The Social and Emotional Transition to Middle

School
September 30, 2014 http://tip.duke.edu/node/1640
Middle school introduces new opportunities for gifted adolescents to form rewarding relationships and develop their
own identities. It can also present challenges to gifted students as they encounter new social structures and
pressures.

Contrary to some popular negative stereotypes, most evidence indicates that gifted students are typically well
adjusted socially and emotionally. Many studies show that they are viewed positively relative to their peers. Moreover,
researchers tend to agree that when gifted children experience social problems, they are often in an environment that
is ill-fitting to the students intellectual development.
This said, some gifted students do experience social and emotional difficulties transitioning to middle school. The
following are common challenges of the middle school environment:

Asynchrony

Gifted students intellectual abilities and interests can differ widely from their peers, causing them to feel out of sync
with their peers. Gifted child development theorists call this difference asynchrony and explain that this
characteristic can complicate social relationships for gifted children. The degree to which gifted children are aware of
and concerned about these differences can make finding compatible same-age peers more difficult during a time in
development when great importance is placed on fitting in. Gifted students who are twice exceptional or
from underrepresented groups may experience heightened difficulty in this area, as they may feel different from their
gifted peers as well.
New Social Structure

For all students entering middle school, navigating new subcultures of peers or cliques can be challenging. As
middle school students begin to form their own identities, they begin to assign stereotypes to each social group. This
labeling can make students feel uncomfortable, as stereotypes of different groups are inaccurate representations of
each students actual identity.

Despite the challenges of this new social environment, middle school also brings opportunities for adolescents to
form closer friendships. Close relationships with peers can help combat middle schools social challenges. Gifted
students often form friendships with fellow gifted peers in their grades as well as with older peers. Many schools
introduce more differentiation in middle school, so students can be paired with entire classes of accelerated learners
in a certain subject. Additionally, more extracurricular activities are offered in middle school, which provide an outlet
for students to find like-minded peer groups.

Conflicting Identity Values

Bullying and teasing for being smart or receiving high grades can reach its peak in middle school. Gifted students
are often very aware of this stigma against intellectualism and adopt different strategies to adapt. Many gifted
students start to hide their talents in an effort to be like everyone else. Others may become dissatisfied with a social
environment that devalues intellectualism and begin to withdraw.

Forming an Identity
Another way that students can combat stress from stereotyping and teasing is to establish and develop confidence in
their unique identities. When students are surer of who they are and where their values and priorities lie, judgments
and challenges from others can have lesser effects. Whether a family allows children to develop and express their
unique identities can greatly impact an adolescents social environment. Adolescents form their identity by taking
risks. This usually entails harmless actions like adopting new clothing or hairstyles, trying out for a new sports team,
or committing to an extracurricular project. With risks comes the possibility of failure or rejection, which may be new
to some adolescents. A parents role during challenging times requires balance between supporting children and
shielding them from lifes stressors. Adolescents can also face pressure to participate in more negative risks. Learn
more about safely fostering self-discovery in your adolescent.
Middle schoolers can also benefit from the mentorship of coaches, teachers, and older students. They can help foster
intense interest in a subject or activity and act as positive role models. Linking adolescents with successful young
mentorshigh schoolers, college students, young professionals, etc.can allow them to see that they do not have to
choose social isolation or hiding their intelligence to fit in.

Internal Transitions: Perfectionism and Self-confidence

Past studies indicate that perfectionistic tendencies may increase for middle and high schoolers. There is mixed
evidence about whether gifted students are more likely to be perfectionists. Perfectionism can be a beneficial
characteristic when students strive for excellence. However, it can be debilitating to students who only work to avoid
failure, receive others approval, or reach unattainable standards. Emphasizingyour childs hard work instead of
innate ability or performance can show your child that growth is more attainable than perfection.
Research suggests that adolescents can face increased negative feelings and low self-confidence during middle
school. Various studies of the general adolescent population suggest that social stressors, less perceived support
from adults, and school environments can contribute to this change. Declines in self-worth can bring periods of
stress, anger, and depression. Children create their own coping strategies to gain control of their situations, but
sometimes counseling is a helpful option. Research shows that when gifted adolescents cope with lifes problems,
they are more likely to focus on solving those problems and working hard to achieve positive outcomes. They are less
likely to engage in wishful thinking or to resort to smoking or alcohol use as stress relief strategies. This helps them
build greater resilience in the face of challenges, resulting in greater emotional strength and skill. When parents allow
their gifted students todiscover their true selves through permitting independence, mistakes, and self-discovery, the
students are able to create a more stable self-identity.
Further Reading

Estell, D. B., Farmer, T. W., Irvin, M. J., Crowther, A., Akos, P., & Boudah, D. J. (2009). Students with
exceptionalities and the peer group context of bullying and victimization in late elementary school.Journal of
Child and Family Studies, 18(2), 136-150.
Hebert, T. P. (2011). Social and emotional characteristics and Traits of Gifted Young People.Understanding
the social and emotional lives of gifted students. Waco, Tex.: Prufrock Press.
Kline, B. E., & Short, E. B. (1991). Changes in emotional resilience: Gifted adolescent boys. Roeper Review,
13(4), 184-187.
Kline, B. E., & Short, E. B. (1991). Changes in emotional resilience: Gifted adolescent females.Roeper
Review, 13(3), 118-121.
LoCicero, K. A., & Ashby, J. S. (2000). Multidimensional perfectionism in middle school age gifted students:
A comparison to peers from the general cohort. Roeper Review, 22(3), 182-185.
Martnez, R. S., Aricak, O. T., Graves, M. N., Peters-Myszak, J., & Nellis, L. (2011). Changes in perceived
social support and socioemotional adjustment across the elementary to junior high school transition. Journal of
youth and adolescence, 40(5), 519-530.
 Neihart, M. E., Reis, S. M., Robinson, N. M., & Moon, S. M. (2002). The social and emotional development
of gifted children: What do we know?. Prufrock Press.
Peterson, J. S., & Ray, K. E. (2006). Bullying among the gifted: The subjective experience. Gifted Child
Quarterly, 50(3), 252269.
Peterson, J. S., & Ray, K. E. (2006). Bullying and the gifted: Victims, perpetrators, prevalence, and
effects. Gifted Child Quarterly, 50(2), 148168.
Robinson, N. M. (2008). The social world of gifted children and youth. In Handbook of giftedness in
children (pp. 3351). Springer U.S.
Silverman, L. K. (1997). The construct of asynchronous development. Peabody Journal of Education, 72(3
4), 36-58.