The elusive search for the personality of the intellectually gifted student: Some cross-cultural findings and conclusions from the israeli educational context

The non-cognitive characteristics of intellectually gifted children have traditionally been given short shrift when compared to the extensive research on the cognitive facets of gifted children and instructional issues in teaching gifted children and youth. Our working assumption is that a systematic understanding and mapping out of the personality and affective profile of intellectually gifted students is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting gifted students' well-being and personal thriving, as well as for the maximal utilization of the high cognitive potential of intellectually gifted students. This paper reviews empirical research related to the personality and affective characteristics of gifted students, showcasing cross-cultural research originating in the Israeli educational context. We discuss group differences along both broad personality factors as well as more narrow-band personal traits. We also examine research focusing on mental health and emotional competencies of gifted students. We conclude with a number of broad observations garnered from the Israeli research conducted over the past few decades.