Ep.13 - Gifted (Part II)

Gifted, part deux! Gordon and Rachel hunt and gather and foray onwards into part two, briefly revisiting Giftedness and its historical context, core characteristics, and our current state of understanding/learning, unlearning, and expansion. Giftedness is real *and* we simply can't pin it down as a "what" using material reductionism or IQ score. This makes things squishy and difficult. Who "gets" to be Gifted, and who decides? Giftedness as perhaps more akin to a filter or an engine/processor type; not exactly a part, but not the entirety of the person, either. *This view asks us to consider our current understanding of human intelligence (static, mutable, nature, nurture, brain, full-body; Rachel is absolute first-order thinking bent here, lol) and offers a notion of nature-nurture and learning in reciprocity and interplay through the lifespan. Just as with other forms of uncommon human processing, Giftedness has self-referential characteristics *and* a unique expression within/through each individual. Not bypassing the broader meadow of giftedness and aptitude in various expressions (physical, creative, musical, lingustic, etc.), Rachel and Gordon explore and land on a shape for Gifted that holds form in uncommon cognition and intellect that is meta, rapid/hyper-connected, and wide. (Rachel is resisting the urge to ask Gordon to re-record the whole episode as she feels a strong urge to better communicate the nested nature of those core characteristics – namely, metacognition and meta-awareness as a bucket that holds/makes possible existential and meaning-making orientation, capacity for abstraction and first-principles thinking, etc., possible. Maybe a separate vid?) They then hit the current hot button question: is Giftedness a form of neurodivergence? How could it not be? Whether in a developing kiddo or adult, questions of unseen diversity and unique differences in processing/experience are highly relevant to understanding and accepting oneself (and others), and again, are inextricable from neurology. When considering Gifted assessment and identification in kiddos *and* in adults... what are our intentions? How might our frameworks, practices, and overarching paradigms/ideologies need to change to support a more ecologically-oriented approach? R & G introduce the sensitivity, intensity, complexity model, which is a highly useful meta-model for exploration honoring physiology, phenomenological experience, as well as the experienced/reflected external. (Sometimes, bypassing existing labels and language that carry value judgments and existing meaning allows folks to connect with their own experience with less baggage.) From there, they nod to the existing framework of OEs (Theory of Positive Disintegration)/intelligence centers as ways to explore one's internal experience and reflected experience via another of their living intelligence. (You see the different processing in action in the episode happen real time, here – while Gordon goes stew, Rachel goes layer cake.) Ultimately, they come together to offer that perception and relationship with perception is a solid final resting place for this episode. To be continued? Takeaways Exploration of giftedness Complexities of human intelligence; uncommon cognition is real Core characteristics of Giftedness The fundamental importance of perception Chapters 02:54 Historical Context of Giftedness 06:10 *Core Characteristics of Giftedness 09:05 Neurodiversity and Giftedness 11:50 Physiological Basis of Giftedness 15:01 Identification and Assessment Challenges 18:04 Ecological Understanding of Intelligence 20:50 Frameworks for Understanding: Sensitivity, Intensity, and Complexity 28:15 Exploring the Intensity, Nervous System, and Overexcitability Connection 30:54 The Interconnectedness of Intelligence 33:04 Navigating Labels and Self-Understanding 36:52 Redefining Giftedness in a Changing World 39:39 Perception and Its Role in Cognition 42:48 Cultivating Uncommon Cognition 44:28 Neuroflexibility and Collective Intelligence