Emotions and High Abilities

Is there a link between High Abilities and a characteristic way of managing emotions?

The term "High Abilities" is the most common current use to call what we previously referred to when we spoke of giftedness.

At first, when the concept of IQ (intelligence quotient) began to be studied, giftedness was associated with very high centiles in tests that measured a very specific intelligence.

With the development of the concept of intelligence and the emergence of Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences, the term High Abilities seems to be more appropriate, since it encompasses not only the concept of intelligence itself but also that of aptitude, competence, skill or mastery. This means that High Abilities are not only about having an IQ above 130, but also involve characteristics that are complexly related to each other..

What are High Abilities?

The National Association for Gifted Children describes High Abilities (hereafter AACC) as "Those who demonstrate an outstanding level of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or performance that places them in the top 10%, or above, relative to the normative group) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbolic system (Mathematics, Music, Language...) or its own set of sensory-motor skills (Painting, Dance, Sports...)".

But there are differences in the way in which people with High Abilities learn and reason, and if you think that emotional management has a very important part in learning and reasoning. emotional management has a very important part in learning and reasoning, it would not be strange to wonder if there are differences in how they feel or what they feel.It would not be strange to wonder if there are differences in how they feel or in what they feel.

And it seems that there are some characteristics that appear in people with AACC. Several studies show how people with high intelligence have higher scores on EQ scales. Let's see some points that can help us understand why.

The link between AACC and emotions

One of these characteristics is the high sensitivity that these people present.. They seem to perceive, feel and rationalize everything. They tend to perceive with greater intensity in whatever sensory pathway is used, thus appearing aversion to noises or crowds, to very penetrating flavors, to the touch of a label, etc. But they also feel with equal intensity sensations that they find pleasurable, such as the smell of a freshly baked bun or contact with a very soft blanket.

Sometimes, these people are labeled as dramatic or exaggerated, thus favoring the appearance of frustration, discomfort or the feeling that no one understands them, but it is not so much a dramatization as an expression of their real experience.

It also appears in them the facility to interpret the intentions of others, with great weight of empathy.The empathy and the sense of justice are very important. AACC people seem to feel what the other feels and not only understand what is happening to them; they have a high sense of justice and feel moved to act, having serious difficulties to let it pass them by.

AACC people want to understand everything that happens, to analyze everything; from their perspective almost everything they do, see, hear or practice is tinged with emotion. Thus, the integration of emotion into the understanding of facts is important to be able to give an overall view of what is being analyzed.

This need for understanding often leads them to feel overwhelmed on an emotional level because, when this situation occurs, they do not have the necessary tools to manage such intense emotions. So they tend to take their own emotional management mechanisms.

Many children with High Abilities present this overflow in what Terrasier (1994) called dyssynchronies. This phenomenon appears in them when there is no parallel cognitive and emotional development.. They can think about many things but not assimilate them at the emotional level because the development of emotion is not yet at that point. These phenomena are also frequent at the social level when the child sees that his interests, motivations or games are not the same as those of the rest of the children of his age.

Not feeling, rationalizing emotion or using exaggerated irony are often mechanisms that AACC individuals use to cope with these dyssynchronies.

To conclude, the importance of early detection of AACC should be emphasized. both in the family and school context in order to be able to adjust the aids presented to them, and thus favor a full cognitive, emotional and social development.

Bibliographical references:

• Arroyo, Susana.(2018). Emociones. The hidden face of high abilities. Horsori.
• Patti, Jannet; Brackett, Marc; Ferrándiz, Carmen & Ferrando, Mercedes (2011).Why and how to improve the emotional intelligence of gifted students? REIFOP,14(3).(Web link: http://www.aufop.com - Accessed on date (09-10-2020).
• Sainz, Marta; Soto, Gloria; Almeida, Leandro; Ferrándiz, Carmen; Fernández, Mª Carmen & Ferrando, Mercedes (2011). Competencias socio-emociona les y creatividad según el nivel de inteligencia.REIFOP , 14 (3).(Web link: http://www.aufop.com - Accessed on date (09-10-2020).