Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities

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Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities

• An Eight Week Structured Group for Gifted Students

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Overexcitabilities

• Overexcitabilities (OEs) are inborn, heightened
  abilities to receive and respond to stimuli. They
  are expressed in increased sensitivity,
  awareness, and intensity. Each form of
  overexcitability points to a higher than average
  sensitivity of its receptors. As a result a
  person endowed with different forms of
  overexcitability reacts with surprise, puzzlement
  to many things, he collides with things, persons,
  and events which in turn brings him astonishment
  and disquietude (Dabrowski, 1964 p.7).

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Overexcitability Questionairre II

• Directions Please rate how much each statement
  fits you. Respond on the basis of what you are
  like now, not how you would like to be or how you
  think you should be. Circle the number under the
  statement that most accurately reflects the way
  you see yourself.
• 1Not at like me
• 2 Not much like me
• 3Somewhat like me
• 4A lot like me
• 5Very much like me

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Overexcitability (OE)

• The roots of the idea of overexcitabilities and
  their importance might first appear in William
  James
• Wherever a process of life communicates an
  eagerness to him who lives it, there the life
  becomes genuinely significant. Sometimes the
  eagerness is more knit up with the motor
  activities, sometimes with the perceptions,
  sometimes with the imagination, sometimes with
  reflective thought. But, wherever it is found,
  there is the zest, the tingle, the excitement of
  reality and there is 'importance' in the only
  real and positive sense in which importance ever
  anywhere can be James, W. (1899). On Some of
  Lifes Ideals. New York Henry Holt.

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Kazimierz Dabrowski
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Definition

• Higher than average responsiveness to stimuli,
  manifested either by psychomotor, sensual,
  emotional (affective), imaginational, or
  intellectual excitability or the combination
  thereof (303, 1972).
• A physiological property of the nervous system
  Each form of overexcitability points to a higher
  than average sensitivity of its receptors (7,
  1972).
• Dabrowski also often used the term
  hyperexcitability.

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"superstimulatabilities

• Affects how a person sees reality One who
  manifests several forms of overexcitability, sees
  reality in a different, stronger and more
  multisided manner (7, 1972).
• Dabrowski called OE a tragic gift as both the
  highs and lows of life are intensified.

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Positive Disintegration

• Definition Positive or developmental
  disintegration effects a weakening and
  dissolution of lower level structures and
  functions, gradual generation and growth of
  higher levels of mental functions and culminates
  in personality integration (165, 1970).

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Key Points regarding Positive Disintegration

• Disintegration creates the possibility of
  advanced growth
• Strong OE gives everyday experience an intense
  and unsettling quality one is jolted into
  seeing more.
• One becomes aware of a continuum of higher versus
  lower aspects of both inner and outer reality.
• This developing sense of multi-levelness creates
  vertical conflicts and a new, vertical sense of
  direction.
• Developmental instincts and ones emotions draw
  one toward higher choices a hierarchical
  perspective is formed.
• Our lower instinctual and socially based values
  and habits are called into conscious review and
  often disintegrate.

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Key Points continued

• Hierarchization continues guided by emotion
  and ones imagination of higher possibilities,
  one develops an autonomous, consciously chosen
  hierarchy of values.
• These inner values reflect a persons own unique
  personality ideal their own sense of who they
  ought to be.
• Ones behavior comes to reflect these higher,
  inner values.
• At higher levels of development, core values
  converge among people.
• These higher values tend to be unselfish and
  other centered they are based on a deeper,
  authentic understanding and empathy for others.
• Full development entails a long, slow and painful
  process.

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Gifted Applications

• Dabrowski studied 80 children 30 intellectually
  gifted and 50 from drama, ballet and plastic art
  schools Presented his findings as a appendix to
  1967 (251, 1967)
• Found that every child showed
  hyperexcitability, various psychoneurotic
  symptoms and frequent conflicts with the
  environment.
• Conclusion The development of personality with
  gifted children and young people usually passes
  through the process of positive disintegration
  (261, 1967).
• Michael Piechowski and Linda Silverman have been
  prominent in adapting the theory to the area of
  the gifted
• They have tended to focus primarily on assessment
  of OE in gifted populations.

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Piechowski

• Michael Piechowski, who worked with Dabrowski,
  explains the overexcitabilities as an abundance
  of physical, sensual, creative, intellectual and
  emotional energy that can result in creative
  endeavors as well as advanced emotional and
  ethical development in adulthood. He says that
  the overexcitabilities feed, enrich, empower and
  amplify talent.

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Silverman

• The intricate thought processes that mark these
  individuals as gifted are mirrored in the
  intricacy of their emotional development.
  Idealism, self-doubt, perceptiveness,
  excruciating sensitivity, moral imperatives,
  desperate needsfor understanding, acceptance,
  love -- all impinge simultaneously.
• Their vast emotional range makes them appear
  contradictory mature and immature, arrogant and
  compassionate, aggressive and timid. Semblances
  of composure and self-assuranceoften mask deep
  feelings of insecurity.
• The inner experience of the gifted young person
  is rich, complex, and turbulent.

