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In this response, we commend Sternberg’s Active Concerned Citizenship and Ethical Leadership (ACCEL) model yet urge him to consider an ACCEL-S model that more fully incorporates society’s integrative role in giftedness. ACCEL-S builds on the highly complex and contextual view of giftedness proposed by Sternberg and transforms it into a participatory framework. Within it, the skills associated with giftedness shape but are also shaped by social context; they generate meaningful forms of collaboration as well as grow out of them. The concept of giftedness itself is transformed from a person-centric one to a distributed model in which being gifted is a relational instead of purely personal achievement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The conceptualization of giftedness continues to be a widely debated topic within the field. Recently, there has been a shift from a psychometric view of giftedness to inclusion of conative and contextual factors. How one defines and conceptualizes “gifted” drives assessment and identification practices. Conceptualization also guides the development of measures used in gifted assessment; however, the perceptions of giftedness held by test authors have not yet been explored empirically. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of giftedness held by authors of the leading tests in gifted assessment. Test authors provided their views on topics, including gifted identification, use of cutoff scores, and how their tests serve the needs of this unique population. Findings indicate that there are varying opinions and views of giftedness, although most test authors in the sample embrace a multi-dimensional approach to gifted assessment. This article includes a discussion of clinical implications and future directions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Objectives: The aims of the present study were to (a) examine the effect of intellectual giftedness and the level of mathematical abilities on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) and (b) compare two scoring systems used for ROCF. Sample and setting: The participants were 156 children (71 girls and 85 boys) of the third to fifth grades in elementary school, 49 of whom had been diagnosed as intellectually gifted before the research had started. Participants completed the Test for Identifications of Mathematical Giftedness (TIM) and copy, immediate recall and 15-minute delayed recall trials of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure; the drawing procedure was constantly video recorded. Statistical analysis: Multiple linear regression and ordinal logistic regression were used to examine the effect of intellectual and mathematical giftedness on the ROCF scores depending on the type of the dependent variable—quantitative or qualitative ROCF scores. The effect of age and specific learning disabilities were analysed by regression analysis. Results: Intellectual giftedness and the level of mathematical abilities were moderately correlated with quantitative ROKF scores. According to these results, the authors recommend taking into account the intelligence effect while using the ROCF. On the other hand, they do not recommend using ROCF for diagnostics of intellectual and mathematical giftedness due to the small explained variances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract) Resumen en idioma originalCíle: Cílem studie bylo prozkoumat vliv rozumového nadání a úrovně matematických schopností na kvantitativní a kvalitativní skóry Reyovy-Osterriethovy komplexní figury (ROKF). Vedlejším cílem bylo porovnat dva využité skórovací systémy pro ROKF. Výzkumný soubor a metoda: Data byla získána na souboru 156 žáků (71 dívek a 85 chlapců) z třetích až pátých ročníků základních škol, z nichž 49 dětí bylo před započetím výzkumu diagnostikováno jako rozumově nadaných. Všem byl zadán Test pro identifikaci nadaných žáků v matematice (TIM) a Reyova-Osterriethova komplexní figura—kopie, okamžitá reprodukce zpaměti a oddálená reprodukce zpaměti po 15 minutách, přičemž postup kresby byl vždy zaznamenáván na videokameru. Statistická analýza: Pro zjištění vlivu rozumového a matematického nadání na skóry ROKF byla použita lineární a ordinální logistická regrese v závislosti na typu závislé proměnné—kvantitativní či kvalitativní skóry ROKF. V modelech byl kontrolován vliv věku a specifických poruch učení. Výsledky: Rozumové nadání i úroveň matematických schopností středně silně souvisely s kvantitativními skóry ROKF. Na základě těchto výsledků autoři doporučují při použití ROKF brát ohled na souvislost příslušných skórů s inteligencí. Naopak nedoporučují používat ROKF k diagnostice rozumového či matematického nadání vzhledem k malému vysvětlenému rozptylu. Limity studie: Mezi limity studie patří málo jasná obsahová validita Testu pro identifikaci nadání v matematice a vysoký výskyt dětí s dvojí výjimečností ve výzkumném souboru. