Perspectives on Adolescent Giftedness and Delinquency

Abstract

There has been a good deal of conjecture about the relationship between giftedness and juvenile delinquency among adolescents. Many unfounded claims have been sensationalized and much of the research has been ignored. There continues to be contradictory evidence in the literature as to this relationship, but clearly there is no cause and effect determined. There are however some important indicators of which professionals in gifted education should be aware.This article attempts to put the issue of giftedness and delinquency in perspective based on a review of pertinent literature and a two year study of 268 delinquents in a suburban court system. Two juxtaposed theories evolve from this review about the likelihood of gifted youth to engage in inappropriate behavior and become delinquent.

Exploring the Interactions between Asian Culture (Confucianism) and Creativity

“…Torrance (1981Torrance ( , 2000aTorrance ( , 2000b noticed that children's creative behaviors are often punished and discouraged by parents and teachers who perceive creative behavior as inconvenient and difficult to manage. This can lead to the child's unwillingness to be creative, and eventually, to underachievement and rigid nonadaptive responses in the school environment (Seeley, 1984). Evidence of the anti-creativity effects of childhood socialization is found in Torrance's description of the "fourth grade slump" (1967, 1977Torrance & Gupta, 1964;Davis, 1992;Kang, 1989;Marcon, 1995;Nash, 1974;Timmel, 2001;Walker, 1995;Williams, 1976), which is a large drop in creativity at the fourth grade associated with the imposition of social demands, in the United States and other cultures.…”

Theoretical Reflections on the Underutilization of Employee Talents in the Workplace and the Consequences

“…The external world is far more adapted to the normally gifted, than to the needs of the highly gifted-and their needs do differ (Peterson, 2009). In America, the estimates are that 25% to 30% of the dropouts at high school are from the population of highly gifted or talented young people (Seeley, 1984). Research indicates that giftedness increases the chance of dropout (Blaas, 2014).…”

Research

“…Despite many studies to the contrary (Janos & Robinson, 1985), the notion that high intelligence places a child at-risk for psychological difficulties is commonplace among parents and educators alike (Cornell, 1984;Grossberg & Cornell, 1987). One variation on this theme is the belief that highly intelligent children are at-risk for delinquency during their adolescent years (Brooks, 1985;Lajoie & Shore, 1981;Parker, 1983;Seeley, 1984). Mahoney (1980) articulated two contrasting views about the relationship between intelligence and delinquency.…”

“…However, several studies were unable to detect substantial differences between high and average IQ delinquents (Harvey & Seeley, 1984;Tremblay, 1983). Reviewers generally conclude that the available empirical evidence does not support the vulnerability hypothesis (Lajoie & Shore, 1981;Mahoney, 1980;Seeley, 1984;Shore, Cornell, Robinson, & Ward, in press).…”

“…Many studies included status offenders (e.g., underage drinkers) or other youth who committed only minor offenses (Wilson & Herrnstein, 1985). Previous research on delinquents with high intelligence emphasized subjects with a history of nonviolent offenses such as larceny (Seeley, 1984;Shore, Cornell, Robinson, & Ward, in press). …”