Overexcitabilities

A study published in 2009 (“Social Representation of Gifted Children: A Preliminary Study in France“)   highlights how much a priori there are when it comes to talking about giftedness.

A priori see giftedness as merely something quantitative. As soon as one is more familiar with it, then intensity and sensitiveness are taken into account.

It is not a question of being good- or bad-tempered. It is a question that one cannot but be highly sensitive.

It has to see with the nervous system, something which has been discovered and studied by both Kazimierz Dabrowksi (70’s) and Michael Piechowski (from 80s’ and on) .

The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS)  has published a study in 2002 (see my post « Some references (1) » ). Overexcitabilities (aka OE) are presented in Chapter 6 : “Emotional characteristics of children with high potential” by Jacques-Henri Guignard and Franck Zenasni – The following is a translation of an excerpt from pages 91 to 93.

« Dabrowski assumes that personality evolves via 5 levels of development – these levels being influenced by 3 distinct factors :

(a) hereditary factors,

(b) environmental factors and

(c) motivation factors depending on one’s will  (« autonomous and self-determined »  factor).

According to this assumption, hereditary factors include 5 elements which are feature of a personality. They are strictly innate and aggregated into a generic term known as “overexcitabilities” . These correspond to constant overreactions to internal or external stimuli. These overexcitabilities can be of 5 different forms (assumed as genetically independent) :  psychomotive, sensual, imaginative, intellectual and emotional. » (Page 92)

In an article called “Emotional intensity” Linda K. Silverman reports that “Piechowski (1991) defines emotional overexcitability as “the great depth and intensity of emotional life expressed through a wide range of feelings, attachments, compassion, heightened sense of responsibility, and scrupulous self-examination.””

Piechowski has designed an Over Excitability Questionnaire aka OEQ  (Piechowski et Lysy – 1983),  « 21 open questions such that it can lead to a great variability in the answers   One can for instance find items such as “Which has been your most intense experience of pleasure ? », « What kind of physical activity (or inactivity) gives you the greatest satisfaction ? » or « on what do you like to concentrate most ? ». Analysis are then run. Each of the answers may reflect all or only some of these forms of overexcitabilities. Intensity is evaluated on a scale graduated 0 to 3 (0 = no overexcitability à 3 = rich and intense reaction). Each form of overexcitability may then score between 0 and 63 points. Although this questionnaire has been initially designed in order to specify how intense is each of the overexcitabilities, practically, this test can portray an individual through his/her overexcitabilities.» (Page 93)

Reminder (Page 95) : « While IQ based methods of identification are not enough (35% of the control group had a « gifted » profile), […] the overexcitability based method cannot be considered as the only mean to characterize high potentials».

Other sources :

–       Dabrowski’s Over-excitabilities – A Layman’s Explanation by Stephanie S. Tolan Written for Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page, February, 1999

–       Comparing overexcitabilities of gifted and non‐gifted 10th grade students in Turkey – Authors: Yakmaci‐Guzel, Buket1; Akarsu, Fusun1 Source: High Ability Studies, Volume 17, Number 1, June 2006 , pp. 43-56(14) Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

–       Overexcitabilities: a new way to think about talent? – Title Annotation: Patterns of Overexcitability – Author:Tieso, Carol L. – Publication:Roeper Review –      Date:Jun 22, 2007

–        Gifted adolescents’ overexcitabilities and self-concepts: an analysis of gender and grade level.(Patterns of Overexcitability) 

–        Overexcitability and the gifted – Sharon Lind – From The SENG Newsletter. 2001, 1(1) 3-6.

–        Sex and the Highly Gifted Adolescent – by Annette Revel Sheely

–        Hightened multifacet sensitivity – counseling

–        Stress & gifted : http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/stress_management.html

–       Psychological Intensities in Gifted Adults by Rena B. Lewis and others – JOURNAL_CITATION: Roeper Review; v15 n1 p25-31 Sep 1992 ERIC_NO: EJ454458 ISSN 0278-3193

–       Sensitivity among Gifted Persons: A Multi-Faceted Perspective by Mendaglio, Sal – JOURNAL_CITATION: Roeper Review; v17 n3 p169-72 Feb-Mar 1995 ISSN: 0278-3193 ERIC_NO: EJ501393