Giftedness as deviance: A test of interaction theories

Perceptions of gifted students concerning their own and other's attitudes toward giftedness were obtained from interviews of 60 students in gifted programs. The research uses these perceptions to examine their awareness of the existence and content of stereotypes and labels toward giftedness; coping mechanisms used by gifted students; and whether giftedness is perceived as valued or devalued by these students based on interaction with peers, teachers, and parents. Interaction theories of deviance (role, labeling) were evaluated to see whether these theories were supported by behavior of gifted students at school. Gifted status was usually associated with negative stereotypes and labels which limited and shaped peer contacts thus supporting labeling theory. Role theory emphasized activeness of gifted students in using “covering” mechanisms and “passing” to control visibility of deviant status of giftedness. Positive value of giftedness reflected by parents and teachers and negative value of giftedness reflected by peers emphasizes the situational context of deviance and creates a social chameleon effect whereby gifted students display this attribute in interactions where valued and mask where devalued, although giftedness was valued for self.