The existential problem
Gifted people frequently experience a feeling of being different. However, noticing their differences does not mean that they know which way they are different and what are the implications. This lack of understanding can originate lack of confidence and avoidance of decisions. Being insecure, they may let other people take decisions, may decide using emotions as a guide instead of reason, or just let things happen.
This feeling of being different usually leads to try to make sense of the world and of the person’s position in it. Failure in this attempt may be the cause of sadness and disappointment, and may induce the person to seek counseling. Counseling is appropriate when the person has feelings of being frustrated, of being tied, of lacking fulfillment, and does not know the reason for these feelings. He may need a way to give an outlet to his capacities, and be unable to find it or even to see the need of it. Actually, he may be completely unaware of the source of his problems.
When the gifted person has multiple abilities, the lack of comprehension of his situation may make him face a career choice taking into account factors such as convenience or prestige, rather than considering personal fulfillment.
Gifted people have abilities that must be provided with a suitable environment to thrive. If this condition is not met, the person will be frustrated and will have feelings of anger, even if he does not know the cause. Not knowing what one’s abilities are, may lead to addiction or to a purposeless life.
Moral concern
Gifted people usually have a highly developed moral sense that makes them concerned about right and wrong behavior. They can be depressed when faced with circumstances characterized by a decline in moral standards, feeling angry or sad.
Having to deal with moral issues, they may choose to make the best of an imperfect world. An empathic gifted child, affected for what he can see around him, may feel responsible for what he is seeing.
Impostor syndrome
As a consequence of their increased intelligence, gifted people can make certain tasks with less effort than ordinary people. For example, a gifted person that does his office work in much less time than a non-gifted person may believe that success belongs only to those people who earn it with great effort. He will consequently think that he is deceiving those who praise him, and experiment what is known as the impostor syndrome.
A person who suffers from the impostor syndrome tends to attribute success to external causes, like having been helped or being lucky. He thinks that he is fooling other people by faking it. Consequently, he develops a feeling of being inauthentic and is afraid of being exposed as a fraud. He cannot believe that his success is deserved, he is constantly in doubt of his capabilities, and tries to play safe by avoiding competence. He rejects intellectual challenge by concealing his gift.