The Psychological World of Highly Gifted Young Adults: a Follow-up Study

Abstract

AbstractIn this exploratory qualitative case study, in-depth interviews were held with seven highly gifted young adults (27–28 years). Thematic analyses of the interviews revealed salient constellations of meaning: an “internal motor”—a metaphor for an internal strength, a strong drive to grow, learn and develop, driven by their curiosity, a lack of goodness of fit (for the school years up, until the college years), feeling “not okay to be me”, existential loneliness, stress due to multi-potentiality, perfectionism, and spiritual needs (e.g., freedom to choose their own path). Based on the answers of the participants, greater attention and support seem to be needed for the holistic development of (highly) gifted students throughout their school careers. The findings suggest that attention should be paid to stimulating their cognitive development as well as their social, emotional, and spiritual development.