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For More Information regarding the Theory of
Positive Disintegration

• The Theory of Positive Disintegration.
• by Kazimierz Dabrowski.
• Kazimierz Dabrowski, a Polish psychiatrist and
  psychologist, developed
• the Theory of Positive Disintegration over his
  lifetime of clinical and academic work.
• The Theory of Positive Disintegration is a novel
  approach to personality development.
• http//members.shaw.ca/positivedisintegration/

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Think Pair Share

• ? What is my opinion of Dabrowski and his work?

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5 Areas of Overexcitabilities

• Psychomotor
• Sensual
• Intellectual
• Imaginational
• Emotional

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None, one or more

• A person may possess none, one, or many of these.
  If more than one of these channels, or all five,
  have wide apertures, then the abundance and
  diversity of feeling, thought, imagery, and
  sensation will inevitably lead to dissonance,
  conflict and tension, but at the same time it
  enriches, expands, and intensifies the
  individual's mental development Piechowski,
  1979, p. 29).

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Dabrowski said

• "One who manifests several forms of
  overexcitability sees reality in a different,
  stronger and more multisided manner" (Dabrowski,
  1972, p. 7). Experiencing the world in this
  unique way carries with it great joys and
  sometimes great frustrations. The joys and
  positives of being overexcitable need to be
  celebrated. Any frustrations or negatives can be
  positively dealt with and used to help facilitate
  the child's growth.

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Scoring your OE Rating Scale

• Score your survey-
• Fill in the number of points you scored for each
  question and then total each column.
• Now, using the results of the survey, or your own
  best judgment, order your overexcitabilities from
  strongest to weakest.

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Psychomotor OE

• heightened excitability of the neuromuscular
  system
• "capacity for being active and energetic"
  (Piechowski, 1991, p. 287)
• love of movement for its own sake, surplus of
  energy demonstrated by rapid speech, jealous
  enthusiasm, intense physical activity, and a need
  for action (Dabrowski Piechowski, 1977
  Piechowski, 1979, 1991)
• may talk compulsively, act impulsively, misbehave
  and act out, display nervous habits, show intense
  drive (tending towards "workaholism"),
  compulsively organize, or become quite competitive

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Psychomotor OE

• derive great joy from their boundless physical
  and verbal enthusiasm and activity, but others
  may find them over-whelming
• never want to be still, thrive on activity and
  encourage others to "just do something"
• may talk constantly
• This Psychomotor OE child has the potential of
  being misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit
  Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

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Sensual OE

• heightened experience of sensual pleasure or
  displeasure emanating from sight, smell, touch,
  taste, and hearing (Dabrowski Piechowski, 1977
  Piechowski, 1979, 1991)
• have a far more expansive experience from their
  sensual input than the average person
• have an increased and early appreciation of
  aesthetic pleasures such as music, language, and
  art, and derive endless delight from tastes,
  smells, textures, sounds, and sights
• Because of this increased sensitivity, they may
  also feel over-stimulated or uncomfortable with
  sensory input.
• sometimes have difficulty with sorting out all
  they hear, feel, or smell
• sensitivity makes them easily distractible

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Sensual OE

• When emotionally tense, some individuals high in
  sensual OE may overeat, go on buying sprees, or
  seek the physical sensation of being the center
  of attraction (Dabrowski Piechowski, 1977
  Piechowski, 1979, 1991). Others may withdraw from
  stimulation.
• Sensually overexcitable children may find
  clothing tags, classroom noise, or smells from
  the cafeteria so distracting that school-work
  becomes secondary.
• These children may also become so absorbed in
  their love of a particular piece of art or music
  that the outside world ceases to exist.
• These children may be misdiagnosed as sensory
  input disordered.

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Intellectual OE

• have a marked need to seek understanding and
  truth, to gain knowledge, and to analyze and
  synthesize (Dabrowski Piechowski, 1977
  Piechowski, 1979,1991)
• have incredibly active minds
• intensely curious, often avid readers, and
  usually keen observers.
• able to concentrate, engage in prolonged
  intellectual effort, and be tenacious in problem
  solving when they choose.
• relish elaborate planning and having remarkably
  detailed visual recall.

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Intellectual OE

• frequently love theory, thinking about thinking,
  and moral thinking.
• This focus on moral thinking often translates
  into strong concerns about moral and ethical
  issues-fairness on the playground, lack of
  respect for children, or being concerned about
  "adult" issues such as the homeless, AIDS, or
  war.
• quite independent of thought and sometimes appear
  critical of and impatient with others who cannot
  sustain their intellectual pace.
• This intellectual intensity seems to cause the
  greatest difficulty at school and home when
  children become so excited about learning and
  thinking that they interrupt or blurt out answers
  at inappropriate times or are too honest about or
  critical of others' ideas.

