Gender Identity and the Overexcitability Profiles of Gifted College Students

Abstract

Traditional sex-based categories are giving way to more expanded notions of gender among young men and women today. Along with feminine and masculine personalities, some individuals combine both for a more androgynous persona, whereas others exhibit few distinctly feminine or masculine characteristics. In a study of 118 gifted college students, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory was used to assess gender identity; personality characteristics were measured with the Overexcitability Questionnaire–Two. Results indicate a stronger relationship between gender identity (masculinity or femininity) and overexcitability (OE) than between sex (female or male) and OE. Males and females were distributed in the gender categories as follows: men tended to be masculine or undifferentiated, whereas women were feminine or androgynous. Androgynous males and females had higher OE scores. Implications for Dabrowski's theory and gifted education are discussed.