Psychological constructions of learning potential and a systemic approach to the development of excellence

ABSTRACT In this article, we introduce a systemic framework for the development of learning potential to professional excellence inspired by the Actiotope model of giftedness. First, we critically reflect on three theoretical approaches representing different psychological constructions of learning potential. We label these approaches theories of giftedness, theories of practice, and theories of motivation. We explore contradictory ways in which these theories construct key factors that determine the successful development of human potential. Based on this comparison, we discuss the limitations of these theories stemming from their philosophical, methodological, and ideological backgrounds, including disproportionate emphasis on selected developmental factors, implicit one-way causality, and the dominant role of an individual over social influences. We further argue that the contradictory conclusions of these approaches may be reconciled within a systemic framework that acknowledges the reciprocal interactions between the key developmental factors proposed by these approaches, including learning outcomes, achievement motivation, practice and the social environment (including developmental resources and demands). We apply our systemic model in the context of the development of academic careers, in which we document the importance of the proposed components and how their interactions result in the processes of “cumulative advantage”, as well as the context-dependency of the model.