Work by Terman helped refute the negative stereotype that highly intelligent children were maladjusted, but Hollingworth contended that children in the very highest IQ groups were prone to maladjustment problems. The present study examines whether the relationshp between intelligence and personality adjustment is negative or positive within the gifted range. Subjects are 83 7- to II-year-old children, with IQs between 120 and 168, who were enrolled in either a public or private school gifted program. Results with both parent- and child-report instruments (Personality Inventory for Children, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale) support the view that intelligence is positively related to adjustment.

This study examines use of the term "gifted" among parents of children who are enrolled in a program for gifted children. While all of the parents acknowledge thinking of their children as gifted, over one-quarter report not using the term "gifted" in referring to their children. Use of the term is not related to the child's number of years in a gifted program, IQ, or achievement level. Families of parents who use the term are more achievement oriented, but provide less freedom for expression of individual feelings. Children of parents who use the term are less well-adjusted on the Personality Inventory for Children. Implications for research on the effects of labeling on the family are discussed.