%0 Journal Article
%T When Emotional Intensity and Cognitive Rigidity Collide: What Can Counselors and Teachers Do?
%A Matthew J. Zakreski
%J Gifted Child Today
%@ 2162-951X
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/1076217518786984
%X Gifted individuals have unique social and emotional needs that often manifest as challenging interpersonal behavior. Chief among these needs are the fact that gifted students tend to be quite emotionally intense and that they tend to be quite cognitively rigid. Emotional intensity is defined as having stronger, more frequent, more complex, and more lasting emotional responses than would be considered typical. Cognitive rigidity is defined as difficulty in changing mental sets. The intersection of these two traits in the gifted population makes interventions challenging, but the impact of these traits can affect a person¡¯s personal, social, and emotional growth. There are therapeutic techniques that can allow counselors, teachers, parents, and psychologists to positively impact these limiting traits. This article examines relevant literature on the subjects above, provides a case example from the author¡¯s mental health practice, and explores potential interventions
%K social/emotional needs
%K cognitive development
%K psychosocial development
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1076217518786984