Giftedness as Trait vs. State

ABSTRACT Giftedness is usually conceived of in trait-like terms. But it often is expressed in the world in state-like terms—in response to challenging but often unpredictable situations where it is unclear who will rise to the challenges or even how we could know in advance who would be able to address the challenges at hand. Whereas traits tend to be stable, long term, and somewhat predictable in their manifestations, states tend to be unstable, often short term, and frequently unpredictable in the ways they manifest themselves. This article introduces the concept of state-giftedness. Because state-giftedness is not easily identifiable, everyone needs to be taught how to respond to the unexpected and unpredictable situations that will be consequential for their and others’ lives. Because of the unpredictability, these will be situations for which a ready repertoire of responses is neither available nor easily constructed.