Managing Emotional Intensities of Gifted Students in Interdisciplinary Study

The emotional intensities of gifted students affect not only their learning, but the way they live and see the world. This article examines the Theory of Positive Disintegration of Dabrowski (1964, 1972) to explore the inner world of the gifted. The five levels of development and five overexcitabilities of Dabrowski represent an abundance of physical, sensual, creative, intellectual, and emotional energy which cause inner turmoil, but can result in creative endeavors. The benefits of interdisciplinary learning to meet the emotional needs of gifted students are presented with examples of interdisciplinary studies of justice and forensics. XQ Institute is introduced as a resource for interdisciplinary study and significant learning, and a XQ school Da Vinci RISE High is discussed. Another resource Teachers Network is explored with an interdisciplinary study of Story Quilting. The culminating project of this article is an interdisciplinary study of giftedness as a theme to help advanced learners better understand themselves.