The Gifted Adult: A Revolutionary Guide for Liberating Everyday Genius(tm) (Paperback)

by Mary-Elaine Jacobsen (Author) "John's self-editing and criticism aside, his description is apt..." (more)
Key Phrases: gifted traits, many gifted adults, mandated mission, Everyday Genius, Evolutionary Intelligence, Evolutionary Moments (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Jacobsen's concept of a new kind of intelligence, which she dubs Evolutionary Intelligence, is sure to attract attention and perhaps controversy. She estimates that 20 million Americans are "gifted adults" with an amalgam of intellectual abilities and personality and character traits that she has found to indicate high potential. Statistically, many gifted adults are baby boomers (a notion that is likely to appeal to them). The Minnesota psychologist has devised a broad self-assessment test, based in part on Howard Gardner's famous work on "multiple intelligences" and in part on her own definition of the qualities that she identifies in these innovators and problem-solvers: creative thinking, enthusiasm, playfulness, intuition, curiosity, humor, independence, multiple talents and a sense of justice. Jacobsen's goal is to help the gifted hone their abilities and cope with the "truths" of being gifted: being different, sometimes being misunderstood, needing patience to fulfill one's life mission, the support of mentors and peers and spiritual guidance. Although her good intentions are blurred by her elitism and her sometimes complicated scheme, she provides useful advice about framing responses to common criticisms, such as of perfectionism and sensitivity; about overcoming blocks to development; about skillful decision-making and achieving balance. Agent, Stephanie Tade of the Jane Rotrosen Agency; 6-city author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"PROVOCATIVE . . . UNLOCKS THE KIND OF PASSION THAT GREAT INVENTIONS ARE MADE OF."
--New York Daily News

"Takes readers beyond the myths and stereotypes about talent and genius . . . Everyone interested in maximizing intelligence, creativity, or productivity will want to read this book."
--MAUREEN NEIHART, PSY.D.
   Contributing editor, Gifted Child Quarterly -- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (November 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345434927
• ISBN-13: 978-0345434920
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #116,317 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important and Possibly Life-Changing Book!, October 15, 2002

By	Peter Messerschmidt "denmarkguy" (Port Townsend, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"The Gifted Adult" is an excellent book, and provides one of a few lone voices drawing attention to "A Group Society Would Rather Pretend Doesn't Exist:" The Gifted Adult.

Adult Giftedness is one of the "Ugly Stepchildren" in the field of Psychology. Whereas researchers, psychologists and society in general go to great lengths to study, understand and help those who dwell a long way below the mean intellect, those living their lives an equal distance the opposite side of the mean often find themselves living in a void of confusion, misunderstanding-- and misinformation. Their lives are perhaps complicated by a "split personality" support system that provides tools and special programs to gifted children, but then vanishes into thin air once the gifted individual is deemed "Adult"-- in some cases providing an abrupt perception change from giftedness as having positive "value" to suddenly being a reason for discrimination and sneers.

Gifted Adults are "statistical outliers." As such, they often have special issues, living in a world whose actions are centered around accommodating the "norm." At best, a Gifted Adult seeking to have his/her needs understood, may hear the words "Well, we're ALL gifted, in our own special way." At worst (and more frequently) they will hear "How can you have problems, if you're so smart?"-- words that reflect a popular view that giftedness is a "privilege" that exempts a person from having any difficulties in life. Yet, Gifted Adults discover that working harder, seeking answers, seeing therapists and trying to contribute often leaves them with a sense of "emptiness" and lack of fulfillment.

Mary-Elaine Jacobsen's book is a much-needed tool to help gifted adults understand themselves, and accept the fact that their brains work a little bit differently. Real differences, I might add, that change the way a gifted person views their interactions with the world, their road to self-actualization, or considerations for seeking therapy.

In Part I of the book, Jacobsen starts to define her own view of giftedness, and addresses some of the Societal Myths (Giftedness = High IQ), and influences (Gifted adults' tendency to deny their giftedness) established by conventional thinking.

In Part II, she presents her alternative theory for measuring giftedness-- a broad system she has named "Evolutionary Intelligence" (or EvIQ). Although Jacobsen "borrows" heavily from the "Multiple Intelligences" theory originally set forth by Howard Gardner at Harvard, she adds a number of new facets, presented in a 240-item "self quiz" in Chapter 7 of the book. Unlike "standard" IQ tests, this is NOT a timed exercise with "right" and "wrong" answers, but rather a self-evaluation. Of course, honest self-scrutiny is central to obtaining a "valid" result-- which may present difficulty for some.

Part III explores most of the common "misunderstandings" gifted adults encounter in their interactions with daily life. Topics include "self mis-diagnoses;" the issues associated with "Failing to Fit In;" rewriting personal history and past events through understanding "common criticisms" often heard by gifted adults ("Can't you just stick with ONE thing?" "Where do you get those wild ideas?" "Can't you just slow down?"); the "False Self" and dumbing yourself down; as well as the "Impostor Syndrome" gifted adults often experience.

Parts IV and V offer a series of tools and possible solutions to help gifted adults reorient their energies in an effort to create lives that let them be "true to themselves"-- while still fitting into the "normalcy" of their surroundings. In part IV, Jacobsen explores both career issues and personal relationships, however, I found this section to be a bit general and "pep-talkish." The final section deals with summarizing and then applying the lessons learned in the book.

Observations: My general inclination is to say " Buy this book! Buy it NOW! Read it! Learn!"

