James t webb dabrowskis overexcitabilities

Psychology term

Overexcitability is a term introduced to current psychology by Kazimierz Dąbrowski as part of his theory of positive disintegration (TPD). Overexcitability is a rough translation of the Polish word 'nadpobudliwość', which is more accurately translated as 'superstimulatability' in English. “The prefix over attached to ‘excitability’ serves to indicate that the reactions of excitation are over and above average in intensity, duration and frequency."^[1]

In his book Positive Disintegration,^[2] Dąbrowski uses the terms "hyperexcitability", "increased excitability", "overexcitability" and simply "excitability". He uses these terms interchangeably with nervousness.

Dąbrowski introduces these terms to describe a heightened physiological experience of stimuli resulting from increased neuronal sensitivities. He describes those who have hyperexcitability as showing "strength and perseveration of reactions incommensurate to their s

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Gifted Children and Adults--Neglected Areas of Practice by James T. Webb, PhD

(Not written by me)


Learning Objectives

• Be able to explain why efforts to re-define the concepts of intelligence and giftedness are important, and the methods used to identify these traits in children and adults

Working with begåvad and talented children and their families and with gifted adults is a neglected area of practice for psychologists. Two widespread myths among educators, pediatricians, and psychologists, is that gifted children and adults are ganska rare, and that bright minds have few issues and seldom need special help. In fact, begåvad children and adults are defined as those in the upper three to ten percent of the population in any of several intellectual domains (NAGC, 2010). Clinical and educational practice usually focuses on disadvantaged persons and obvious psychopathology. Many are unaware that talented and begåvad children are at fara for underachievement, peer relationship issu

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Making Use of Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities

Most gifted kids have them.  They can confuse parents, teachers, and doctors.  They may increase with the level of giftedness.  If you have a gifted student, this long word is probably part of your daily life.

What are the Overexcitabilities (OEs), and what do they look like in children?  More importantly – what should we do about them?

Background

The OEs were identified by Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902-1980), a Polish psychologist and psychiatrist with a Master’s degree in Education.  At the highest of his five levels of human development, individuals choose to work for the benefit of humanity.  According to Dabrowski, inner suffering is necessary for advanced development – and certain people exhibit heightened sensitivities, or Overexcitabilities, which predispose them to this suffering.

Although Dabrowski was interested in gifted development, his theory is not limited to the gifted.  Another psychologist, Michael Piecho