The impact of giftedness outside the school environment is a topic that is not often discussed. Highly gifted people encounter problems related to their giftedness not only at school, however, but also in everyday life. In this study, the following three questions are discussed: 1) How do gifted people experience their giftedness in everyday life? 2) What kind of problems do they encounter and how do they deal with those problems? 3) What kind of support is useful to handle these problems in a better way?
Based on a review of the literature and a number of interviews, the problems and the advantages that the highly gifted experience are clustered into four themes:
1) awareness of giftedness: the process from problem identification to problem recognition doesn’t always go smoothly; 2) self-image: although this turns out to be mostly positive, insecurity, fear of failure, perfectionism and boredom may have a paralysing effect;
3) social relations: gifted people often have to adjust to the level of others;
4) dichotomy between intellectual and practical; gifted people indicate that they need practical and clear skills that helpthem to participate in life and to engage themselves in things that – in their eyes –matter.
This study shows that giftedness, besides a potential learning problem, can also cause problems in everyday life. Therefore, attention to the impact of giftedness on the life of a gifted person is advisable. Based on the insights from this study, a course was set up that focusses on the development of ’selfresponsible self-determination’. The course is meant to be a first step towards acquiring knowledge about giftedness, self-knowledge and self-understanding for gifted students. In addition, the course offers them the opportunity to share experiences in a congenial group. The first experiences with a pilot course at a secondary school are positive.