However, the potential reader should understand just what the book will do for them. "The Gifted Adult" (Formerly published under the name "Liberating Everyday Genius"-- the name change is a GOOD idea!) is long on presenting Jacobsen's theory of Evolutionary Intelligence, and long on providing self-understanding for the gifted adult-- but somewhat short as a "How-To" guidebook on how to live life. If you're looking for "connect A to B" solutions, you'll find only a limited number here.

The author is also quite "liberal" with her use of the designation "gifted." Normally, the term is used to describe approximately 2% of the population. Jacobsen's definition may include as many as 10%-- and whether this is merely a technique to sell more books, or a figure backed by scientific research, I do not know. It doesn't detract materially from the value of the information presented-- but at times the writing does become a little bit "fluffy" and lacking in focus.

Some personal thoughts (Caveats): Society is engaged in a long-term love affair with the idea of "pathologizing" any behavior not tightly clustered around a narrow definition of "Normal." Incorrectly diagnosing and medicating giftedness as ADHD or Bipolar Disorder responds to a popular need for "A Quick And Easy Fix." If AT ALL possible, we want a "magic pill" rather than "hard work." And whereas disorders certainly DO occur, Adult Giftedness-- and the psychological makeup specific to it-- is NOT a pathology.

Overall rating: Outstanding (9.5 bookmarks out of a possible 10), not only for the gifted adult and anyone living with a gifted adult, but the book also should be required reading for any psychologist/therapist who's been asked if they are "familiar with the psychology of Adult Giftedness."

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Positive and helpful, March 4, 2003

By	P. Lozar "plozar" (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In general, I found this book very enlightening. I differ in one respect from most of the "everyday geniuses" the author describes: early in life I was identified as having a high IQ. But my parents and teachers suffered from the misconception that this was an isolated trait and, in all other respects, I was a completely normal child. It was fine with them that I learned quickly, but the qualities that they found less agreeable (my determination, enthusiasm, sensitivity, and immensely wide variety of interests) were redefined as negatives: I was "stubborn," "unfocused," "hasty," "too emotional," and so on. Plus the ideals that I was supposed to achieve -- get straight A's in school, be quiet and well-behaved, specify a career goal and pursue it -- didn't appeal to me in the least; I didn't want an ordinary life, I wanted an extraordinary one. But I grew up believing that, by refusing to squeeze myself into the slots that society provided, I was "failing to live up to my potential."

It wasn't until recently that I learned that there's more to giftedness than a high IQ or a talent in a particular area. Palladino's "Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos," Gardner's work on "multiple intelligences," and many other books point out that the gifted child's mind actually works differently: intensity, drive, and sensitivity are all part of the package (which Palladino characterizes as "divergent thinking"). But the dividing line between genius and ADD is a blurry one, and our educational system's emphasis on normality and conformity often leads to defining any "divergence" as pathological or, at best, as misbehavior.

This book is a great antidote to such thinking. The author gives a self-test that enables the "everyday genius" to identify his/her strengths and personality traits, and I found the results interesting. Also very helpful are the lengthy sections on redefining your supposed negatives as positives: you're not someone who needs to "slow down"; doing things quickly is normal for you. I was greatly reassured to discover that my burning desire to "make a difference in the world" didn't stem from arrogance (which more than one teacher had scolded me for), but was, rather, a typical part of the high-EvI package. Although I don't agree with all of the author's suggestions in the "self-help" chapters, I think she's making an important point: the "everyday genius" can live and work effectively in the world not by suppressing his/her strengths, but by practicing self-discipline to use these strengths in the service of a higher goal. Given the scarcity of books written specifically for gifted adults (rather than children), this book fills a great need, and does it well.

I have only one quibble with the book, but it caused me to rate it with four stars rather than five. The author says things like "studies have shown ...", but she almost never gives the references for these studies; the footnotes to the chapters rarely mention research at all. I realize that she's writing a "popular" book rather than a scholarly work, and that many of her conclusions are based on her experience with her clients rather than on scientific research. But I feel it would give her conclusions far more credibility if she backed them up with harder data.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice for self-esteem, but where are the answers?, April 9, 2002

By	Loolah the Bohemian "L. Brooks" (Issaquah, WA) - See all my reviews

This is a review of the book "Liberating Everday Genius" by Jacobsen; I'm not sure if this book is the same under another name or if this new book offers more than the older version previously published.

I read this book in hopes that it would actually teach me how to liberate my creativity and intelligence. Unfortunately, most of what it offers is mere information and theory regarding what "everyday genius" is and how to tell if you are one using a rather generic "test." It then goes on to dispel myths and stereotypes that most "geniuses" seem to experience. I know that I found a lot of myself in this book although I'm not sure I'd call myself a genius. Perhaps I overestimate what the term really means, thus fitting in to the descriptions she gives of how society pushes down anyone who thinks differently than the majority. Sadly, none of my big questions were answered such as, "how do I overcome this programming?" I am just as confused and feel just as alone as I did prior to reading the book, so I can't say it has been any help to me except to point out that maybe there are others out there like me. What's the point if I still feel too lost to find them and to express my "true" self? Much of the material is repetitive in that she presents the same ideas and concepts over and over again. I assume she's trying to drill it into the head of the reader, but perhaps it's just book filler. I think she could have compacted the material into a book half the original size, thus lowering the price in the process. If you buy it, expect to be reading a Tony Robbins type self-esteem booster...do not expect to find real answers.