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.