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The document highlights the “overexcitability” concept from Dabrowski and the Columbus Group, explains its five domains, and discusses controversy and links to “openness to experience,” emphasizing heightened intensity and 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\nAn Australian Mensa Initiative  \n2017 Australian Mensa Inc. [mensa.org.au](mensa.org.au)  \nAustralian Mensa provides this information which may be of interest to members or the public. The opinions expressed in this document are solely those of the author and not of Australian Mensa.  \nWhy definitions matter  \nThe notion of the intense, sensitive gifted child has become something of a hot potato in the field of gifted education. This is largely because of the broadening chasm between definitions of giftedness currently favoured by educators and those historically favoured by psychologists. The child considered gifted based on her academic performance and the ability to do well in tests at school, may be somewhat different from the child who has been identified as gifted by a psychologist based on the attainment of a high IQ score.  \nEducators may perceive giftedness in quite a different way to how it is perceived by psychologists, or indeed, by parents. The biggest difference is whether an individual can be gifted if they do not achieve high marks at school or eminence in their field. If gifts are not translated into recognised talents is an individual still gifted?  \nThe Columbus Group emphasises the importance of seeing the bigger picture. Their landmark definition states: “Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counselling in order for them to develop optimally (The Columbus Group, 1991).  \nWhile this definition hinges on the idea of asynchrony and the role of individual difference, the definition of giftedness currently favoured by the NAGC (National Association of Gifted Children), possibly the most influential body in  \nthe field of gifted education in the US, is somewhat different: “Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).”  \nWhen opinions differ  \nWhen there is such a lack of consistency in defining giftedness, it is not surprising that thereis also a lack of agreement in understanding characteristics that may accompany the experience of advanced cognitive ability. Educators see gifted children within the school environment. Psychologists and parents see them outside the school environment. Both educators and psychologists may have had individual experiences of either being gifted themselves, or of raising gifted children. Both groups have their own baggage with regard to how they identify and understand giftedness. This affects the interactions they have with gifted individuals.  \nThe concept of  \n‘overexcitability’  \nThe idea that gifted individuals may have‘over’reactions to stimuli and to other people has been accepted by many of the psychologists who work with them. The Columbus Group definition came about largely as a result of the collaboration of a group of women with many years’experience working with this population and who had already embraced the work of Polish psychologist, Kazimierz Dabrowski. Michael Piechowski, a colleague of Dabrowski’s, borrowed the concept of‘overexcitability’(OE)  \nAn Australian Mensa Initiative  \nPage 2 of 8  \nfrom his broader Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD), first using it in reference to the experience of gifted individuals in the 1970s.  \nOverexcitability has been translated ","cbCaivLS6ihraFLj","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivLS6ihraFLj","pdf",1103419,"English","# Why definitions matter\n# When opinions differ\n## The concept of overexcitability\n# There has been considerable controversy\n# The concept of openness to experience","[{\"question\":\"Why do definitions of giftedness matter in gifted education?\",\"answer\":\"The document explains that disagreements arise between definitions favored by educators and those historically favored by psychologists, leading to different identification outcomes and misunderstandings.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the document distinguish educator versus psychologist perspectives?\",\"answer\":\"Educators typically view giftedness within the school environment, while psychologists and parents may see giftedness outside school, affecting how interactions and identification are approached.\"},{\"question\":\"What is overexcitability and what are its five domains?\",\"answer\":\"Overexcitability is described as intense, prolonged reactions to stimuli, aligned with Dabrowski’s five domains: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional.\"}]","2017 Australian Mensa Initiative - Sensitivity Rev 0 | PDF",1791054752]