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Description
Background of the Study
During adolescence, individuals undergo a series of critical changes that allow them to understand their world, and themselves, in more complex and sophisticated ways (Keating, 2004). The cognitive advancements that typically occur during this time, such as the development of deductive reasoning and the improved ability to think abstractly and metacognitively, are related to both a heightened sense of self-awareness, a better understanding of what makes one unique, and the development of coping strategies (Chalmers & Lawrence, 1993; Klaczynski & Narasimham, 1998; Morris & Sloutsky, 2001; Sternberg & Nigro, 1980).
Giftedness in the Social Context
One of the ways that some adolescents differ from their peers is by possessing and displaying high intellectual ability. Research suggests that some gifted students believe others perceive them as different because of their giftedness, and therefore, treat them differently (Coleman & Cross, 1988; Cross, Coleman, & Stewart, 1993; Janos, Fung, & Robinson, 1985; Manaster, Chan, Watt, & Wiehe, 1994; Manor-Bullock, Look, & Dixon, 1995; Robinson, 1990). As a result, giftedness may become a stressor in certain social contexts, thus hindering normal social interaction (Coleman & Cross; Cross et al.; Manaster et al.; Manor-Bullock et al.). After reviewing research on this concern, Swiatek (2001) concluded:
Many gifted adolescents believe that their high ability level complicates their social relationships. This situation can be described as a stressor--more specifically, as a normative interpersonal difficulty that is exacerbated by the context of giftedness and that prompts the use of any of a number of coping strategies. (p. 24)
Social Coping of Gifted Students
Research suggests that gifted adolescents respond to the "perceived negative social effects of recognized high ability" (Swiatek, 2002, p. 66) by employing a variety of strategies that manipulate the visibility of their giftedness in these social contexts. These strategies range from conforming and using humor to conceal giftedness to outright denial of giftedness. See Table 1 for a more detailed representation of these findings across the various studies of the strategies used.
This broad spectrum of social coping strategies was identified using samples of gifted and high-achieving students who were tested in a variety of educational and social contexts using forms of the Social Coping Questionnaire (SCQ; Swiatek, 2001, 2002). For example, the samples ranged from American students who scored in the top 1% of students taking the ACT or SATs (Swiatek, 1995), honors and advanced placement students (Swiatek, 2001), and summer gifted program participants (Swiatek, 2002), to Chinese students who were nominated by their schools to participate in the Chinese University of Hong Kong gifted program because of their intellectual precocity, academic ability, or talent in a specific area (Chan, 2003, 2004, 2005). In each case, authors identified their samples as gifted although they include both high-achieving and intellectually precocious students. Furthermore, the forms of the SCQ administered differed in the number of items included (Swiatek, 1995, 2001, 2002; Swiatek & Dorr, 1998) and their language (Chan, 2003, 2004, 2005). Despite the diversity of the samples and version of the SCQ, the results of these studies and those of other investigations of adolescent coping suggest gender and age differences in strategy choice (Buescher, Olszewski, & Higham, 1987; Callahan, Cunningham, & Plucker, 1994; Chan, 2003, 2004, 2005; Swiatek, 1995; 2001, 2002; Swiatek & Dorr).
Gender Differences. Prior quantitative research points to a difference between the social coping strategies boys and girls employ. Relative to gifted females, gifted adolescent males are more likely to employ humor (Swiatek, 2001) and to discount the importance of popularity (Chan, 2003, 2004). Alternatively, gifted males have been identified as less likely to deny their giftedness (Swiatek, 2001; Swiatek & Dorr, 1998), place less value on peer acceptance (Chan, 2004), and are less likely to maintain high levels of interpersonal activity (Swiatek, 2001, 2002; Swiatek & Dorr). Data from the study by Buescher et al. (1987) showed that gifted adolescent boys employed more strategies and relied on adult support, whereas girls used fewer strategies and relied on more peer support. Callahan et al.'s (1994) qualitative study of gifted middle school females supported the findings of Chan (2003, 2004, 2005), Swiatek (2001, 2002), and Swiatek and Dorr; the females in their sample also conformed and hid their talents in social situations.
Age Differences. Younger gifted students appear to use different coping strategies than their older counterparts. Specifically, gifted students in higher grades have been found less likely to use conforming strategies (Chan, 2005) and more likely to endorse the items on the scales of Helping Others (Chan, 2005; Swiatek, 2001) and Minimize One's Focus on Popularity (Chan, 2004, 2005; Swiatek, 2002).
The Current Study
It is clear that gifted adolescents employ a variety of strategies to cope with their own giftedness in social situations, and there is some evidence that strategy choices are related to gender and age differences (Buescher et al., 1987; Chan, 2004; Swiatek, 1995, 2001, 2002; Swiatek & Dorr, 1998). Further investigation of patterns in social coping strategy choice of males and females and students of different ages may provide insight into the social cognition and behavior of gifted and academically advanced students. This... |
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