What Is Giftedness?

What makes a person gifted has been debated historically and continues on today. The debate has been influenced by politics and culture, which impact how gifted children are educated. The three articles discussed in this paper explore the origins, development, social-emotional impact, and politics of giftedness.
Whether giftedness is a product of nature or created through nurture is a controversial discussion. However, Winner (2000), Colangelo & Davis (2003), Mrazik & Dombrowski (2010) all agree the answer lies somewhere in the middle. The idea of giftedness is often evaluated under the premise of expertness or mastery. Do all gifted children become masters or experts of their gifted area? Can people become gifted through extensive training (which is required for expertness)? Winner states that families cannot make a child become gifted, however, certain parenting styles that combine nurturance and stimulation can help maintain and nurture the gift. Winner reviewed many studies on hard work, perseverance, and practice, none of which can explain the origins of giftedness, but are very necessary for high achievement. Colangelo and Davis propose that high intelligence alone will not provide high levels of achievement, but may be necessary for achievement.

Children who are profoundly academically gifted experience social and emotional difficulties at twice the rate of nongifted children (Winner, 2000). In fact, neurobiology seems to concur since highly gifted brains appear more at risk for medical and psychological disorders (Mrazik & Dombrowski, 2010). Gifted children have trouble finding like-minded peers and may feel like they have to hide their abilities in order to seem relatable to other children and avoid isolation. Girls are more likely to disguise abilities and in return, report more depression, lower self-esteem, and more psychosomatic symptoms (Winner,