Abstract
The dramatic increase in the rate of youth suicide in the United States, including suicide among gifted adolescents, emphasizes the need for more research in this area. The literature on suicide among gifted adolescents is examined following a review of the literature on the incidence and causes of suicide in the general population. The literature on the possible vulnerability to suicide among gifted adolescents is explored through a focus on the social and emotional issues faced by gifted adolescent males and females. An examination of the literature on the proneness of gifted adolescents to suicide highlights the difficulties in obtaining conclusive results. More research on the possible correlations between the unique difficulties experienced by gifted youth and a propensity for suicide is needed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alvino, J. (1991). An investigation into the needs of gifted boys. Roeper Review, 13(4), 174–180.
Ayyash-Abdo, H. (2002). Adolescent suicide: An ecological approach. Psychology in the Schools, 39(4), 459–475.
Belsey, B. (2005). Cyberbullying: An emerging threat to the always on generation. Retrieved on November 20, 2005 from http://www.cyberbullying.ca.
Berman, A. L., & Jobes, D. A. (1991). Adolescent suicide: Assessment and intervention. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Briggs, J. (1990). Fire in the Crucible. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.
Buescher, T. M. (1985). A framework for understanding the social and emotional development of gifted and talented adolescents. Roeper Review, 8(1), 10–15.
Callahan, C. M., Cunningham, C. M., & Plucker, J. A. (1994). Foundations for the future: The socio-emotional development of gifted, adolescent women. Roeper Review, 17(2), 99–105.
Cassady, J. C., & Cross, T. L. (2006). A factorial representation of suicidal ideation among academically gifted adolescents. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 29(3), 290–304.
Coleman, L. J., & Cross, T. L. (2005). Being Gifted in School: An Introduction to Development, Guidance, and Teaching (2nd ed.). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press, Inc.
Collins, J. (2003). Sanity and Grace. New York: Penguin Group, Inc.
Cox, C. M. (1926). The early mental traits of three hundred geniuses. (Genetic Studies of Genius, vol.2). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Cramond, B., & Martin, C. E. (1987, winter). Inservice and preservice teachers’ attitudes toward the academically brilliant. Gifted Child Quarterly, 31(1), 15–19.
Cross, T. L. (1996, May/June). Examining claims about gifted children and suicide. Gifted Child Today, 18(3), 46–48.
Cross, T. L. (2001, spring). Social/emotional needs: The rage of gifted students. Gifted Child Today, 24(2), 43–45.
Cross, T. L. (2004). On the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Children (2nd ed.). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Cross, T. L., Cook, R. S., & Dixon, D. N. (1996). Psychological autopsies of three academically talented adolescents who committed suicide. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 7(3), 403–409.
Cross, T. L., Gust-Brey, K., & Ball, B. (2002). A psychological autopsy of the suicide of an academically gifted student: Researchers’ and parents’ perspectives. Gifted Child Quarterly, 46(4), 247–264.
Dabrowski, K. (1964). Positive disintegration. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.
Dabrowski, K. (1976). On the philosophy of development through positive disintegration and secondary integration. Dialectics and Humanism, 4(3), 131–144.
Delisle, J. R. (1986). Death with honors: Suicide among gifted adolescents. Journal of Counseling and Development, 64, 558–560.
Delisle, J. R. (1992). Guiding the social and emotional development of gifted youth: A Practical guide for educators and counselors. New York: Longman Publishing Group.
Delisle, J. R. (2000). Once Upon a Mind: The stories and scholars of gifted child education. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Dixon, D. N., & Scheckel, J. R. (1996). Gifted adolescent suicide: The empirical base. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 7(3), 386–392.
Dixon, F. A. (1998). Social and academic self-concepts of gifted adolescents. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 22(1), 80–94.
Drews, E. M. (1972). Learning together: how to foster creativity, Self-fulfillment, and social awareness in today’s students and teachers. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Durkheim, E. (1897/1951). Le Suicide (J.A.S. Spaulding, G., trans.). New York: The Free Press.
