Emotional Stability of Intellectually Superior Children Versus Nongifted Peers as Estimated by Chronic Anxiety Levels

Abstract
Despite current interests in the education of intellectually superior students, ther remains a paucity of research on the affective characteristics of these children relative to other categories of exceptionality. The present study evaluated the emotional stability of a large group of children (N = 465) with IQs above 129 relative to a random sample (N = 329) of children attending only regular classroom programs. On multiple measures of chronic, manifest anxiety, the intellectually gifted sample consistently displayed lower levels of anxiety than their nongifted peers, indicating better overall adjustment. These findings should help lay to rest the seemingly robust mythology of the emotionally unstable genius.