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ABSTRACT:
To date hardly anything is known about the personality characteristics of gifted adults and their relationship to well-being. The present study therefore examined the personality characteristics (those derived from the Five-Factor Model of personality and, in addition, sensitivity and emotional intelligence) of 196 adult members of the Mensa society. The relations between these characteristics and well-being were compared to findings in a sample derived from the general community. Results showed that gifted individuals, compared to others, showed lower levels of conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional intelligence. In addition, among the gifted, conscientiousness was positively related to well-being, whereas in the comparison group, extraversion was positively related to well-being. Theoretical and practical implications of the present study are discussed.
In general, intelligence is a desired asset. Individuals with a high IQ are more creative, earn more money, are healthier and live longer lives (Batty, Shipley, Gale, Mortensen, & Deary, 2008). When an individual's IQ exceeds 130, he or she is usually referred to as 'gifted' (Hollinger & Kosek, 1986). One of the first to study gifted individuals was Terman (1959). He showed that individuals who were identified at age 10 as intellectually gifted evolved by midlife into relatively well-adjusted, productive adults (Freeman, 2006). More recent research on gifted individuals has focused mainly on gifted children and adolescents. A possible explanation for the current scarcity of studies among gifted adults is that gifted people form only a small part of the general population (statistically about 2.5%). Their giftedness may be difficult to detect, and gifted adults may therefore be difficult to locate in a number sufficient for conducting a study. Gifted adults are not simply those individuals who excel in school or career. Due to boredom, among possible contributing factors, many gifted individuals are underachievers rather than achievers (Ford, Grantham, & Milner, 2004). As a result, the only reliable way to identify and select gifted adults is to measure individuals' IQ on a standardized intelligence test. Researchers may not be willing to invest time and financial resources to secure that kind of information.
Personality of the Gifted
An important topic of psychological study is 'personality'. Personality may be defined as a more or less stable and enduring organization of a person's character, temperament, intellect,...