Dabrowski’s Theory and Existential Depression in Gifted Children and Adults Webb, J, Ph.D. When people undergo a great trauma or other unsettling event—they have lost a job or a loved one dies, for example—their understanding of themselves or of their place in the world often disintegrates, and they temporarily "fall apart," experiencing a type of depression referred to as existential depression. It's very hard to keep your spirits up. You've got to keep selling yourself a bill of goods, and some people are better at lying to themselves than others. When people undergo a great trauma or other unsettling event—they have lost a job or a loved one dies, for example—their understanding of themselves or of their place in the world often disintegrates, and they temporarily "fall apart," experiencing a type of depression referred to as existential depression. This spontaneous existential depression is also, I believe, typically associated with the disintegration experiences referred to by Dabrowski (Daniels & Piechowski, 2009; Mendaglio, 2008a). Background Life Meaning
Overexcitability and the Gifted Overexcitability and the Gifted by Sharon Lind A small amount of definitive research and a great deal of naturalistic observation have led to the belief that intensity, sensitivity and overexcitability are primary characteristics of the highly gifted. OVEREXCITABILITIES Overexcitabilities are inborn intensities indicating a heightened ability to respond to stimuli. PSYCHOMOTOR OVEREXCITABILITY Psychomotor OE is a heightened excitability of the neuromuscular system. Allow time for physical or verbal activity, before, during, and after normal daily and school activities-these individuals love to “do” and need to “do.” SENSUAL OVEREXCITABILITY Sensual OE is expressed as a heightened experience of sensual pleasure or displeasure emanating from sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991). Show how to find the answers to questions. EMOTIONAL OVEREXCITABILITY Emotional OE is often the first to be noticed by parents.
Your Brain Knows a Lot More Than You Realize | Memory, Emotions, & Decisions Meanwhile, a similar story was unfolding oceans away. During World War II, under constant threat of bombings, the British had a great need to distinguish incoming aircraft quickly and accurately. Which aircraft were British planes coming home and which were German planes coming to bomb? It was a grim attempt. With a little ingenuity, the British finally figured out how to successfully train new spotters: by trial-and-error feedback. The Knowledge GapThere can be a large gap between knowledge and awareness. Consider patients with anterograde amnesia, who cannot consciously recall new experiences in their lives. Of course, it’s not just sexers and spotters and amnesiacs who enjoy unconscious learning. Flexible IntelligenceOne of the most impressive features of brains—and especially human brains—is the flexibility to learn almost any kind of task that comes their way. The Liar in Your HeadOn December 31, 1974, Supreme Court Justice William O.
Dabrowski's by Stephanie S. Tolan Written for Hoagies' Gifted Education Page, February, 1999 Dabrowski talked about OE's - over-excitabilities ("superstimulatabilities"), and how the gifted were extremely sensitive in a variety of areas. The five areas are: Psychomotor This is often thought to mean that the person needs lots of movement and athletic activity, but can also refer to the issue of having trouble smoothing out the mind's activities for sleeping. Sensual Here's the "cut the label out of the shirt" demand, the child who limps as if with a broken leg when a sock seam is twisted. Imaginational These are the dreamers, poets, "space cadets" who are strong visual thinkers, use lots of metaphorical speech. Intellectual Here's the usual definition of "giftedness." Emotional This includes being "happier when happy, sadder when sad, angrier when angry," etc. Dabrowski believed emotional OE to be central -- the energy center from which the whole constellation of OE's is generated.
Teaching the Gifted and Talented: 33 Websites Where You Can Find Good Resources I wish the Internet was available to me as a kid in elementary school. In New York City, where I attended kindergarten through sixth grade, they called the gifted and talented class "SP". I remember being put into a class to learn French, but very little else. I figured out how ahead I was only when I entered junior high school in New Jersey. The French language I had studied for three years allowed me to coast through French class for the next four years. LESSON PLANS41 Ways to Go Beyond the Book Report Edsitement- from the National Endowment for the Humanities Gifted and Talented Education Lesson Plans Helpful Sites for Gifted Students Lesson Plan Resources- from Davidson GiftedMrs.
