Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Perfectionism conference

Here's a link
http://www.giftedonlineconferences.com/Tom_greenspon9_07.html

to a free online gifted conference featuring Tom Greenspan who talks about Perfectionism. It's a very interesting way to interact with the Gifted community. I'll try to post early about "Dissonance" my idea that there is a cousin to Perfectionism that Gifted folks are vulnerable to.

Dissonance, as I use it, refers to an early and persistant awareness of what "could be" in such a way that makes "what is" and "what we can do" look bad by comparison. This is different from Perfectionism,

Perfectionism is not about doing one's best, or about pursuing excellence; it's about the emotional conviction that perfection is the only route to personal acceptance. It is the emotional conviction that by being perfect, one can finally be
acceptable as a person. - Dr. Tom Greenspon

Is that one can learn to live with Dissonance, and find oneself fairly acceptable, although perhaps it interferes with some of the Satisfaction that one might otherwise find in life. Sort of "Perfectionism Lite." I have heard that with Perfectionism, one is never pleased with one's outcomes. With Dissonance, one can be at least partly pleased and often even mostly pleased, with allowances made for the inner critic who is perhaps never going to stop making inappropriate comparisons.

Now that I have this idea of Dissonance, I can laugh when I hear that inner critic trying to get me upset by comparing my behavior to a fictional character's behavior. I like that I keep trying, but I don't think I'm ever going to live up to the standards of fictional people. I'm alive!

Smiles,
Trinity

Hey - I just found a link that uses the term Dissonance in relation to Gifted people:
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e489.html

there is also a link to this article:
Reid, B. D., & McGuire, M. D. (1995). Square pegs in round holes-these kids don't fit: High ability students with behavioral problems. Storrs, CT: National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. ED402701. http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/reidmcgu.html
This report investigates the lack of services provided to gifted students with attention and/or behavior problems. Issues addressed include: characterizations of gifted children and the resulting prejudice against gifted children who do not meet a certain profile; the similarities among characteristics of high ability/creative children and students identified with emotional/behavioral disorders or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; the dissonance between the gifted individual and the attitudinal environment of the school; elements in the school environment that are possible contributors to students' behavioral and learning challenges; the underachievement of gifted students; the lack of identification of gifted students who have disabilities; the tendency of educators and others to rely on distinctions among populations of children and youth, and to ignore the similarities that may exist; and the tendency of teachers to be predisposed to view negative characteristics of children and youth as indicators of behavioral disabilities, rather than as potential signs of creativity or advanced learning ability.

Happy reading!
Trinity