According to Schuler (2002), “perfectionism is a combination of thoughts and behaviors generally associated with high standards for one’s own performance” (p. 71). These high standards are often unrealistic and unattainable, yet perfectionist students place irrational importance on these standards and may overgeneralize failures (Fletcher & Speirs Neumeister, 2012). Although not a characteristic solely tied to gifted students, the link between perfectionism and gifted learners is cited throughout research and is often a focus of counseling for these students. The importance of understanding and mitigating the effects of perfectionist traits in gifted students cannot be overstated, as the potential effects of these traits can be detrimental to these learners.
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The relationship between social status and giftedness tends to change over the course of a gifted learner's school career. At the elementary level, gifted students tend to be well liked and may even be more popular than their nongifted peers; however, in middle school, negative social consequences tend to occur (Rimm, 2002). Gifted students at this age often express feeling different than their peers, with this being especially true for highly gifted students. To cope with social issues during this time, students will often deny and/or hide their giftedness. It is important to help gifted students develop true peer groups during this time. By being with gifted peers, achievement can be encouraged and students will value their abilities (Rimm, 2002).
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