Gifted adolescents’ overexcitabilities and self‐concepts:An analysis of gender and grade level

The current study examined the relationship between gifted adolescents' overexcitabilities and self‐concept, while also exploring gender and grade‐level differences in overexcitabilities. Participants included 248 gifted adolescents who had completed the sixth through tenth grade during the previous academic year. Overexcitabllities were measured using the Overexcitabilities Questionnaire‐Two (Falk, Lind, Miller, Piechowski, & Silverman, 1999). Multiple facets of self‐concept were measured using the Self Description Questionnaire II (Marsh, 1990). Females reported higher sensual, imaginational, and emotional overexcitability subscale scores than males. Grade‐level differences were found for intellectual overexcitability. There were no gender or grade level differences for psychomotor overexcitability. Results indicate multiple relationships between overexcitabilities, self‐concept, and grade level. Conclusions and implications are discussed.