How could I possibly be gifted?
Giftedness has become a loaded term in our society, and that makes owning it a difficult matter. Perhaps you have always been aware of your special ability in certain areas. You may have the capacity for strong, accurate gut instincts about people and events. Or maybe you are able to astutely observe others to gather extensive sensory information from your surroundings—but you would never call these abilities ‘gifts’.
We live in a world that glorifies rational, ‘head’ intelligence. It is more valued than the ‘personal intelligence’ or the more intangible, heart-based wisdom, such as heightened capacities for empathy, justice, moral sensitivity, reflectiveness, self-knowledge and a drive towards personal growth.
The truth is, ‘giftedness’ refers to much more than IQ and intellectual capacities.
Current conceptions of giftedness generally do not mention emotional giftedness.
Many emotionally gifted individuals do not fully see or celebrate their introspective gifts because it is not lauded by society. Teachers are not trained to notice it, and parents are not told that their insightful child may be gifted. Thus, these children are left struggling on their own. They can sense that they are somehow different than the others, but no one has told them why or how to manage their uniqueness. Inevitably, many begin to believe that there is something wrong with them.
Being ‘gifted’ does not mean you are superior, it may just mean that you are wired differently. It is important that you recognise your giftedness in order to live authentically, and to not beat yourself up when you find that youexpress yourself differently or possess specific needs that the majority of others don’t share or understand.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF EMOTIONAL GIFTEDNESS
From an early age, children with high interpersonal intelligence show instances of empathy, unselfishness and consideration for others. These highly empathic and perceptive children feel and appear more mature than their because of their sensitivity, responsiveness, and insight into other family members’ pain. They seem like ‘old souls,’ aware of the suffering, hypocrisies, and complexities of the relational dynamic around them. This quality may result in them falling in to the role of the confidant, the counsellor, or even the saviour within the family. They may even experience a kind of ‘role reversal’ with their parents, and feel overly-responsible for the affliction of others. When they fail to heal the distress experienced by their parents and siblings, they may feel guilty and helpless.
This capacity for deep empathy and insight into others’ inner state may also bring about a kind of moral sensitivity that is beyond their years. These children tend to care about others, want to relieve pain and suffering or show advanced ability to think about global ideas like justice and fairness. These unusually compassionate children are intensely aware of world issues and the feelings of others. However, being so sensitive may also make them vulnerable to being overwhelmed.
This is about the heightened capacity to be introspective. This kind of intelligence is essential for attaining a mature sense of self and a high level of inner wisdom. Introspective individuals are keenly and accurately aware of themselves, and they have a higher-than-normal level of self-knowledge. Gardner (1983, p. 252) describes the intrapersonally gifted as someone who engages in constant and continued development where he strives to become increasingly autonomous, integrated, or self-actualised. The end goal of these developmental processes is a self that is “highly developed and fully differentiated from others.”
It is in their intensified ways of experiencing, examining, and analysing themselves that the gifted grow in an expedited manner. These individuals constantly experience, in their whole being, the painful split between who they want to be and who they are now; this experience propels radical actions and positive changes. These inner forces also often generate overstimulation, conflict, and psychic pain that are misinterpreted as pathologies.
It is precisely this ability to be the ‘self’ aware segment of the self—to go through the sometimes painful self-examination—that enables these individuals to realise multi-dimensional development towards higher levels. In other words, the intense emotions that these individuals experience on a consistent basis are actually the impetus for tremendous growth. It is their tendency towards and the courage to engage in such processes constantly that make them uniquely gifted.
“Her appetite for learning was insatiable. Reading was more nourishing than food. Thinking, analyzing, and synthesizing were better than Barbie."
- Paula Prober, 'Counselling Gifted Adults- A Case Study'
Existential intelligence is defined by "a concern with ultimate life issues.” The core ability of this intelligence is the capacity to associate oneself with the existential features of the human condition, such as the significance of life, the meaning of death, the ultimate fate of the physical and psychological worlds, love of another person, or total immersion in a work of art (Gardner, 1999, p. 60).
Someone who possesses a high level of existential intelligence is constantly asking the questions: "Who are we?", "What's it all about?", "Is there meaning in life?” and so forth.
