Rethinking Human Potential in Terms of Strength and Fragility: A Case Study of Michael Jackson*

Abstract

The case study of Michael Jackson illustrates the concepts of high potential, talent, and precocity in the musical domain. Studying this case of exceptional musical talent highlights the usefulness of a multidimensional approach to exploring human potential, which is not limited to academic abilities. It offers a better understanding of the process of transforming a gift into talent and allows us to examine the asynchronies observed in some high-potential individuals between extreme talent and impaired socioaffective development—the interplay between strength and fragility where cognitive functioning cannot be dissociated from emotional functioning.