OE is not unique to gifted individuals, but the terminology is. You can find more resources by looking at the more common names for the same experience.
Highly Sensitive Person
Openness to Experience
Studies estimate 50% of gifted individual have OE, while 30% of the general population does. I also had found abstracts to studies comparing OE to ADHD symptoms.
There's significant overlap with ADHD symptoms, so if what you're experiencing as OE is *distressing* and causing marital conflict, you may want to explore medical causes.
There are many things which can cause ADHD symptoms! I have ADHD diagnosis with unconvincing neuropsychology to support it. I'm waiting for formal diagnosis, but I appear to have a disorder of the autonomic nervous system which causes the ADHD symptoms among other oddities. My BIL has ADHD symptoms, but caused by traumatic brain injury. My niece has ADHD symptoms, but she has/had lead poisoning.
If you're doubtful but curious of the ADHD symptom angle, try the book "The ADHD Effect on Marriage." It's fascinating book just from armchair psychology angle, but explains both sides of the dynamics which happen a spouse has difficulty with self-regulation and executive functioning.
Dabrowski's OE are an excerpt of an old work taken out of context. They're not evidence-based and are mired down with some moral superiority stuff that makes my skin crawl, quite frankly. I think they're misapplied when people see OE as fixed traits which are distressing. The beauty of other points of view on intensity of experiences is there is relief when it's no longer a good thing.
Note: I use the abbreviation OE ambiguously. I understand readers will think of Dabrowski's OverExcitability, but I'm thinking of Openness to Experience. Both explain the same thing. Dabrowski's OE has subtle layers of meaning, Openness to Experience is simpler, evidence-based, and widely accepted outside of the gifted community.
