This document summarizes general characteristics of high ability students, including asynchronous development, perfectionism, and motivation. It discusses social characteristics like introversion and identity formation influenced by social connections. Emotional characteristics covered include overexcitabilities, stress from academic and social challenges, and potential for depression. Asynchronous development, perfectionism, and motivation are highlighted as affecting students across multiple areas. The document encourages recognizing issues students face, listening to understand their perspective, discussing solutions, and providing ongoing support.

1. General Characteristics of
High Ability Students
Lisa Rubenstein, Ph.D.
Ball State University
SLC Training 2015

2. What characteristics do
you exhibit?

3. Now, does this
characteristic list
represent all SLCs?

4. Now, does this
characteristic list
represent all SLCs?
Is it helpful? Unhelpful?

6. General Characteristics
of High Ability Students
Overview/Analysis of General, Social, and
Emotional Characteristics
Asynchronous Development
Perfectionism
Motivation

7. General Characteristics
Look at the characteristic lists.
Could you make these lists more manageable?
Categorize? Synthesize?
What are the most important characteristics of
which SLCs should be aware?
How do these characteristics affect high ability
students?

8. Social Characteristics

9. Social Characteristics
Which characteristics would affect high ability
students social relationships?

10. The Power of Introverts
Susan Cain

11. Introversion
Greater percentage of high ability introverts
compared to the general population
Gather information about students...see
extraversion/introversion scale items
Why might this characteristic be useful to
consider?

12. Big Fish Little Pond
Effect (Marsh)

13. Identity Formation
What factors influence identity formation?

14. Marcia’s Stages

15. Bronfenbrenner

16. Identity Formation
Social connections
Opportunities to experiment/redefine
Crisis of identity is possible and not necessarily
bad.

17. Social Recap
Introversion/Extraversion
BFLPE
Identity Development: Importance of society and
challenges

18. Emotional Characteristics

19. Emotional
Characteristics
Which characteristics would affect high ability
students emotional well-being?
What about depression?
What about overexcitabilites (Dabrowski)?

20. Emotional
Characteristics
Which characteristics would affect high ability
students emotional well-being?

21. Overexcitabilities
psychomotor - heightened movement
sensual - heightened senses, responses to stimuli
imaginational - heightened imagination
intellectual - heightened curiosity
emotional - heightened emotions, sensitivity
Leading to high intensity

22. Limont, W., Dreszer-Drogorób, J., Bedyńska, S., Śliwińska, K., & Jastrzębska, D. (2014). 'Old wine in new bottles'? Relationships
between overexcitabilities, the Big Five personality traits and giftedness in adolescents. Personality & Individual Differences,
69199-204. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.003

23. Stressful Situations
Discovering problems with multiple solutions or no
one perfect solution
Academic challenges: identity, others’ perception
Social challenges
Mixed messages
Multi-potentiality?

24. Stress
Self-Talk
Rational Irrational

25. Potential
Cognitive Distortions
Polarized/Generalized thinking
Personalization
Catastrophzing
“Shoulds”

26. Emotional Recap
Heightened senses (overexcitabilities)
Stressful situations
Cognitive distortions

27. Characteristics Affecting
Multiple Areas

28. Characteristics that
Affect Multiple Areas
Asynchronous Development
Perfectionism
Motivation

29. Asynchronous
Development
Mismatch among physical, mental, social,
emotional levels
Higher IQ leads to greater mismatch
Why would this matter?

30. Perfectionism
Take the perfectionism quiz
What are the forms of perfectionism?
Recent literature - concern over mistakes and
personal standards
Cognitive Distortions and Self-talk

31. Motivation
Importance of realistic goal setting
Achievement Orientation Model
Mindset Theory

32. General Applications
Recognize the issue.
Help students recognize the issue. LISTEN.
(Repeat back, adding feeling.)
Discuss potential solutions.
Mindfulness? Self-acceptance? Meditation?
Professionals?
Programs? Group discussions?
Provide ongoing support.

33. Questions?