L’ajustement socio-affectif des enfants et des adolescents intellectuellement surdoués : le rôle du profil intellectuel et de la représentation de soi

We examined the role of intellectual profile (homogeneous versus heterogeneous in favor of verbal abilities) and of self-representation (self investment, representation of interpersonal relationships) on social-emotional adjustment of intellectually gifted children and adolescents. Verbally gifted boys having low self-esteem but high self-concern are more likely to manifest undesirable behaviors of adjustment. Verbally gifted children are having difficulties in investing self and others and anxious, depressive and relational problems in comparison with globally gifted. Self investment and in particular self-esteem is the best predictor of social and emotional adjustment. Low self-esteem is strongly related to maladjustment. Children with high self-esteem can be considered as a heterogeneous category. High self-esteem associated to excessive self-concern has less beneficial effects on adjustment than high self-esteem associated to low self-concern.