Egan, T. (1998, June 14). From adolescent angst to shooting up schools. New York Times.
Ellsworth, J. (November, 2003). Adolescence and gifted: Addressing existential dread. Retrieved on March 2, 2005, from www.sengifted.org.
Engle, J. (2003, April). “Fear of success” Revisited: A replication of Matina Horner’s study 30 years later. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Education Research Association annual conference, Chicago, Il.
Farnsworth, D. (1972). Death of the college student. New York: Behavioral Publications.
Fergusson, D. M., Woodward, L. J., & Horwood, L. J. (2000). Risk factors and life processes associated with the onset of suicidal behavior during adolescence and early adulthood. Psychological Medicine, 30, 23–39.
Graham, P. (2003). Why nerds are unpopular. Retrieved on February 12, 2004 from http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html.
Griffiths, M. D., & Hunt, H. N. (1998). Dependence on computer games by adolescents. Psychological Reports,82, 475–480.
Gross, M. U. M. (1998). The “me” behind the mask: Intellectually gifted students and the search for identity. Roeper Review, 20(3), 5–21.
Gross, M. U. M. (2004). Exceptionally Gifted Children (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge Falmer.
Grossman, D. (1996). The psychological cost of learning to kill in war and society. New York: Little, Brown, and Company.
Gust-Brey, K., & Cross, T. L. (1998). An examination of the literature base on the suicidal behaviors of gifted students, Roeper Review, 22(1), 28–35.
Halstead, J. W. (2002). Some of my best friends are books (2nd ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Hayes, M. S., & Sloat, R. (1990). Suicide and the gifted adolescent. Journal for the Education of the gifted, 13, 229–244.
Hazler, R. J., & Denham, S. A. (2002). Social isolation of youth at risk: Conceptualization and practical implications. Journal of Counseling and Development, 80, 403–409.
Hébert, T. P. (1991). Meeting the affective needs of bright boys through bibliotherapy. Roeper Review, 13(4), 207–212.
Hébert, T. P. (1995). Using biography to counsel gifted young men. Journal for Secondary Gifted Education, 6, 208–219.
Hébert, T. P. (2000a). Defining belief in self: Intelligent young men in an urban high school. Gifted Child Quarterly, 44(2), 91–114.
Hébert, T. P. (2000b). Gifted males pursuing careers in elementary education: Factors that influence a belief in self. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 24(1), 7–45.
Hébert, T. P. (2002). Gifted males. In M. Neihart, S. M.Reis, N. M. Robinson, & S. M. Moon (Eds.. The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? Waco, TX: Prufrock Press, Inc.
Hébert, T. P., & Speirs Neumeister, K. L. (2002). Fostering the social and emotional development of gifted children through guided viewing of film. Roeper Review, 25(1), 17–21.
Hill, K. (1995). The long sleep: Young people and suicide. London: Virago Press Ltd.
Hollinger, C. L. (1991). Facilitating the career development of gifted young women. Roeper Review, 13(3), 135–139.
Hollinger, C. L., & Fleming, E. S. (1992). A longitudinal examination of life choices of gifted and talented young women. Gifted Child Quarterly, 36(4), 207–212.
Hollingworth, L. (1931). The child of very superior intelligence as a special problem in social adjustment. Mental Hygiene, 15(1), 1–16.
Hollingworth, L. (1942). Children Above 180 IQ. New York: Octagon Books.
Horner, M. (1970). Femininity and successful achievement: A basic inconsistency. In J. M. Bardwick, E. Douvan, M. S. Horner, & D. Gutmann (Eds.). Feminine personality and conflict. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Horner, M. (1972). Toward an understanding of achievement related conflicts in women. Journal of Social Issues, 28(2), 157–175.
Irwin, A. R., & Gross, A. M. (1995). Cognitive tempo, violent video games, and aggressive behavior in young boys. Journal of Family Violence, 10(3), 337–350.
Jamison, K. R. (1999). Night falls fast: Understanding suicide. New York: Vintage Books.
