The Gifted Adult

Table Of Contents

Table of Contents

PART I. IDENTIFYING EVERYDAY GENIUS

1. Beyond Giftedness: Everyday Genius Defined        
Giftedness Denied                         
The Gifted Adult                                
The Source of Giftedness                        
The Concept of Giftedness Expanded        
The Five Facets of Freedom                

2. Gifted? Not Me                        
We Love Your Unique Products. Just Stop Being So Different!                
Gifted? Not Me: Unidentified Everyday Genius
Telltale Signs of Everyday Genius
Facing the Truth about Ourselves
Why Must I Know This about Myself?
How Can I Know This about Myself
Misconceptions about Giftedness

3. The Everyday Genius: Lost and Found
The Ugly Duckling
When a Duck is Not a Duck
Seeing the Swan of Everyday Genius
The Everyday Genius Brought to Light
The Ugly Duckling Syndrome
Know Thyself or Lose Thyself
How Did the Swan Get Lost?

4. Lost In The IQ Game
What’s Smart and What Is Not?
What is IQ, Really?
Beyond Outdated IQ
The Unexpected Gifted Adult
Mistaken Identities by the Millions
The Everyday Genius Next Door

5. Standing What You "Know" on Its Head
The Everyday Genius Mind: The Same and Different
How "Different" Becomes "Wrong"
Gifted Needs
The Destiny Question: Disown or Deliver?
Are There Others Like Me? And Are They Normal?
Rebel, Nerd, or Marvel?
Reframing Genius

PART II. EVOLUTIONARY INTELLIGENCE

6. Evolutionary Intelligence: The Next Step
Retesting the Waters of Intelligence
What’s Evolution Got to Do with It?
The EvI Formula

7. The Evolutionary Intelligence Profile
About the EvI Profile
What the EvI Score Tells You
Exploring Your EvIQ Score
Evolutionary Intelligence in Real Life
It Only Looks Revolutionary After the Fact

PART III. WHAT’S "WRONG" WITH YOU IS WHAT’S RIGHT WITH YOU: REVEALING AND HEALING EVERYDAY GENIUS

8. Gifted or Cursed?
Correcting the "Too-Too" Misdiagnosis
Déjà vu
Gifted or Cursed? My Own Beginnings
Five Basic Truths About Giftedness
A Bittersweet Experience
The Essentials of Self-Discovery
The Real Enemy—Fitting In
The Ten Criticisms

9. Confronting the First Five Criticisms
Rewriting Personal History
Criticism #10: "Why Don’t You Slow Down?"
Criticism #9: "You Worry About Everything!"
Criticism #8: "Can’t You Just Stick with One Thing?"
Criticism #7: "You’re So Sensitive and Dramatic!"
Criticism #6: "You Have to Do Everything the Hard Way!"

10. Getting Free from the Top Five Criticisms
Criticism #5: "You’re So Demanding!"
Criticism #4: "Can’t You Ever be Satisfied?"
Criticism #3: "You’re So Driven!"
Criticism #2: "Where Do You Get Those Wild Ideas?"
Criticism #1: "Who Do You Think You Are?"

11. Meeting the False Self
Meeting the False Self
Five Blocks That Enslave the Self and Eclipse the Soul
Indulging the False Self
Denying Gifts and Talents
Getting Over Giftedness Guilt
The "Safe Life"
Making Friends with Risk
Seeking Approval
Breaking the Approval-Seeking Habit
Impostorism
Unlearning Impostorism

12. How Assets Can Become Liabilities
The Shadow Side of Everyday Genius: Disorderly Conduct
Wounds and Reactions
Looking Back to Move Forward
Everyday Genius—The Second Time Around
The "Teachable Moment"
The Reactivity Pendulum
The Unbecoming Extremes

PART IV. MANAGING THYSELF: SELF-MASTERY AND INTEGRATION
13. The Big Three Differences: Intensity, Complexity, and Drive
Managing the Flow: No Trickles, No Torrents
Charting an Evolutionary Course
Intensity: Quantitatively Different
Complexity: Qualitatively Different
Drive: Motivationally Different

14. Self-Mastery: Managing Intensity, Complexity, and Drive
The Drive to Perfect Versus Perfectionism
Ending the PerfectionismProcrastination Seesaw: Ready, Set, Go!
Managing Feeling
Impulse Management
Reviving Your Natural Optimism
Smarter than Ever: Becoming Superconscious
From Stress Tolerance to Stress Management
The Life Balance Plan
Five Strokes of Genius for Being Successfully Different

15. The Everyday Genius in Relationships
Not Phony and Not Lonely
The Everyday Genius in Love
Partner with the Person, Not the Potential
The AcquiesceAccuse Pendulum
Listening for Love
Reflective Listening
Assertive Instead of Demanding
The Selfishness That Enhances Intimacy
Real Relating
Relationships in the Workplace: Working Together, Preserving Individuality

16. Self-Liberation
Self-Liberation
Evolutionary Moments: A Preview of Life’s Coming Attractions
The Catalyzing Evolutionary Moment
True-Life Evolutionary Moments
The Rewards of Genius
Declaring a Personal Mission
Beyond I-ness
Ten Signs of Advanced Development
Reconciling the Nine Dilemmas
True Genius

Acknowledgments

Notes

Recommended Reading

Resources

Index