Cultural Ethos and the Development of Excellence

Abstract

The gifted have been found in all societies throughout recorded time (Ziv). Their general needs and attributes have remained the same from culture to culture. However, their careers in each society vary greatly in response to the particular values, goals, structure and lifestyle of the culture they inhabit. This paper explores the gifted-societal interaction in two very different cultures to determine the role various societal ethos play in the careers of its gifted. It also explores how each society's treatment of its gifted affects its own ongoing development.