Overexcitabilities In Gifted Students

Polish psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski identified five of these intensities, which he called "overexcitabilities" or "supersensitivities":

Psychomotor, Sensual, Emotional, Intellectual, and Imaginational.

Gifted children tend to have more than one of these intensities, although one is usually dominant.

Psychomotor

The primary sign of this intensity is a surplus of energy. Children with a dominant psychomotor overexcitability are often misdiagnosed with ADHD since characteristics are similar.

Rapid speech
Impulsive behavior
Competitiveness
Compulsive talking
Compulsive organizing
Nervous habits and tics
Preference for fast action and sports
Physical expression of emotions

Sleeplessness

Sensual

The primary sign of this intensity is a heightened awareness of all five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.

Children with a dominant sensual overexcitability can get sick from the smell of certain foods or as toddlers will hate to walk on grass in their bare feet.

The pleasure they get from the tastes and textures of some foods may cause them to overeat.

Appreciation of beauty, whether in writing, music, art or nature.

Includes love of objects like jewelry

Sensitive to smells, tastes, or textures of foods

Sensitivity to pollution

Tactile sensitivity (Bothered by feel of some materials on the skin, clothing tags)

Craving for pleasure

Need or desire for comfort

Intellectual

This intensity is the one most recognized in gifted children.

It is characterized by activities of the mind, thought and thinking about thinking.

Children who lead with this intensity seem to be thinking all the time and want answers to deep thoughts.

Sometimes their need for answers will get them in trouble in school when their questioning of the teacher can look like disrespectful challenging.

Deep curiosity
Love of knowledge and learning
Love of problem solving
Avid reading
Asking of probing questions
Theoretical thinking
Analytical thinking
Independent thinking

Concentration, ability to maintain intellectual effort

Imaginational

The primary sign of this intensity is the free play of the imagination.

Their vivid imaginations can cause them to visualize the worst possibility in any situation.

It can keep them from taking chances or getting involved in new situations.

Vivid dreams
Fear of the unknown
Good sense of humor
Magical thinking

Love of poetry, music and drama

Love of fantasy

Daydreaming
Imaginary friends
Detailed visualization

Emotional

The primary sign of this intensity is exceptional emotional sensitivity.

Children with a strong emotional overexcitability are sometimes mistakenly believed to have bipolar disorder or other emotional problems and disorders.

They are often the children about whom people will say, "He's too sensitive for his own good."

Extremes of emotion

Anxiety

Feelings of guilt and sense of responsibility

Feelings of inadequacy and inferiority

Timidity and shyness

Loneliness

Concern for others

Heightened sense right and wrong, of injustice and hypocrisy

Strong memory for feelings

Problems adjusting to change

Depression

Need for security

Physical response to emotions (stomach aches caused by anxiety, for example)

Parents can get a better understanding of their gifted children by matching their child's behavior with the characteristics of each of these intensities.

Telling an emotionally intense child to ignore teasing or not let the teasing bother him is impossible advice for the child to follow.

Understanding what lies behind a gifted child's behavior will help parents better respond to that behavior.