The Overexcitabilities High-IQ People May Have

Being intellectually gifted is typically viewed as a blessing, benefiting high-IQ individuals overall. However, having supercharged brains also causes specific intensities, which often look like quirks to those around us and can be problematic. Polish researcher Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902–1980) worked on existential depression and personality, and characterized these overexcitabilities (OEs) as five distinct types: emotional, imaginational, intellectual, psychomotor, and sensual.

In this series, I will elaborate on what each of those terms means:

• Intellectually gifted individuals (meaning those with an IQ of 130 or above) may have at least one innate overexcitability.
• Intellectually gifted individuals may have two to five of these five intensities, though they vary in degree, and one type usually stands out as the most extreme.

These traits can help educators and parents spot giftedness, which can otherwise be masked by issues like learning challenges, poverty, or underachievement. Giftedness experts Susan Winebrenner and Dina Brulles (2012) note that “overexcitability is considered a marker of giftedness, one of the many things to look for when identifying a gifted child” (p. 11). As researchers worked to add to our understanding of OEs in childhood and beyond, Dabrowski’s (1964) research was quickly built upon by others, both within and outside the field of education (see Bailey, 2011; Piechowski, 2006; & Piirto, Montgomery, & May, 2008).

Recent studies also verify the presence of overexcitabilities or intensities, as they are sometimes called. A significant mixed-methods study by Wood et al. (2024) examined the prevalence and implications of OEs in profoundly gifted children and adolescents, verifying the prevalence of OEs among gifted students. Sousa and Fleith (2021) further explored how emotional development in gifted students correlates with different types of OEs, and their comparative analysis found statistically significant differences between gifted students with varying talents in how these types of OEs manifest specifically in their cognitive and emotional activities. Meanwhile, Papadopoulos (2020) reviewed how OEs can influence both cognitive and socio-emotional development, supporting the notion that OEs can lead to both heightened capabilities and psychological challenges. Soon-to-be-released findings by Alsaffar (2023) also underscored that gifted individuals often navigate complex emotional landscapes, potentially leading to both resilience and vulnerability in their psychological health. Other such studies abound. OEs can cause problems, but they also come with benefits.

Awareness

As a Mensan, I still remember the relief and affirmation I felt when I learned about overexcitabilities; I finally had the answer to why I think, feel, and do things those around me do not. It is advantageous for gifted youth and adults to understand the overexcitabilities at work in their minds, just as it is advantageous for educators, parents, and others around them to understand how they work.

I am writing this six-part series to explain each overexcitability in detail, as well as the specific strategies teachers and parents can employ when working with gifted individuals who have them. In the next part of this series, we will explore emotional overexcitability and how to navigate its implications. After that, we will examine the imaginational, intellectual, psychomotor, and sensual over-excitabilities in parts III-VI.

Continue to Part II.