The Talent Development Trajectory of a Persuasive Communicator: A Biological Anthropologist Becomes a Voice for Animal Justice

Abstract

Through the lens of the talent development megamodel and the higher mastery framework, this instrumental case study examines the career trajectory of a biological anthropologist, Barbara J. King, who became a persuasive science communicator in the struggle for animal justice. Much of her impact stems from her development in two career paths, one formal and one informal, in biological anthropology and science communication. She developed credibility as a primatologist and academic and was able to apply her experience in the biological anthropology domain to public communication channels to share information about animal cognition and behavior. Through cumulative epiphanies, she came to recognize the value of understanding animals’ lived experience and the need to seek justice for animals. She became confident in her advocacy because of her extensive knowledge base and her teaching and writing skills, which developed through the many opportunities she eagerly pursued. King’s resilience, optimism, patience, curiosity, and motivation combined with confidence in her knowledge base and communication skills to create persuasive communications that challenge the ubiquitous view that animals’ lives are of lesser value than humans’ and they may be used for human purposes. In her dual careers of biological anthropology and science communication, she learned how to share strong evidence from animal research while respecting the individuals receiving her messages. Educators can support development of students’ transformational giftedness by encouraging identity exploration, fostering openness to new ideas, and not limiting their education to the narrow requirements of success within a single domain.