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Imaginational OE

• Imaginational OE reflects a heightened play of
  the imagination with rich association of images
  and impressions, frequent use of image and
  metaphor, facility for invention and fantasy,
  detailed visualization, and elaborate dreams
  (Dabrowski Piechowski, 1977 Piechowski, 1979,
  1991).
• They often mix truth with fiction, or create
  their own private worlds with imaginary
  companions and dramatizations to escape boredom.
• They find it difficult to stay tuned into a
  classroom where creativity and imagination are
  secondary to learning rigid academic curriculum.
• They may write stories or draw instead of doing
  seatwork or participating in class discussions,
  or they may have difficulty completing tasks when
  some incredible idea sends them off on an
  imaginative tangent.

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Emotional OE

• is often the first to be noticed by parents. It
  is reflected in heightened, intense feelings,
  extremes of complex emotions, identification with
  others feelings, and strong affective expression
  (Piechowski, 1991).
• physical responses like stomachaches and blushing
  or concern with death and depression (Piechowski,
  1979).
• have a remarkable capacity for deep
  relationships they show strong emotional
  attachments to people, places, and things
  (Dabrowski Piechowski, 1977). They have
  compassion, empathy, and sensitivity in
  relation-ships.

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Emotional OE

• are acutely aware of their own feelings, of how
  they are growing and changing, and often carry on
  inner dialogs and practice self-judgment
  (Piechowski, 1979, 1991).
• are often accused of overreacting.
• compassion and concern for others, their focus on
  relationships, and the intensity of their
  feelings may interfere with everyday tasks like
  homework or doing the dishes.

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FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES

• Jointly discuss the positives of each
  overexcitability when you first introduce the
  concept, and continue to point out these merits.
  Benefits include being energetic, enthusiastic,
  sensual, aesthetic, curious, loyal, tenacious,
  moral, metacognitive, integrative, creative,
  metaphorical, dramatic, poetic, compassionate,
  empathetic, and self-aware.

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CHERISH AND CELEBRATE DIVERSITY

• It is vital when discussing OEs that individuals
  realize that overexcitability is just one more
  description of who they are, as is being tall, or
  Asian, or left-handed. Since OEs are inborn
  traits, they cannot be unlearned! It is therefore
  exceedingly important that we accept our
  overexcitable selves, children, and friends. This
  acceptance provides validation and helps to free
  people from feelings of weirdness and
  isolation.

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CHERISH AND CELEBRATE DIVERSITY

• Another way to show acceptance is to provide
  opportunities for people to pursue their
  passions. This shows respect for their abilities
  and intensities and allows time for them to
  wallow in what they love, to be validated for
  who they are. Removing passions as consequences
  for inappropriate behavior has a negative effect
  by giving the message that your passions, the
  essence of who you are, are not valuable or
  worthy of respect.

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REMEMBER THE JOY

• Often when overexcitability is discussed examples
  and concerns are mostly negative. Remember that
  being overexcitable also brings with it great
  joy, astonishment, beauty, compassion, and
  creativity. Perhaps the most important thing is
  to acknowledge and relish the uniqueness of an
  overexcitable child or adult.

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Week 1 The Overview

• Overview of Overexcitabilities
• Parent Letter
• Parent Permission for Screening
• Parent Handout

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Week 2 The Assessments

• OEQ-II
• Self Esteem Inventory
• Adolescent Self Rating Scale
• Sense of Mastery
• Sense of Relatedness
• Emotional Reactivity
• Sensitivity
• Recovery
• Impairment

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Week 3-7 The Overexcitabilities

• Psychomotor
• Sensual
• Intellectual
• Imaginational
• Emotional

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Week 8 Post Tests and Celebration

• Post Tests
• Certificate
• Parent Report

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Results

• No significant difference on Self-Esteem Measure,
  Sense of Mastery or Sense of Relatedness.
• Emotional Reactivity Results follow

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Sensitivity

• Sensitivity is the threshold for reaction and the
  intensity of the reaction.

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Sensitivity
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Recovery

• Recovery is the ability to bounce back from
  emotional arousal or disturbance or emotional
  equilibrium.

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Recovery
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Impairment

• Impairment is the degree to which the youth is
  able to maintain an emotional equilibrium when
  aroused.

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Impairment
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Overexcitabilities are

• Great!
• Exciting!
• Fulfilling!

• Challenging!
• Troublesome!
• Painful!

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The intricate thought processes that mark these
individuals as gifted are mirrored in the
intricacy of their emotional development.
Idealism, self-doubt, perceptiveness,
excruciating sensitivity, moral imperatives,
desperate needs for understanding, acceptance,
love all impinge simultaneously
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Their vast emotional range make them appear
contradictory mature and immature, arrogant and
compassionate, aggressive and timid. Semblances
of composure and self-assurance often mask deep
feelings of insecurity. The inner experience of
the young gifted person is rich, complex and
turbulent. - Linda Silverman