Examining the Relationship Between the Overexcitabilities and Self-Concepts of Gifted Adolescents via Multivariate Cluster Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between gifted adolescents’ forms of overexcitabilities and self-concepts. Clusters of adolescents were formed on the basis of their overexcitabilities, and these clusters of adolescents were then compared with regard to their self-concept scores. Gender differences were also examined. The sample consisted of 379 gifted adolescents, ranging in age from 11 to 16 years of age. Forms of overexcitabilities were measured using the Overexcitabilities Questionnaire—II, and various facets of self-concept were measured using the Self-Description Questionnaire—II. Using cluster analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and chi-square analysis, results suggested a distinct four-cluster solution, as well as differences between clusters in self-concept and gender. Putting the Research to Use Within this research, four distinct clusters of adolescents were found, namely a Low Imaginational group, a High Intellectual group, a Low Imaginational/High Psychomotor group, and a Low Psychomotor group. Differences in self-concept were found to center on the Low Psychomotor group, such that this group scored significantly lower than the three other groups with regard to various facets of self-concept. Females significantly outnumbered males in the Low Psychomotor group. Thus, gifted adolescent females with a low psychomotor overexcitability score may be more prone to a lowered self-concept and may need intervention, counseling, or special activities/accommodations to buffer the potential self-concept deficits they may face.

Typology of Self-Concept of Adolescents in France: A Comparison of Gifted and Nongifted French High School Students

“…Following the DHC, the ALCESTE software divides the corpus into several classes that group together individuals according to the similarity of their profiles as compared to the complete set of indicators used. As a cluster analysis procedure, the goal is to form groups that maximize both intragroup similarities and intergroup dissimilarities (Rinn, Mendaglio, Rudasill, & McQueen, 2010). In a second step, the software makes it possible to show the correlation that exists between profiles and illustrative variables (e.g., sociobiographical elements) defined by the researcher.…”

French Validation of the Overexcitability Questionnaire 2: Psychometric Properties and Factorial Structure

“…For example, females score higher than males on Sensual and Emotional OEs (Ackerman, 1997;Bouchet & Falk, 2001;Gross, Rinn, & Jamieson, 2007;Miller et al, 1994;Tieso, 2007), whereas they score lower on Psychomotor and Intellectual OEs (Bouchet & Falk, 2001;Lysy & Piechowski, 1983;Miller et al, 1994;Rinn, Mendaglio, Moritz Rudasill, & McQueen, 2010;Tieso, 2007). The relationship between gender and Imaginational OE is less consistent; depending on the study, females have sometimes been found to score higher than males (Ackerman, 1997;Gross et al, 2007) and sometimes lower (Bouchet & Falk, 2001).…”

Reliability and validity of the self‐perception profile for adolescents: An Australian sample

“…DuBois and Hirsch (2000) argue that by affording higher priority to linking the study of self‐esteem to other aspects of the development, researchers would be better positioned to understanding self‐processes in adolescence. Recent findings focus on the relationships between perceptions of the self and a range of variables: diet and appearance satisfaction (Barker & Bornstein, 2010), neural activity (Pfiefer et al., 2009), self‐deception and self‐liking (Mar, DeYoung, Higgins, & Peterson, 2006), overexcitability (Rinn, Mendaglio, Rudasill, & McQueen, 2010), body weight and obesity (McCullough, Muldoon, & Dempster, 2009; O'Dea, 2006), emotional expression (Polce‐Lynch, Myers, Kliewer, & Kilmartin, 2001), and smoking behaviour (Glendinning & Inglis, 1999).…”