The vexing problem of dark giftedness

Abstract

The field of giftedness—including educators, theorists, and researchers--needs to show more cognizance of a phenomenon that is rearing its ugly head in more and more visible ways, namely, dark giftedness. Dark giftedness is giftedness used for bad and even toxic ends. Being gifted provides little, if any protection against the dark deployment of the abilities, talents, and skills that lead one to be viewed as gifted. The field of giftedness needs to take responsibility for identifying dark giftedness and mitigating its effects, to the extent possible. It needs also to teach gifted young people to use their gifts for positive rather than negative ends. The field of giftedness cannot assume that this will happen automatically, or that by ignoring the world-pervasive problem of dark giftedness, the problem will somehow not, nevertheless, be part of its responsibility to understand and assuage.