Vivir con intensidad: Comprender la sensibilidad, excitabilidad y el desarrollo emocional de niños, adolescentes y adultos superdotados

Why is this book a reference on giftedness?

If you are looking to understand the emotional intensity and sensitivity that accompany giftedness, this book is an essential guide. Written by experts in the field, it offers deep insight into the unique characteristics of highly capable individuals, from childhood to adulthood. Unlike other resources, it focuses on the internal experience: how those with exceptional intensity live the world.

What are overexcitabilities and how do they manifest?

One of the key concepts addressed in the book are overexcitabilities, according to Dabrowski's model. These intensified ways of experiencing life can manifest in five areas: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginative, and emotional. The text explains each one with practical examples, helping to identify patterns in gifted children, adolescents, and adults. Understanding these manifestations allows for more appropriate support.

Signs of intensity in gifted children and adolescents

Many parents and educators notice that highly capable children react more intensely to everyday stimuli. They may show great sensitivity to noise, injustice, or the emotions of others. The book details how these signs are not defects, but rather characteristic traits of their development. Learning to differentiate between a common tantrum and an overwhelmed response due to overstimulation is crucial to providing appropriate support.

Strategies to support emotional development (without falling into myths)

Far from offering magical solutions, the work provides research-based tools. It recommends validating the child's emotions without judging them, creating predictable environments, and fostering self-expression through art or writing. It also warns about common myths, such as the belief that gifted individuals do not need emotional support due to their intellectual capacity. Each strategy is presented with a solid clinical basis.

Who is this book for?

It is intended for parents who seek to understand their gifted children, as well as for educators and psychologists who work with this population. It is also a revealing read for adults who discover their own giftedness in maturity and wish to make sense of their history. The inclusive approach covers all ages and contexts.

A research-based resource

The editors, Susan Daniels and Michael M. Piechowski, are referents in the study of giftedness. The book compiles decades of research and clinical experience, offering a comprehensive and rigorous view. Although its reading may be dense for some, those who have read it highlight its depth and practical usefulness for understanding the intensity that characterizes brilliant minds.