Deborah Ruf examines why Baby Boomers and later generations seek counseling compared with the G.I. generation, using interviews with highly gifted adults. She discusses incidence of abuse, counseling uptake, emotional development, Dabrowski’s theory, and personal narratives illustrating struggles with identity, authority, and growth.
The piece explains asynchronous development in gifted children: intellectual advancement often outpaces social-emotional growth, causing mismatch with peers and school expectations. Early support—peer groups, understanding adults, and tailored stimulation—can prevent long-term social and emotional harm and help gifted children thrive.
An experienced neuropsychologist reflects on inattention, describing everyday forgetfulness and a busy life that complicates organization. She cautions against quick diagnostic labeling or relying solely on medication, urging consideration of context, balance for gifted children, and practical strategies to manage passions and responsibilities.
The article argues gifted individuals are diverse and cautions against generalizations. It explains the ‘splitter’ versus ‘lumper’ perspective for examining individual characteristics and points readers to the SENG website for resources on topics such as giftedness levels, adolescence, introversion, intensity, attention deficits, depression, and adults.