What Magnetic Fields Do to Your Brain and Body - The Crux (Credit: pippeeContributor/Shutterstock) There’s no escaping magnetic fields—they’re all around us. For starters, the Earth itself is like a giant magnet. A spinning ball of liquid iron in our planet’s core generates the vast magnetic field that moves our compass needles around and directs the internal compasses of migrating birds, bats, and other animals. On top of that, ever-industrious humans have produced artificial magnetic fields with power lines, transport systems, electrical appliances, and medical equipment. We may not be able to see, hear, feel, or taste the magnetic fields that surround us, but some may wonder whether they can still exert effects on our bodies and brains. Everyday Exposure A magnetic field arises whenever a charged particle, like an electron or proton, moves around. From time to time, a scientific study finds a link between living near high-voltage power lines and illness. An MRI machine. What’s the Threshold? Medical Magnets Out-of-this-World Magnetic Fields
Overexcitability Overexcitabilities are sometimes used to help predict "giftedness" in both children and adults: The more "excited" or the more stimulated a sense is in a person, the more susceptible or prone his brain is to react in an extreme manner to anything that triggers it, thus the possibilities of expansion in ways of learning are increased in this person. Gifted people appear to be very in touch with their 5 senses possibly making them, in a sense, more 'global' than others.
Using Bibliotherapy with Gifted Children - Unwrapping the Gifted Hopefully we’ve all had that experience of reading a book that powerfully “spoke” to us, a book whose characters we could relate to, and whose struggles and triumphs we identified with. Taking this experience a step farther is the strategy of bibliotherapy, the process of helping the reader learn about and cope with any social or emotional struggles or developmental needs by identifying with a character in a book who shares a similar struggle or need. The reading is typically followed up by discussion with a trusted adult. Bibliotherapy of course can be done with all students, particularly students who might be experiencing a divorce in the family, a learning disability, adoption, etc. Today I want to talk a bit about using developmental bibliotherapy specifically with gifted students. A fair amount has been written already (see links at the bottom of this post) about what bibliotherapy is and why it's important to do with gifted students. * Who in the book do you identify with and why?
Sensitivity vs. Allergy - Japanese Acupuncture ClinicJapanese Acupuncture Clinic Food Sensitivities Testing is not as same as a typical Food Allergy Test (scratch test) that you might have done at your allergist’s office. The major difference between Food Allergy and Food Sensitivities is the onset of symptoms. A food sensitivity test is a blood test that examines your immune system’s response to a wide variety of foods and chemicals. The Difference between Food Allergy and Food Sensitivities Food Allergy (IgE): Food Allergy is much more easily diagnosed because its onset is faster, from immediate to 1 hour after ingestion. This is IgE reaction. Food Sensitivity (often IgG): Immunologic reaction to food. Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: I had gluten sensitivity for many years and I could not put the pieces together the gluten is the root cause even though I use to write a migraine and period notebook. Intolerance: Non-immunologic reaction to food. To learn more about the difference between Food ALLERGY and Food SENSITIVITIES, please visit here.
Positive Disintegration The Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD) by Kazimierz Dąbrowski is a theory of personality development. Unlike mainstream psychology, Dąbrowski's theoretical framework views psychological tension and anxiety as necessary for growth. These "disintegrative" processes are therefore seen as "positive," whereas people who fail to go through positive disintegration may remain for their entire lives in a state of "primary integration." Advancing into disintegration and into the higher levels of development is predicated on having developmental potential, including overexcitabilities, above-average reactions to stimuli. Unlike some other theories of development such as Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, it is not assumed that even a majority of people progress through all levels. Dąbrowski's theory[edit] Kazimierz Dąbrowski (1902–1980), a Polish psychiatrist and psychologist, developed the Theory of Positive Disintegration over his lifetime of clinical and academic work. Notes[edit]
Myths About Giftedness ~ by Mary Rocamora, M.A. ~ There are many myths about the gifted that are held in the mainstream culture. They permeate conventional parenting and our educational system, including private education. The gifted can make it by themselves — they don’t need any extra attention, either as children or as adults. Actually, gifted children and adults need more mirroring and mentoring than most people because there is more inside that is yearning to be lived. Even if you have extraordinary talents, keep your light under a bushel. One should never feel too good about one’s abilities or show them off except when invited or alone. You can be gifted on your own time. After you have done everything you “should” do, you will finally be free to do something meaningful or creative. In the awareness work we offer, the gifted are moved irrevocably away from the obligatory demands of family, friends, being a “good person,” and even our ideas about survival. You can’t earn a living being who you are.