• < Back to overview

What are some possible challenges of being labeled “gifted”?

Stereotypes about gifted people exist, and some of them are false, either portraying gifted people unfavorably or suggesting that they succeed at just about everything effortlessly. Besides, not all giftedness is the same and can differ from person to person or from area of giftedness to area of giftedness. This gives rise to a number of tasks for counseling. First, talking about what everyone involved in the counseling process associates with the term giftedness is often valuable: How is giftedness understood? What does it really mean when someone is labeled as gifted—not only for the persons themselves, but also for others? Second, in each case it is important to specify exactly what a person’s giftedness consists of: What are his/her special abilities? Are these also reflected in their self-perception of their own abilities? This “translation work” contributes to avoiding possible unfavorable effects of the label “gifted” and it helps gifted people to have a better understanding of themselves.