As children, the existentially gifted may have a difficult time fitting in with those around them who are unable to comprehend their concerns and may dismiss them. Their teachers and parents may also fail to answer their questions about major, elusive topics.
Moreover, the existentially gifted are also more likely to experience a high degree of existential angst. Being aware of the finite quality of life and their own potential, they constantly feel propelled to move forward. This can manifest as constant restlessness, anxiety, insecurity, and other unpleasant sentiments.
Many are idealists as they are able to consider the limitless possibilities of how things can be. It may pain them to see how the world is falling short. They may challenge existing values and traditions as well as any inconsistencies and absurdities they see in the world around them. They are on a constant quest to connect with something larger than themselves, and seek answers about the obligations, opportunities and mysteries about the human life.
Unfortunately, especially when they are young, when the existentially gifted person tries to share these concerns with others, they are met with responses that range from apathy to dismissal to hostility. They soon realise that most people are more concerned with the mundane, thus they feel internally isolated and end up keeping their thoughts and feelings private until they find a community that shares their humanitarian concerns or a space that celebrates their particular interests and values.
“And she worried about everything: poverty, world peace, and the loss of the rain forests. It kept her awake at night. The adults around her said that she was too young to be concerned with such things. That didn’t help. To her classmates, she just seemed weird–certainly not birthday party material.
- Paula Prober, 'Counselling Gifted Adults- A Case Study'
Although we are all capable of and can work towards spiritual awakening, some people are more innately spiritually gifted.
A communion with the spiritual dimension can manifest itself in various ways. It may be distinct changes felt in the body, infusion with a sense of strength that is beyond oneself, a strong sense of “pulsating energy with all living things” (Pieschowski p.257), or the feeling of being in harmony with the universe. Spiritual experiences among the spiritually gifted generally fall within these themes: unity, oneness, ecstasy, timelessness, and the interconnection of everything (Piechoski; Robinson and Hoffman; Lovecky, 1998).
Children with spiritual gifts often have the ability to induce heightened consciousness through meditation or fantasy play, show a wisdom that seems beyond their years, and feel strongly connected to the world around them, their inner self, other people and God (or however a higher source is defined)(Piechowski, 2003).
Many individuals may not necessarily recognise or name their spiritual experience as such, but this doesn’t take away from the fact that they are more likely than others to have these experiences. They may encounter it as frequent moments of awe or deep appreciation of beauty in the arts of nature. These individuals are drawn to these experiences, and are more likely to make room in their lives for them rather than to drown in the mundane. It is precisely their ability to enter these states more readily than others that makes them gifted.
Sadly, more often than not, spiritual aptitude creates more difficulty than ecstasy for the spiritually gifted child. Usually, when the child tells an adult about intense spiritual thoughts, the adult tells the child it’s wrong to have such ‘ideas’. The stricken child is then led to devalue her experiences, instincts, and perceptions. In worse cases, she begins to believe that she is ‘crazy’ and internalise a huge amount of shame that she carries into adulthood.
RECLAIMING YOUR TRUE IDENTITY
“Man has to pick up his functions as he goes along.”
- E.M Foster
I hope you have reconsidered what it means to be gifted.
Do you identify with some of these gifts or traits? While analysing your life’s course, did you demonstrate some traits of giftedness, especially in the domain of interpersonal/intra-personal intelligence?
You may feel unable to reclaim your identity as a gifted person because of the social stereotype that the gifted are somehow above everyone. That is not the case; owning your giftedness is not about arrogance, but rather the need to be congruent with your capabilities, values, and place in this world.
Yes, being gifted means you have certain high abilities, but that comes with very specific needs that if ignored, will create physical and mental illness. Being able to honour your reverence for authenticity is essential to your growth and wellbeing. If you are indeed gifted but fail to recognise it as such, you may fail to respect your own need for solitude, reflection, agency, and autonomy. You may shame yourself for being different, for not being able to conform.
It is precisely your sensitivity and intensity that underpin your potential excellence. Thus, for the sake of your own growth and for those around you to benefit from your gifts, it is essential that you embrace your true identity in order to reframe your unique qualities as assets rather than liabilities.