Positive Disintegration Reflections on Giftedness and Dąbrowski's Theory, Part 1
In episode 64, Chris and Emma talked with Dr. Linda Silverman, a licensed clinical and counseling psychologist in Westminster, Colorado. Linda founded and directs the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development (ISAD) and its subsidiary, Gifted Development Center. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part series with Dr. Silverman. The first conversation explores Linda's discovery of Dabrowski's theory in 1979 and her role in establishing the Dabrowski Study Group with Dr. Frank Falk at the University of Denver.
Listeners will also gain insights into the complexities of giftedness, including the controversial issue of IQ testing. Linda reflects on how societal shifts have shaped gifted education and the changes she has observed during her career. She offers a candid critique of the limitations of the field, highlighting the challenges of adequately identifying and supporting the unique needs of highly gifted individuals. Her work has had a profound impact on individuals as well as our broader understanding of giftedness.
This discussion included many articles and resources, which we’ve shared below. Part 2 will be released soon!
Links from this episode
Gifted Development Center website
Institute for the Study of Advanced Development (ISAD)
We’ve tried to include the following links in the order they were mentioned.
Michael Piechowski’s chapter on Developmental Potential from New Voices in Counseling the Gifted. The other chapter mentioned was Giftedness as Multilevel Potential by Kay Ogburn-Colangelo. The book, edited by Nicholas Colangelo and Ronald T. Zaffrann, can still be found online. Click here to read Linda's review for Contemporary Psychology called “Gifts for The Gifted.”
The Theory of Positive Disintegration and its Implications for Giftedness by Silverman & Ellsworth, from the 1980 conference Linda discussed attending.
Interesting Quotes, Vol. 7 featured work by Marlene Rankel
Episodes with folks mentioned in this episode:
* Episode 5, Researching Overexcitability, with Frank Falk
* Episode 35, Dąbrowski’s Theory in Practice with Patty Gatto-Walden
* Episode 48, Piechowski’s Insights on Positive Disintegration with Michael M. Piechowski
Chris discussed meeting Linda at the 2015 SENG Conference. SENG stands for Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted.
Making Friends and Building Community is the post that Chris mentioned.
Two papers by Linda were mentioned:
* The Two-Edged Sword of Compensation (Gifted Education International)
* My Love Affair with Dabrowski’s Theory (Roeper Review)
Nancy Miller’s MACS coding system and dissertation were mentioned. You can also read about MACS in this paper, which Nancy co-authored with Linda in Roeper Review.
In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan
Linda mentioned her book Counseling the Gifted & Talented
How the Gifted Cope With Their Emotions by Annemarie Roeper
Linda talked about chapters by Michael Piechowski on emotional giftedness. His chapter from 1997 was the focus of Interesting Quotes, Vol. 2. She also pointed out that his book Mellow Out is an excellent source for learning about emotional and spiritual giftedness.
“When Does Water Become Steam?” was presented by Linda in 2018 at the Triple Nine Society’s annual ggg999 meeting.
Ann Klein’s book A Forgotten Voice is a biography of Leta S. Hollingworth.
“A Feminine Perspective on Giftedness” is the chapter Linda said is currently being updated.
Connect with us
Positive Disintegration on Substack
Visit the Dabrowski Center website
The Positive Disintegration YouTube Channel
Adults with Overexcitabilities group on Facebook
The Tragic Gift blog by Emma
Email us at positivedisintegration.pod@gmail.com
Please consider supporting the podcast to help fund this work through the Dabrowski Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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