Gifted Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Their Giftedness

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess gifted adolescents' views of their own giftedness and their perceptions regarding how giftedness is viewed by others. One hundred eighty-four gifted adolescents completed an open-ended questionnaire on giftedness. Resutts indicated that their views of giftedness were not unidimensional. They were positive about their giftedness but did not believe that others were positive. Also, gifted adolescents viewed giftedness as positive with regard to their personal growth and academic performance but as negative in social relations with others. Gifted adolescents have strongly mixed attitudes about their giftedness.