Gifted and Talented Young Women: Antecedents and Correlates of Life Satisfaction

This study examined the antecedents and correlates of general life satisfaction as reported by 108 gifted and talented young women. Measures of socio-affective traits, instrumentality and expressiveness, and social self esteem were obtained across, three points in time; sophomore and junior years in high school and in young adulthood. The results of the longitudinal analyses supported the predicted centrality of instrumental self perception, not only to social self esteem but also to occupational confidence and general life satisfaction. Implications for counseling gifted and talented female adolescents are discussed.