Emotional characteristics of children with high abilities

High ability or gifted children tend to learn incredibly quickly. However, not everything is so simple for them. Although they may advance through grades faster than their normative group, often They require support to manage their emotions and deal with social situations.

The complexity of their development is not only observed in their intellect, but also in their emotional dimension, since it is common for them to have to face situations in the social sphere, consistent with their academic level, but for which they are not prepared. level of emotional management. On the other hand, his vital intensity is not characterized by feeling more than others, but by a very particular way of experiencing the world: lively, penetrating, intense and complex.

Children with high abilities are more emotionally sensitive to their environment.

What are children with high abilities like?

Children with high abilities are not the same, each one has their own qualities that make them a particular individual. Although there are multiple traits that they have in common, not all of them exhibit them within the same area. Next, we will see some of them, according to Clark (2008).

Cognitive traits

Great power of abstraction.Interest in problem solving.Reading voracity.Large vocabulary.Intellectual curiosity.Critical thinking, skepticism, self-criticism.Goal-directed behavior.Independence in study.Diversity of interests and abilities.

Creative traits

Creativity and inventiveness.Great sense of humor.Ability for fantasy.Openness to stimuli.Intuition.Flexibility.Self-acceptance and disregard for social norms.Commitment to self-selected work.

Affective traits

Unusual emotional depth and intensity. Sensitivity or empathy for the feelings of others. High expectations of self and others. Increased self-awareness. Need for emotional support. Need for consistency between abstract values ​​and personal actions. Advanced levels of judgment. morality.Idealism and sense of justice.

Behavioral traits

Spontaneity.Enthusiasm.Focused on his passions.He resists changing activities when he is absorbed in his own interests. Highly energetic. Needs little sleep or downtime. Constantly asks questions. Insatiable curiosity. Impulsive, anxious, and energetic. Determination in areas of importance. High levels of frustration. Volatile temperament, especially related to perceptions of failure.

Now that we have a general idea of ​​the characteristic traits that we can identify in a child with high abilities, we are going to focus in depth on the emotional dimension.

The emotional dimension of children with high abilities

When talking about gifted children, many people think that they are small introverts, with a tendency to isolate themselves, neurotic, unkind, etc. However, these are nothing more than stereotypes. What’s more, some studies show that there are a series of prejudices about high abilities that are socially perpetuated and make people believe that these types of children struggle socially and emotionally.

Children with high abilities are not necessarily withdrawn, as ordinary people tend to think, or have marked problems relating to others. They are also not necessarily anxious, depressed or suicidal. What’s more, gifted people may also be less prone to depression, anxiety, or suicide (Reis and Renzulli, 2004; Martin et al., 2010; Eklund et al., 2015).

Besides, They could show similar levels of well-being and stress as the average person would have. Likewise, they can be as pleasant, conscientious, and have good social skills as anyone with average intellectual abilities (Baudson, 2016).

Now, not all children with high abilities perform well in the emotional and social dimension, just as not all average people, intellectually speaking, know how to deal with their emotions.

What we want to highlight here is that not all gifted children have emotional and social problems, as ordinary people often believe. Delving a little into the emotional problems that children with high abilities could have, we find a series of studies that shed light on this topic. It should be noted that we cannot generalize these findings because, as we have said, not all gifted children are the same.

Children with high abilities tend toward perfectionism and have a high level of worries.

What does some research tell us?

Exploring a little the field of emotional difficulties that some children with high abilities could have, we found the following research results:

Children with high ability They are more emotionally and physiologically sensitive to their environment.Students (ages 9 to 15) with high abilities and low self-esteem are vulnerable to emotional maladjustment. So are those who have high ability and self-esteem. Boys with high ability have more behavioral and emotional problems than girls. Children with high ability They have a lower level of self-disclosure/openness and self-concept. Furthermore, as age increases, their level of empathy and social skills decrease. Students (ages 8 to 18) with high ability have greater negative moods that are reflected in lower levels of subjective well-being and emotional intelligence than students without high capacity. Children with high capacity tend to exhibit higher scores on worry, hypersensitivity, social concerns and perfectionism. Children with high ability scored higher in depression and described themselves as more inattentive, with low social functioning and had a worse perception of their physical health status.

As we have seen, there is no absolute rule that can be applied to children with high abilities. Some research offers results that are compatible with the hypothesis of greater vulnerability to anxiety and mood disorders, while others offer data that would not support this hypothesis; Some make it clear that they may have problems relating, however, others reverse this statement.

So what can we conclude? What these studies allow us to affirm is that children with high abilities may or may not have emotional problems, just like children who do not have these abilities. Let us remember that Not everyone is the same and just as some are stronger in some emotional traits, others may have difficulties in them. Each one is a world, each one is particularly different.

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