One of Dabrowski’s five areas of overexcitabilities. Students who have this trait often have intense emotions, both positive and negative. They may experience extreme highs and lows in their overall mood.

One of Dabrowski’s five areas of overexcitabilities. Students who have sensual excitability often have greater degrees of enjoyment from sensual experiences such as seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing and touching things.

One of Dabrowski’s five areas of overexcitabilities. It includes creative activities such as the free play of imagination, vivid fantasies or imagery, dreams, metaphorical thinking, and poetic observations. Students with imaginational excitability may also participate in animistic or magical thinking.

One of Dabrowski’s five areas of overexcitabilities. It includes the pleasure students derive from asking questions, discovering new things, searching for truth. Students with this overexcitability often love ideas and theoretical analysis.

One of Dabrowski’s five areas of overexcitabilities. It presents itself as an excess amount of energy, enthusiasm, and an inability to sit still for long periods of time.

Dabrowski’s theory that explains giftedness as being related to one of the emotional sensitivity areas (intellectual, imaginational, sensual, emotional, and psychomotor).

Perfectionism that interferes with social relationships and results in negative emotional consequences. This is sometimes referred to as maladaptive or neurotic perfectionism.

A beneficial trait that spurs someone to greater accomplishments through high levels of effort. This is sometimes referred to as normal perfectionism.

Behavior that is obsessed with achieving unreasonable degrees of perfection, characterized by a fear of failure of mistakes.

An emphasis on strengthening the talents or skills of all students, including those who are already exceptional in a particular area.