To a surprising extent, whilst it is of course true that outstanding individual are `clever', `intelligent' and so on, the drives and the personal qualities that set in motion those efforts that eventually produce such achievements are not intellectual ones. It was discovered that amongst most successful and least successful gifted adults, the four traits that were most different were of personality and temperament, and not intellectual ones at all. Researchers have drawn attention to findings which emphasize the importance of a person's exper-iences and opportunities, family support , drive and determination etc., rather than natural endowments.
There has rarely, if ever, been a great achievement by an individual in the absence of an unusually strong sense of direction on the part of the person concerned. Almost always, people who gain outstanding accomplishments are exceptional not only in their intellectual abilities, but also in their single-mindedness, the strength of their commitment and determination, their dedication, and their ability to persevere in the face of difficulties and to concentrate on reaching their goals whilst resisting distractions. These broadly motivational factors that drive human activities are just as crucial to a person's success as specifiable intellectual qualities.
In order to enjoy a fulfilling and productive life, a person must gain many other qualities as well. These include emotional and expressive capabilities, and many social skills and sensitivities that make it possible for someone to get on with other people and establish friendships and deep personal relationships. Other essential qualities include a sense of purpose and direction, various abilities that are required for making plans, getting practical things done, making sensible decisions, and acting independently, as well as a sense of humor, and much else besides. Any individual who has been deprived of the kinds of experiences that help these qualities to develop - perhaps as a result of experiencing an insensitive or too intense `hot house ' regime in childhood - will undoubtedly suffer, as a number of published accounts of child prodigies make sadly clear.
Even in the restricted sense of defining gifted children to those (without referring to actual potentials of achievement or hidden talents) having acquired a demonstrable superiority in ability, it is quite possible that a child who acquires substantial intellectual resources at an unusually young age will also have a greater than average need for emotional, social, and other NON-INTELLECTUAL capabilities, in order to cope with the special challenges that an extraordinary child is likely to encounter during the accelerated acquisition of cognitive skills.
EDUCATION'S ROLE
Is education important for success then? In everyday life there are countless instances of people displaying strikingly difficult skills that are quite unrelated to the ones that are taught at school. There are a number of matters that may cause concern, especially in connection with the acceleration of capabilities in young children that an 'appropriate' education policy is likely to bring about. In practice, the advantages for a child of having the `good start' in life that results from acquiring certain abilities unusually early have to be balanced against a number of possible disadvantages. The pressures and expectations that over-demanding parents may impose can create serious problem. Also, there may be emotional costs resulting from an unusually specialized way of life during childhood, in which the range of interests that are encouraged may be somewhat narrow, and in which there may be few opportunities to experience some of the activities of a normal childhood. It is quite possible for a childhood regime that is unusually enriched, so far as opportunities to gain exceptional intellectual skills is concerned, to be at the same time one in which there is severe deprivation of other experiences that are equally vital.
There is no doubt that good education policies do matter, but most of the factors affecting the future success of the child are non-intellectually related (such as family background, temperament, determination etc.). The most important and influential domain of development lies within the family, and it is even more significant that gifted education be tackled as a community and not only an education issue.
Appropriate education policies are important. However. a lot of the needs of the gifted child are not dependent on having an appropriate course of formal education. One must not make the naive assumption that all gifted children would want inherently to become outstanding entities. They might, rightfully, have other aspirations than to be successful, distinguished, or be of service to the community. They might just want to have a family and children.
This is not however to overlook the existence of gifted/talented children's needs, nor their right to a proper intellectual education, nor the benefits that gifted education might bring about. It is a matter of seeing the picture and setting the correct priorities. The THOROUGH understanding of these basic concepts however would have profound implications for any practical organization/enterprise that adopts the goal of extending the accomplishments of our future generation, whether on a restricted, community or national level.
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