Studies on attachment and gifted adults are currently rare. In fact, this exploratory research tests the hypothesis that attachment in gifted adults is more insecure than in adults with typical development. This insecurity is due to a greater perception of an emotionally disabling environment during childhood with their parents. Indeed, many authors, including the National Association for Gifted Children (2019), postulate that gifted children have emotional problems. Although, the first results show that there is no difference between both groups.
In France, children and adults are called gifted when their IQ is higher or equal to 130 according to the criteria defined by the World Health Organization. The emotional sphere of gifted people has been the subject of many hypotheses and speculation. It can be perceived as a fragility according to many authors (Preckel, Baudson, Krolak-Schwerdt, & Glock, 2015). Weaknesses emerge especially when the particular emotional needs of this type of children are not known by other people around them (Vaivre-Douret, 2004).
The attachment theory was developed by a british psychoanalyst named John Bowlby. He emphasized the importance of the early emotional relation between the attachment figure and the child. This is important to allow the setting up of « working internal models » (Bowlby, 1978). These models are based on emotional and behavioural experiences (Guédeney & Tereno, 2015). They can be defined as « guides that induce predisposition to a certain type of behaviour » (Miljkovitch, 2001, p. 143) throughout the life in both friendly and loving relationships. So, the response of parents to the child’s emotional needs is central to the attachment theory.
The strength of this research lies in the choice of innovative tools. In order to assess participants’ attachment, two recent tools were administered. The first is called The Relationship Structures questionnaire (ECR-RS), it evaluates experiences in close relationships with mother, father, love partner and best friend. This scale measures the conscious part of attachment. The second tool is Attachment Multiple Model Interview. It is a semi-directive interview including twenty questions that focus on the specific relationships held in a person (attachment figure, siblings and love relationships). It is was designed to analyze feelings and patterns of behaviour adopted by an individual in a specific situation. This specific situation reminds participants of events where someone may be in a position of vulnerability or seek comfort with a figure of attachment. Through the participant’s speech, this tool allows to evaluate the unconscious part of the attachment (Miljkovitch, Moss, Bernier, Pascuzzo, & Sander, 2015).
Finally, we used a retrospective scale to measure the evaluation of the parental response to the emotional needs of gifted adults during their childhood. Each participant had to indicate their perceived « emotional experience » with both parents separately until the age of 18 on a five-point scale for each item. Finally, the last tool is the Invalidating Childhood Environments Scale. It provides a retrospective measure of how parents respond to the emotional needs of gifted adults during their childhood (Compagnone & Lo Monaco, 2015).
Different statistical tests were used (descriptive statistics, Independent T-test, correlation matrices, linear regression). Contrary to our initial hypotheses, the result measured by ECR indicates that adults with high intellectual potential do not have significantly higher indices of insecurity than adults with typical development, both with father, mother, and love partner. Attachment Multiple Model Interview data is still being processed. Regarding to the retrospective analyzes of an emotionally disabling environment, gifted adults have results that are not significantly better than the control group. Nevertheless, in line with our expectations, these results indicate strong correlations between the dimensions of the ECR and ICES.
Of course, our research has some limits. This study must be replicated. For future research, we recommend the recruitment of more participants because our current sample seems too small (n=26). In addition, due to the lack of resources and time, we were unable to submit the Attachment Multiple Model Interview to the control group. Finally, the recruitment of gifted participants was made possible thanks to the Mensa Institute. Nevertheless, we should express reservations regarding the representativeness of this population in this association. Therefore, for future research, gifted adults must be recruited in different places.
WORDS WE HAVE LEARNED:
Siblings = la fratrie
Setting up = mise en place de
Working internal models = modèles internes opérants
Induce predisposition to a certain type of behaviour = qui prédispose à un certain type de comportement
REFERENCES
Bowlby, J. (1978). Attachement et perte: L’attachement (Le Fil rouge). Paris: Presses universitaires de France.
Compagnone, P. D., & Lo Monaco, G. (2015). Validation française du questionnaire d’évaluation de l’environnement invalidant durant l’enfance: The Invalidating Childhood Environments Scale (ICES) = Adaptation and validation of the French version of the Invalidating Childhood Environments Scale (ICES). European Review of Applied Psychology / Revue Européenne de Psychologie Appliquée, 65(1), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2014.11.001
Guédeney, N., & Tereno, S. (2015). 15-Attachement chez l’adulte: Le phénomène de base de sécurité et les modèles internes opérants. In Guédeney Antoine & Marcelli Daniel (Series Ed.), L’attachement approche clinique et thérapeutique (Les âges de la vie, pp. 168–180). Paris: Elsevier Masson.
Miljkovitch, R. (2001). L’attachement au cours de la vie modèles internes opérants et narratifs (Le fil rouge). Paris: Presses universitaires de France.
Miljkovitch, R., Moss, E., Bernier, A., Pascuzzo, K., & Sander, E. (2015). Refining the assessment of internal working models: The Attachment Multiple Model Interview. Attachment & Human Development, 17(5), 492–521. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2015.1075561
Preckel, F., Baudson, T. G., Krolak-Schwerdt, S., & Glock, S. (2015). Gifted and maladjusted? Implicit attitudes and automatic associations related to gifted children. American Educational Research Journal, 52(6), 1160–1184. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831215596413
Vaivre-Douret, L. (2004). Les caractéristiques développementales d’un échantillon d’enfants tout venant « à hautes potentialités » (surdoués): Suivi prophylactique. Neuropsychiatrie de l’Enfance et de l’Adolescence, 52(3), 129–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurenf.2004.01.006