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This paper discusses issues related to the assessment of children and youth for the identification of giftedness, and presents specific recommendations for educational measures in order to attend to the particular characteristics and needs of these students. We outline the most common difficulties related to the psychological assessment of these children, including the lack of adequate instruments for the assessment of the multiple dimensions of giftedness, as well as the shortage of training for this identification. Regarding these difficulties, we describe some assessment procedures that assure higher levels of objectivity and validity in data, reducing the possibility of false positives and false negatives in the identification of these students. In addition to psychological tests, we present the advantages of using multiple informants and the contribution of different professionals and parents for this assessment. On the other hand, as we present giftedness as a result of a developmental process, it is important to conduct students' assessment in phases, including an initial screening phase, followed by the sound assessment of students and nurturing, Finally, we present some suggestions for the advancement in giftedness identification and assessment, as a means to support the development of research in this area. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

We test the unity of the Battery for Giftedness Assessment (BaAH/S) in identifying differences in two groups of already known gifted students in the areas of academic and artistic talents. Four latent factors were assessed (a) fluid intelligence, (b) metaphor production (verbal creativity), (c) figural fluency (figural creativity), and (d) divergent thinking figural task quality (figural creativity), A sample of 987 children and adolescents, 464 boys and 523 girls, of ages ranging from 8 to 17 of two groups: regular students (N = 866) and gifted students (N = 67 academic abilities, N = 34 artistic abilities and N = 20 no domain identified). Academic giftedness group of have higher reasoning, can produce more remote/original metaphors, high figural fluency and drawings rated as more original. Children in the group of artistic giftedness have higher reasoning, high figural fluency and drawings rated as more original. Reasoning abilities arc relatively higher in academic giftedness group than artistic ( r = .39 vs r =.14). Within artistic group figural fluency and ratings of originality are relatively more important than reasoning ( r = .25 and r = 21 vs .14). We emphasizes the importance of assessing creativity in different domains in addition to intelligence to improve the understanding of giftedness and talent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This study presents quantitative scientometric results on the development and main focus of publications on giftedness in the fields of psychology from German-speaking countries (PSYNDEX) and Anglo-American countries (PsycINFO) published between 1980 and 2014. In comparison with the literature on mental retardation/intellectual developmental disorders, the quantity of publications on giftedness (PSYNDEX: 1,066; PsycINFO: 8,572) amounts to one fifth. Both databases show a peak of publications in the 1980s and, again, a steady increase in publication numbers since the year 2000. For PSYNDEX, 38% of the publications refer to empirical studies with the quantity being rather stable since 2000. By contrast, 54% of the PsycINFO publications refer to empirical studies on giftedness and their number shows a steady increase since 2000. Approximately 80%of all publications refer to giftedness in school age (6–17 years old), while preschool age and adulthood are rarely studied. Publications focus mainly on giftedness in general cognitive, scholastic, mathematical, athletic, and musical ability while creative, verbal, nonverbal, or figural-spatial abilities are rarely studied. The implications of the results for research on giftedness are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Many gifted characteristics overlap the symptoms of attention deficity-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The potential for the misdiagnosis of giftedness as ADHD exists, but so does the potential for a dual diagnosis of giftedness and ADHD. A decade after the misdiagnosis of giftedness as ADHD was first investigated we examine lessons learned regarding misdiagnosis, dual diagnosis, and the identification of giftedness and ADHD. The current study reviewed empirical studies of the misdiagnosis, identification, and dual diagnosis of giftedness and ADHD published in peer-reviewed domestic and international academic journals between 2000 and 2014. We explored the literature for diagnostic trends and challenges, theories of misdiagnosis, and empirical findings on dual diagnosis. We discuss differences between misdiagnosis and dual diagnosis and conclude with a description of limitations found within reviewed studies and suggestions for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Growing attention is being paid to individuals’ implicit beliefs about the nature of intelligence. However, implicit beliefs about giftedness are currently underexamined. In the current study, we examined academically gifted adolescents’ implicit beliefs about both intelligence and giftedness. Overall, participants’ implicit beliefs about giftedness and intelligence were significantly positively correlated while also having statistically significant mean differences, suggesting that they perceived the nature of the two constructs differently. Specifically, many students viewed intelligence as malleable (incremental view) and giftedness as fixed (entity view), whereas very few students viewed giftedness as malleable and intelligence as fixed; however, heterogeneity was observed. The beliefs identified in the current study provide important insight into the domain-specific nature of implicit beliefs of gifted students and suggest that caution be used against using terms like giftedness and intelligence interchangeably. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

