Trresh Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I haven't researched this....and I think that will probably be pretty obvious when I'm done. I have three kids. One is super bright, one is pretty darn bright and one is what I would consider an average learner. The 2 oldest did great on their NWEA tests (upper 90th percentile most times) but my youngest who is the only one left in school (I bring them home in 4th grade) does mediocre at best on the NWEA. She's no dummy but she just doesn't seem to be as smart as the other two. (Ugh...in black and white that comes off sounding awful but I truly don't mean for it to. It really is a non-issue to me.) My oldest two are grouchy, argumentative, at times negative..... regular Eeyore types while my youngest is like a little ray of sunshine. She's so, so sweet! Do you think there is any correlation between IQ and personality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, my gifted child is very happy all the time, as was I as a child (my dad, likely also gifted, is heavily involved in the Optimist Club, and I inherited his optimism). I'd say it's probably a combination of age and general personality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I do not think there is a correlation between IQ and personality per se. I can see, however, how a gifted child could be very unhappy because his special needs are not met. My kids have almost identical IQ values and completely different personalities; both are quite happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I've read that gifted kids are more emotionally sensitive. My gifted daughter is generally pleasant and caring, but she feels things deeply and become depressed or emotional over things other kids aren't even aware of. She is also a stubborn control freak and hates it when "choices" are made for her. For example, she wants to choose what she wears. If I choose it, she hates it, even if it's actually her very favorite dress. She doesn't just grumble and move on; she changes the whole atmosphere of the morning. So yeah, she can be a pain, but most of the time she's a darling. (Granted, part of the "darling" is put on, but it beats the negative drama.) ETA: I should also note that my gifted daughter has vivid dreams/nightmares that result in her not getting as much sleep as she probably should. So that could factor into the equation. My other daughter is a "ray of sunshine" except when she's feeling insecure. Then she can be a little monster. Luckily they usually aren't in bad moods at the same time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I would not assume that IQ levels always correlate to scores on an achievement test like the MAP. In other words, I would not assume that the one whose MAP scores are average necessarily has a lower IQ than the others. In fact, with very bright siblings, I'd keep an eye out for learning difficulties in the average one. Just my PSA for the day. (e.g., my 2E-ish kiddos have had widely varied scores on the reading sections of those types of tests, from average to over 90th for the same kid, though they usually do extremely well on the math sections.) I agree with SKL that some gifted kids may be more emotionally sensitive, but that does not necessarily mean grumpy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I would not assume that IQ levels always correlate to scores on an achievement test like the MAP. In other words, I would not assume that the one whose MAP scores are average necessarily has a lower IQ than the others. In fact, with very bright siblings, I'd keep an eye out for learning difficulties in the average one. Just my PSA for the day. (e.g., my 2E-ish kiddos have had widely varied scores on the reading sections of those types of tests, from average to over 90th for the same kid, though they usually do extremely well on the math sections.) I agree with SKL that some gifted kids may be more emotionally sensitive, but that does not necessarily mean grumpy. :iagree::iagree: My kids are very different in personality, but both are gifted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 The grumpiness in one of my gifted kids turned out to be food-allergy related. Once we removed all dairy products from his diet, his disposition became much happier (& he was much nicer to be around!). Just a thought.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I know folks who are HG+ who are pleasant and others who are grumpy. I do think that intellectual giftedness can amplify the underlying personality traits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I will just agree with everyone else. My "smartest" (so far) is a VERY happy little boy. I will also say that I was labeled gifted as a child and I am the happiest person I know.:) \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No correlation. Two very bright kids - the brighter (possibly) is laid back, the other is positively jolly. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 No grumpiness with our (whatever it means) >99.9 percentile fella. But we do have sensitivities and this year, a bout of anxiety that does not seem to be going away. Like others have said, it doesn't manifest as grumpiness. I've met HG+ folk who are among the sunniest, most cheerful people I've met and you can tell they are genuinely so. We have a large HG+ community near where we live and we meet them often. No persistent grumpiness that I can see. I'd second the possibility of food intolerance or some other sensitivity issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I've found that the smarter they are, the more adept they are at "playing" on other people's (especially parents') weaknesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I know what you mean, though. It sure does seem like ignorance is bliss. Understanding too much in our world can simply be depressing (I speak as an adult). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 My gifted kids are not grumpy. My dd was grumpy, but it turned out to be Celiac disease. Without gluten in her diet, she is positively delightful. I am not saying they are happy all the time, but they aren't grumpy people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I've found that the smarter they are, the more adept they are at "playing" on other people's (especially parents') weaknesses. Yep. In my experience, more accentuated intellectual skills usually transfer to more accentuated manipulative skills, for the good and for the bad. Heck, intelligence itself is often pretty much defined as a manipulative skill: it is not about knowing a set of information, but about being able to manipulate it more successfully, on average, than other people. It is therefore not surprising that minds disposed at intellectual manipulation can quite easily transfer the skill to "social" manipulation. I actually find the stereotype of a clumsy withdrawn sensitive "geek" to be dead wrong in most cases: the most intelligent people I have met are also the most "socially" intelligent people, very adept at manipulating all sorts of real life situations to their advantage. I also do not find any correlation whatsoever between intelligence and character. I met my fair share of intelligent people in my life, some of them scarily brilliant, and they are as different one from another as the "normal" folks - from enthusiastic, altruistic, outgoing, tree-hugging personalities to grumpy misanthropes who deliberaly chose a reclusive lifestyle to minimize their vexation at the world, and everything in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trresh Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 (edited) My son does feel things very deeply. He can't stand any type of injustice at all whether it's dished out on him or others. He's so intense. When he has a melt down he feels so guilty afterward most times. My daughter has very mild sensory issues and I'm wondering if that doesn't add to her grumpiness. She hates the way winter coats feel and usually doesn't wear one but if it's in the teens or lower I make her. She's a total grouch the whole time she's wearing it. She hates sticky hands, dry hands, static in her hair, etc...These things also make her moody. I'll keep in mind the idea of a learning disability for my youngest. I hadn't thought of that. What other symptoms did the kids with allergies and Celiac have? ETA: I don't feel that they're being manipulative but I know sometimes it's hard to see those things in your own children. I'm going to ponder it, though. Edited October 23, 2011 by Trresh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 What other symptoms did the kids with allergies and Celiac have? My son had life-long eczema and sensory issues. The eczema dramatically cleared up when he was off the milk products. It's harder to say about the sensory issues, since most of those had mellowed out by the teen years anyway. He also has seafood allergies, and I'm trying to get him to go get tested for Celiac (which I have). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 What other symptoms did the kids with allergies and Celiac have? My DD was diagnosed with Celiac at 3 years old. She had eczema, which has since cleared up. She has asthma. She had some diarrhea. She was diagnosed because she is in a medical study about the onset on Type I Diabetes, which she does not have at this point. There is a correlation between the two, so the study tests for Celiac, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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