Summary of Fiedler article

· Due to their level of empathy, gifted children may choose to avoid saying anything that may anger or hurt another, choosing to keep their silence.

 · These children may lose their “voice” in an effort to keep the peace and avoid “uncontrollable” feelings such as anger.  

· Gifted children often resort to rationalizing and dealing with problems on an intellectual level to avoid having to deal with emotions.

·  Gifted children may attempt to avoid anger because they see it as a negative emotion and they wish to be positive and accepting people.

Levels of Emotional Development according to Dobrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration:

1. Primary Integration: Egocentric, lacking in empathy. Quick to blame others when something goes wrong. Often attains power through “ruthless means.”

2. Unilevel Disintegration: Influenced primarily by their social group and mainstream values OR are morally ambiguous. Often experience conflicts between competing value systems.

3. Spontaneous Multilevel Disintegration: Person develops an ideal and works to bring their behavior to meet higher standards. Can experience dissatisfaction with self.

4. Organized Multilevel Disintegration: Effective leaders who have found a way to achieve their own ideals. Show responsibility, empathy, and self-awareness.

5. Secondary Integration: The goal. Life is lived in service to others, individual has a high level of compassion for every individual.


Lovecky Summary

 Gifted children often have a higher level of concern about moral issues, including the concepts of fairness, justice, and responsibility.

· Theories of moral development are difficult to compare due to the “lack of a consistent definition.”

· Kohlberg (1984) focuses on the use of reason to determine how fairness can be achieved, and considers elements such as compassion & empathy less important.

· Dabrowski’s theory focused more on adults & adolescents. Therefore, his theory requires life experience to be included, along with the ability to evaluate concepts, in order for a person to develop “in emotional and moral complexity.”

· Highly gifted children may need more attention, involvement, and intense stimulation from parents.

The problem of Asynchrony

· Gifted children may be years above age-level peers in intellect, but closer to peers in social & emotional range.

· With this intellect may come a higher level of sensitivity to moral issues. The child may question rules that age-level peers follow without question, but that they see as unjust.

· These children may not be ready to deal on an emotional level with the stress caused by this heightened sensitivity to issues of justice & fairness.

· Many young gifted have trouble with moral issues because they see too many possible exceptions. For example, a child may know that stealing is wrong, but may have trouble with condemning someone who stole food to feed his or her family.

· Highly gifted children need to learn strategies for dealing with their empathy and concern for moral issues and the pain these can cause.

                                                  Reference:

Fiedler, Ellen D. (1998). Denial of anger/denial of self: Dealing with dilemmas. Roeper Review, 20

    (3), 158-161.

Lovecky, Deirdre V. (1997). Identity development in gifted children: Moral sensitivity. Roeper

    Review, 20(2), 90-94.