Overexcitabilities : A Key to Understanding Your Gifted Personality

Overexcitabilities: A Key to Understanding Your Gifted Personality Based on… Dabrowski’s Theory of Overexcitabilities

OEQ-II • Please complete the OverexcitabilitiesQuestionaire II

Advanced Education Services • Goal 3: Socio-Emotional Guidance • AES will recognize and nurture the unique socio-emotional development of gifted learners.

IEP Goals and Objectives • Goal B: You will demonstrate an understanding of Overexcitabilities and the impact these have on your school success as measured by the following objectives: • 1. You will give a brief oral description of each of the 5 Overexcitabilities. • 2. After taking the OEQII, you will describe your primary Overexcitabilitie(s). • 3. You will assess and describe the impact of your primary and secondary Overexcitabilities (both positive and negative) on your school success. • 4. You will list at least three strategies for coping with the • problematic issues of your Overexcitabilities.

Overexcitabilities/Supersensitivities/Superstimulatabilities A consistent over-reaction to external and internal stimuli in a variety of domains.

Translation! • Some individuals tend to react more strongly than average to things that happen to them. • Some individuals tend to react to these things for a longer time than average.

Remember… • These reactions are a part of the physical and mental make-up of the individual. • Such individuals do not react this way on purpose. • This is simply a part of who they are.

PSYCHOMOTOR

PSYCHOMOTOROVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened excitability of the neuromuscular system • Capacity for being active and energetic • Love of movement for its own sake • Organic surplus of energy • Psychomotor expression of emotional tension

SENSUAL

SENSUAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened experience of sensual pleasure or displeasure • Sensual expression and outlets for emotional tension • Appreciation for aesthetic pleasures

INTELLECTUAL

INTELLECTUAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened need to seek understanding and truth • Intensified activity of the mind • Penchant for probing questions; Problem solving • Preoccupation with logic, theoretical thinking and development of new concepts

IMAGINATIONAL

IMAGINATIONAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened play of the imagination • Rich association of images and impressions • Spontaneous imagery as an expression of emotional tension • Capacity for living in a world of fantasy

EMOTIONAL

EMOTIONAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened, intense positive and negative feelings • Somatic expressions • Strong affective expressions • Capacity for deep relationships • Well differentiated feelings toward self

Great! Exciting! Fulfilling! Challenging! Troublesome! Painful! Overexcitabilities are…

Questions to Think About • Think of times when you have been strongly affected by what others think of you or when you have compared yourself to others. • Think of those situations that cause strong doubt. The situations should involve the way you struggle with yourself (for example, dealing with your beliefs, feelings, or abilities). • Recall times when you have felt inadequate, unworthy, or not-good-enough. • Consider those situations when you have felt like there was most difference between what is and what ought to be or the most difference between what was and what should have been in yourself. • Think of your "ideal self" and those qualities that you think are best for an ideal life. What attributes have you most dreamed of having?

Homework • Take home a parent letter and permission for assessment. • See you next week

Overexcitabilities : A Key to Understanding Your Gifted Personality