Giftedness has been a subject of quite some institutional research for a while. IQ tests confer intelligence a certain measurability (although perhaps not a measurable certainty). These tests are regularly recalibrated so that a person with results at least four standard deviations from average (presuming a Gaussian distribution of intelligence) will score at 130 or above. But the matter is losing its mathematical (or rather probabilistic) clarity. There is a growing sense that a written, standardised test cannot really seize the manifold diversity of intelligences and giftedness. For instance, how could it measure a giftedness in fine arts or crafts, all the more by merely ticking multiple choice answers? How could a single figure reflect creations being born without any words or numbers but instead out of matter from gifted hands? How could a figure measure excellence in these text- and numberless talents? With the concept of intelligence losing its sharpness, so does giftedness. Somewhere on the spectrum of growing intelligence, there seems to be a point where the simple "more" turns into "different". This otherness may make things difficult when it comes to finding the right vibe or tone for interacting with others without standing out in a fashion that may cause others to feel uneasy or to start sending subtle and less subtle warning signals or even turning people away, because they experience these interactions as destabilising or even transgressive. Some people suggest that intellectually gifted people also are highly sensitive persons (HSP) much more often than on average. There currently seems to be no strong evidence to support this. It rather may be that for outside observers, somebody observing the world with a sharp mind and a sense for details might seem to be highly sensitive, when it is an intellectual rather than an emotional skill. But who knows? In the end, there can be an irreducible otherness that can impede opening up to others, especially with somebody who already has a record of experiencing this otherness to be the reason for rejection by others. After all, in this time, the world seems rather more than less prone to judge without further consideration, isn't it? Sometimes, a gifted person will unconsciously entangle herself or himself into an apparently consistent system of thought and cannot find the way out any more. Perhaps sometimes somebody from outside can lend a friendly, helping hand. Take a jump into that open-minded space of exchange with me, devoid of stereotyped judgments. See also: • Your first coaching session - how does it go? • Systemic coaching methods & inspirations • Blog & Articles