Emotional Development

Research in the area of the emotional development of gifted children is relatively new and has frequently not represented all populations of students with gifts and talents. Furthermore, not all gifted children are properly identified. Certain groups, such as Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans, are often noticeably missing from the ranks of children identified as gifted.

Even so, some characteristics have been identified as more prevalent in gifted students, as have some circumstances that can leave gifted children vulnerable to a variety of emotional issues. Learning is not a purely cognitive phenomenon; rather, it is a process that is interwoven with students' emotional functioning within the context of their individual learning environments. For example, current brain research indicates that emotions play a part in supporting or inhibiting learning. This entry describes aspects of emotional development in gifted children.

As gifted children engage in learning, they often receive mixed messages about academic expectations, gender roles, and cultural expectations from their teachers, families, and friends. Struggling to succeed both academically and socially, despite all these conflicting expectations, may cause the child considerable emotional distress. When the child is unable to reconcile conflicting expectations, the child may feel overwhelmed and may, at times, simply give up trying to satisfy all the different individuals, including educators. Gifted students often have a strong sense of what they consider to [Page 319]be just and unjust. If the student feels that the situation he or she is being placed in is grossly unjust, then feelings of frustration and powerless may also enter the picture.

Feelings of confidence and affirmation are important to all children, including those with exceptional gifts and talents. Unfortunately, gifted students do not always receive the nurturing and positive feedback one might expect. Once identified, gifted children sometimes find themselves burdened with unrealistic expectations to do extremely well in all academic areas. If the child fails to meet those expectations, labels such as “lazy,” “underachiever,” or even “failure” may be placed on the child. This can add additional stress to the child's emotional well-being and may lead to a new array of problems, including perfectionism, anxiety, and depression.

Gender issues can sometimes play a pivotal role in a gifted child's self-concept and emotional well-being. Maureen Neihart and Barbara Kerr both have provided evidence suggesting that gifted girls are not appropriately identified as often as boys are and that some teachers still believe that boys have innate ability, while girls must work harder. Gifted males face their own challenges. Developing a strong sense of self may be difficult to do if little is done to foster emotional well-being, and if the student's abilities and interests are not in sync with those of his or her peers. Male mentors can play an important role in supporting the emotional health of gifted young men across different cultural groups.

Gifted children frequently develop asynchronously, with their cognitive abilities quickly surpassing their emotional development. Gifted children may possess the cognitive ability to understand a concept, but not the emotional ability to deal with it properly. In today's age of instant information, children are bombarded with issues ranging from global warming to war. A gifted student's comprehension of these concepts does not necessarily mean that the student is prepared to navigate these monumental conflicts emotionally. Thus, some gifted students have been known to become distraught simply from listening to the news.

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