Jamison, K. R. (1993). Touched with fire: Manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament. New York: The Free Press.
Kaiser, C. F., & Berndt, D. J. (1985). Predictors of loneliness in the gifted adolescent. Gifted Child Quarterly, 29, 74–77.
Kerr, B. A. (1991). Handbook for counseling the gifted and talented. Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling and Development.
Kerr, B. A. (1994). Smart girls: A new psychology of girls, women, and giftedness. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Kerr, B. A., & Cohn, S. J. (2001). Smart boys: talent, manhood, and the search for meaning. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Kline, B. E., & Short, E. B. (1991). Changes in emotional resilience: Gifted adolescent boys. Roeper Review, 13(4), 184–187.
Lajoie, S. P., & Shore, B. M. (1981). Three myths? The over-representation of the gifted among dropouts, delinquents, and suicides. Gifted Child Quarterly, 25(3), 138–143.
Lee, S., Cramond, B., & Lee, J. (2004, winter). Korean teachers’ attitudes toward academic brilliance. Gifted Child Quarterly, 48(1), 42–53.
Lester, D. (1999). Suicide. Encyclopedia of Creativity, 2, 585–589.
Lester, G. L., & Lester, J. L. (1971). The gamble with death. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Lovecky, D. V. (1993). The quest for meaning: Counseling issues with gifted children and adolescents. In L. K. Silverman (Ed.). Counseling the Gifted and Talented. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Company.
Ludwig, A. (1995). The price of greatness. New York: Guilford.
Machoian, L. (2005). The disappearing girl: Learning the language of teenage depression. New York: Penguin Group, Inc.
Maine, S., Shute, R., & Martin, G. (2001). Educating parents about youth suicide. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 3(3), 320–332.
Maris, R. W., Berman, A. L., & Silverman, M. M. (2000). Comprehensive textbook of suicidology. New York: The Guilford Press.
Maris, R. W., Canetto, S. S., & McIntosh, J. L., & Silverman, M. M. (2000). Review of suicidology. New York: The Guilford Press.
Mishara, B. L. (1999). Conceptions of death and suicide in children ages 6–12 and their implications for suicide prevention. Suicide and life threatening behavior, 29(2), 105–118.
Nail, J. M., & Evans, J. G. (1997). The emotional adjustment of gifted adolescents: A view of global functioning. Roeper Review, 20, 18–22.
National Center for Health Statistics (2006). Causes of death report. Retrieved December 20, 2006, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.
National Center for Health Statistics (2004). Advanced report of final mortality. Retrieved June 10, 2005, from http:// www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm.
Neihart, M. (1998). The impact of giftedness on psychological well-being: What does the empirical literature say. Roeper Review, 22(1), 10–17.
Nelson, K. C. (1989). Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration. Advanced Development Journal, 1, 1–13.
Oden, M. (1968). The fulfillment of promise: 40-year follow-up of the Terman gifted group. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 77, 3–93.
Pfeffer, C. R. (1986). The suicidal child. New York: The Guilford Press.
Piirto, J. (2004). Understanding creativity. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Plath, S. (1971). The Bell Jar. Evanston: New York: Harper and Row.
Quart, A. (2006). Hothouse kids: The dilemma of the gifted child. New York: The Penguin Press.
Reis, S. M., & Callahan, C. M. (1989). Gifted females: they’ve come a long way–-or have they? Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 12(2), 99–117.
Report (2000). Hearing on the impact of interactive violence on children (Report, 2000). March 21, 2000. United States Senate Committee on commerce, science, and transportation.
Richards, R., & Kinney, D. K. (1990). Mood swings and creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 3(3), 202–217.
Rizza, M. G. (1999). Learning to play the game: Female students discuss their success in high school. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 22(3), 243–265.
Roeper, A. (1995). Annemarie Roeper: Selected writings and speeches. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Press, Inc.
Roeper, A. (2003, November 14). The emotional world of gifted children. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Association for Gifted Children, Indiana- polis, IN.
