Dabrowski's overexcitabilities profile among gifted students

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify the overexcitabilities profile of gifted students. The Dabrowski's concept of overexcitabilities is the heightened intensity and sensitivity displayed in the gifted students' behaviours when responding to the stimuli in the environment. These characteristics give a negative impression that these students have behaviour or disciplinary problems. Dabrowski had identified five domains of overexcitabilities which are psychomotor, sensual, imagination, intellectual and emotional. The presence of overexcitabilities in gifted students is measured by using the Self-Assessment Overexcitabilities instrument. The findings showed that 88% of the gifted students have at least one high level of overexcitabilies. The findings also identified four profiles of gifted students' overexcitabilities which displayed very distinct level of intensities across the five domains. The profiles' characteristics are (i) Profile 1 - high imagination; (ii) Profile 2 - all domains are high; (iii) Profile 3 - high psychomotor, (iv) Profile 4 - all domains are low. It also showed that not all gifted students have high overexcitabilies as proven by Profile 4. It is concluded that, even though the gifted students have almost the same level of intelligence, but they have different characteristics of overexcitabilities.