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Gifted Identity℠ Project

Our Goal 

It is the goal of the Gifted Identity℠ project to provide insight into the thoughts and feelings experienced by parents as they recognize their own giftedness during the process of learning about, and managing, the needs of their gifted children.

Our Story: How It All Began

The idea for the Gifted Identity℠ project was developed by Dr. Grace Malonai and Sharon Duncan when they met at a SENG Model Parent Group Facilitator training course. They shared their independent observations that as parents researched and studied giftedness, and learned more about how it looks within their children, they frequently reflected on their own life experiences, and their personal identity began to evolve.

Grace’s previous dissertation research on maternal identity lent precedence to looking at an evolution in identity within a parent. Many hours were spent discussing the phenomenon, and Sharon and Grace realized that everyone’s story seemed to be the same, and that parents faced issues of denial, frustration, pain, and eventually transition during this process. Both the frequency and similarity of the stories, in conjunction with the intensity of this life altering experience, seemed so important that Grace and Sharon decided to study it. Thus the Gifted Identity℠ project was conceived.