Giftedness and eminence: Clarifying the relationship

From “behind the bridge” to the presidency of the American Psychological Association: Lessons learned on an unplanned journey.

“…In 2011, two colleagues and I proposed the TDMM (Subotnik et al, 2011)—based on a synthesis of research on gifted education, expertise, and talent development—to explain outstanding contributions in adulthood across a range of domains. The TDMM has several principles (see Olszewski-Kubilius et al, 2023; Subotnik et al, 2021; Worrell et al, 2021), and I have listed five that are particularly pertinent to this article below:Talent begins with potential, which develops into competence, and then expertise, and, in some rarer instances, eminence.The movement from potential to expertise is determined by appropriate educational and other opportunities, inside and outside of regular schooling.Opportunities must be provided to individuals and are particularly important to those with less cultural and social capital; and, importantly, opportunities will only be useful if they are taken advantage of.General ability is important, but domain-specific abilities (e.g., athleticism, musicality, mathematical cast of mind) and psychosocial constructs (e.g., hope, persistence in the face of failure, self-regulation) are also important for success.The journey from potential to expertise requires considerable effort and time.With these principles as a backdrop, I provide an overview of my journey from behind the bridge in Port-of-Spain to the APA presidency. I turn my attention to the context and family into which I was born.…”

“…In 2011, two colleagues and I proposed the TDMM (Subotnik et al, 2011)-based on a synthesis of research on gifted education, expertise, and talent development-to explain outstanding contributions in adulthood across a range of domains. The TDMM has several principles (see Olszewski-Kubilius et al, 2023;Subotnik et al, 2021;Worrell et al, 2021), and I have listed five that are particularly pertinent to this article below:…”

The Leading Wisdom Development Framework: An Integrated Roadmap for Cultivating a Sense of Purpose and Meaning

“…The goal of teachers and mentors should lead to the talent development of students on a trajectory from potential, competency, and expertise, to eminence at any age, stage, or domain of development. Further, in clarifying the relationship between eminence and giftedness, eminence is referred to as the upper end of the distribution of expertise (Worrell et al, 2021). The authors further explicate that eminence is a label reserved for gifted individuals with fully developed talents in, and significant impact on, domains.…”

The role of insider knowledge in the trajectories of highly accomplished scientists

“…contend that talent development is a long‐term process that begins with the recognition of potential at the appropriate time for the particular domain. Potential can be developed into competency and expertise, and eventually creative productivity in adulthood 4–6 through stage‐appropriate opportunities and the fostering and use of psychosocial skills such as screening out distractions and persistence that support study and practice 7–9 . These opportunities may include advanced courses in school, research mentoring and coaching by teachers or adults in the domain, and specialized outside‐of‐school programs.…”