frail, underdeveloped, and awkward. Through this comprehensive study, Terman showed that a group of gifted boys had grown to become academically achieving, well-adjusted young men. By the time they reached high school, they had varied interests, were active in extracurricular activities, excelled in school, and maintained high personal and professional aspirations. They went on to excel in prestigious colleges, met early success in their careers, and enjoyed stable and long-lasting marriages. In summary, the gifted boys in Terman's study grew to become healthy, intelligent, well-adjusted, high-achieving professionals who made significant social contributions.

Few psychologists in the decades that followed were willing to question the comprehensive research methods or dispute the findings of Terman, one of the most authoritative psychologists of his day. Gifted education pioneer and psychologist Leta Hollingworth later challenged Terman's views of gifted boys, particularly in pointing out that children with IQs of 160 or above were prone to social [Page 102]and emotional problems. Terman's views prevailed, however, and Hollingworth's concerns were overshadowed by Terman's renown. As a result, educators and psychologists viewed gifted boys as the well-adjusted, healthy, high-achieving, well-rounded young men who became the leaders in their respective professions, and failed to consider the possible variations within one of the most heterogeneous populations known.

Five decades after the work of Terman and Hollingworth, Robert Albert, a social psychologist, began a longitudinal study of gifted boys in order to examine the personal and environmental systems that enable eminence to emerge. Albert's theory was that individuals who attained eminence were more talented than others in particular domains, had become career oriented earlier than their peers, and came from families that were significantly different from the norm. Albert sought to identify patterns of eminence in two specific populations of gifted boys: boys who were mathematically gifted and a second group of boys who were more verbally talented. Through an 18-year longitudinal investigation, Albert found that the families of both groups of boys were far more educated than the average American family. Moreover, the gifted boys in both groups were more creative than the general population of boys. He also found that the boys attracted to the mathematics and science fields generally disliked the humanities. These math- and science-oriented boys shared similar interests with their fathers and enjoyed strong father–son relationships, whereas boys with strong mother–son relationships were drawn more to the humanities.

Albert's most significant findings involved the boys who were originally identified as strongly math/science- or humanities oriented but who later crossed over into occupations that were not directly related to their strengths. Boys in math and science tracks found it more challenging to shift into the humanities than vice versa; however, for those math- and science-oriented boys who did, their life experiences were richer. Albert found that the gifted boys who broke away from their original domains of talent in math and science and applied these skills to the humanities experienced greater personal growth and psychological maturity than the boys who remained in the same math and science track from boyhood to adulthood.

...