Being labeled “gifted” in school can come with perks — but research is showing those don’t always carry over into adulthood. Constance Grady, senior correspondent for Vox, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the nature/nurture arguments around giftedness, how being tapped as gifted changes mental health outcomes well into adult years, and how a gifted education model affects future potential. Her article is “Does being a gifted kid make for a burned-out adulthood?”
Did I waste my potential?
By Madelyn Walton, Think Intern
From the perspective of an “ordinary” child, a day in the life of a “gifted” kid consists of accelerated reading, additional education activities, and time away from the general classroom. If you could finish your assignments and read quickly, there was a good chance you qualified for enrichment. Jump ahead to the professional world: there are no separate programs to distinguish “ordinary” vs. “gifted” adults, and this can take a toll on the self-esteem of the formerly “gifted” kid.
“Giftedness among children is best measured as an IQ that’s above 120,” says Constance Grady, former “gifted” kid and senior correspondent for Vox. She talked to Think host Krys Boyd about her article, “Does being a gifted kid make for a burned-out adulthood?”
Beyond IQ, “[giftedness] is supposed to be a measure of potential more than anything else,” she says. But a parent can also distinguish their child as gifted, and that can add another complication.
British psychologist Joan Freeman looked at what being labeled “gifted” does to someone in the long term. This 30-year study revealed that “the kids who were labeled gifted by their parents ended up having a whole bunch more mental health struggles,” says Grady.
Grady also said that most people do not fulfill the “gifted” label in later life. “Giftedness in adulthood means that you’ve done something to change the paradigm in your field,” and many gifted kids do not meet this standard in the workplace.
The label can be hard to overcome for many reasons. There can be a sense of rejection or even displacement; for example, there’s a loss of a sense of gratification for receiving the highest grade or being recognized as top in class. After all, the world of work does not reward employees in the same way that schools reward students.
“The fact remains that the pressure gets higher and the avenues for success get smaller the farther along the path you go,” says Grady. Although educational institutions mean well by instilling enrichment programs, we must recognize how the label “gifted” can have consequences as we grow.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.4219/jeg-2006-246