Ross, D. (1996). Childhood bullying and teasing. Alexandria, VA: ACA Press.
Ross, D. (Writer), & Weinstein, P. (Director) (2002). Balto II [animated film]: Universal Studios.
Ross, M. (1969). Suicide among college students. American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 220–225.
Rothenberg, A. (1990). Creativity and Madness. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Runco, M. A. (1998). Suicide and creativity: The case of Sylvia Plath. Death Studies, 22(7), 637–654.
Sargent, M. (1984). Adolescent suicide: studies reported. Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 1(2), 49–50.
Shneidman, E. S. (1985). Definition of suicide. New York: Wiley.
Shneidman, E. S. (1993). Suicide as psychache: A clinical approach to self-destructive behavior. Northvale, JJ: Jason Aronson, Inc.
Shneidman, E. S. (1996). The suicidal mind. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Seiden, R. (1966). Campus tragedy. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 71, 389–399.
Silverman, L. K. (Ed.). (1993). Counseling the gifted and talented. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Company.
Silverman, L. K. (1994). The moral sensitivity of gifted children and the evolution of society. Roeper Review, 17(2), 110–115.
Slaby, A. E. (1992). Creativity, depression, and suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 22(2), 157–166.
Smutney, J. (1999). Gifted girls. Understanding our Gifted, 11(2), 9–13.
Spiers Neumeister, K. L. (2002). Perfectionism in gifted college students: Family influences and implications for achievement. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Spiers Neumeister, K. L. (2004). Understanding the relationship between perfectionism and achievement motivation in gifted college students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 48(3), 219–231.
Stanley, J. C. (2000). Helping students learn only what they don’t already know. Psychology, Public policy, and Law, 6(1), 216–222.
Stanley, J. C. (2004). Don’t teach kids what they already know. Paper presented at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
Stillion, J. M., McDowell, E. E., & May, J. H. (1989). Suicide Across the Life span- Premature Exits. New York: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.
Stillion, J. M., & McDowell, E. E. (1996). Suicide across the life span-premature exits. (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
Subotnik, R. F., Karp, D. E., & Morgan, E. R. (1989). High IQ children at mid-life: An investigation into the generalizability of Terman’s “Genetic studies of genius,”.Roeper Review, 11(3), 139–144.
Subotnik, R. F., Kasson, L., Summers, E., & Wasser, A. (1993). Genius revisited: High I.Q. children grown up. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Tannenbaum, A. (1962). Adolescent attitudes toward academic brilliance. New York: Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Terman, L. M. (1925). Mental and physical traits of a thousand gifted children. Genetic Studies of Genius (Vol. I). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Terman, L. M., & Oden, M. H. (1959). The gifted group at mid-life: 35 years’ follow-up of the superior child. Genetic Studies of Genius (Vol. V). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Tomchin, E. M., Callahan, C. M., Sowa, C. J., & May, K. M. (1996). Coping and self-concept. Journal for Secondary Gifted Education, 8(1), 16–27.
Torrance, E. P. (1961). Problems of highly creative children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 5, 31–34.
Torrance, E. P. (1962). Guiding creative talent. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Torrance, E. P., & Sisk, D. A. (1997). Gifted and talented children in the regular classroom. Buffalo, New York: Creative Education Foundation Press.
Tucker, B., & Hafenstein, N. L. (1997). Psychological intensities in young gifted children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 41(3), 66–75.
Walsh, D. (2001). Video game violence and public policy. Chicago: National Institute on Media and the Family.
Willard, N. E. (2006). Cyberbullying and cyberthreats: Responding to the challenge of online social cruelty, threats, and distress. Champagne, Il: Research Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hyatt, L.A., Cross, T.L. (2009). Understanding Suicidal Behavior of Gifted Students: Theory, Factors, and Cultural Expectations. In: Shavinina, L.V. (eds) International Handbook on Giftedness. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6162-2_25
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6162-2_25
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-6161-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-6162-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)