No longer say gifted, but HPI, for high intellectual potential. This new identification of a population characterized by an IQ of more than 130 points continues to convey many stereotypes that describe them as hypersensitive, anxious and encountering social difficulties. Because a gap exists between the widespread perception of HPI with problems and scientific data. Analysis.
This article is taken from the monthly Sciences et Avenir – La Recherche n°931, dated September 2024.
“I already knew my alphabet at 2 years old and in the senior section I knew how to read”says young Sébastien, 12 years old and now in fifth grade. Like about 2% of the population, Sébastien is identified as having high intellectual potential (HIP) – a term that has replaced “gifted”, considered too stigmatizing by specialists.
“We do not talk about diagnosis for HPI but about identification, because it is not a disorder “, warns psychologist Catherine Cuche, HPI specialist and co-author of Everything you need to know about high potential (Mardaga, 2021). HPI would therefore not be a source of suffering in itself, contrary to the many stereotypes that describe these people as hypersensitive, more anxious or even depressed and experiencing social difficulties. Scientific studies show on the contrary that HPI is rather a protective factor. “Contrary to popular belief, HPI tends to reduce the risk of developing anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or even schizophrenia. “, lists Nicolas Gauvrit, teacher-researcher in cognitive sciences at the University of Lille.
So why this gap between the widespread perception of problematic HPI and the scientific data? “In the psychology curriculum, less than an hour is devoted to HPI, so professionals are trained mainly with popular books “, regrets the researcher. One of the best-sellers that launched the movement is Too smart to be happyx (Odile Jacob, 2008) by clinical psychologist Jeanne Siaud-Facchin. High potential is described as “inseparable from extreme sensitivity “, and source of “psychological fragility “. Or, “14 studies and at least three meta-analyses conclude on the contrary that there is rather less anxiety among HPI “, notes Nicolas Gauvrit.
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