The literature on twice-exceptionality suggests one of the main problems facing twice-exceptional children is that there is no consensus on the definition of the terms disability or giftedness and, consequently, the term twice-exceptional. Endeavoring to define these specific terms loops back on itself to legislation based on the medical model of disability and the defining of giftedness in a limited way, frequently through high achievement and performance, which contradicts the generally accepted notion of giftedness in Australia. It appears that a model is needed to define the apparent paradoxical term, not only for scholars within the field but also for educators and the wider community of students and parents/guardians. This article examines the contextual contributing factors in the creation of a model of twice-exceptionality, creating a preliminary point for discourse on disability, giftedness, and twice-exceptionality on which it is anticipated that future research can be grounded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Definitions of giftedness developed in the USA have included both creative and leadership giftedness for over 40 years, but there has been relatively little empirical study of the implementation of programming in either of these areas. Because gifted education practices in the USA may provide models for the development of these practices in other countries, it seems important to evaluate the presence and content of programming in creativity and leadership in the USA to develop an understanding of what strengths and barriers these aspects of giftedness may face in other settings. In this pilot study, I examined gifted policies to identify US states that would be highly supportive of programming in leadership or creative giftedness. I then searched systematically for evidence of such programming on the gifted education pages of district Web sites within two of these states. Findings reveal that a widely varied level of detail is provided online at the district level; while there was at least one strong description evident in both the creativity and leadership areas, these were the exception rather than the rule. Further study is needed to confirm and extend these findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

In this article, I examine the use of role-play strategy and its outcomes in field experiment conditions in the Boarding School for Gifted Disadvantaged in Israel. Data derive from two major sources: governmental protocols related to the organizational production of a role-play technique and interviews with graduates of the experimental school years after their role-playing experience. Analysis of governmental protocols shows the intentional organizational usage of the term gifted within the school population is based on a bureaucratic simulation of giftedness, which in turn creates a distinction between natural giftedness and institutional giftedness. In-depth interviews with graduates of the school indicate that they experience their giftedness as artificial (“as if” giftedness). They describe ethnic conversion and distinction between two types of self (before and after the boarding school). My concluding discussion identifies a particular kind of reflexivity (the presence of absence) in the boarding school graduates’ concepts of self. In turn, this reflexivity indicates phenomenological consequences latent in role-play simulations in field experiment conditions. The findings of this article enable me to address a pertinent issue of psychological anthropology not sufficiently discussed in the literature: the manner in which individuals who experience (re)construction of the self maintain their selfhood many years after the (re)construction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This study aims to examine the structure of the relationship between intelligence and mathematical giftedness and build a comprehensive model to describe this relationship and the nature of mathematical giftedness. This study also purports to clarify the structure of components of mathematical ability. The third objective is to examine whether students who were identified by two different instruments—(a) mathematical ability and creativity instrument and (b) intelligence instrument—have statistically significant differences across the components of mathematical ability. That is, we want to investigate if variance in identification may be explained by variance in mathematical abilities exhibited by these individuals. To achieve these goals, this study proposes a new domain-specific identification instrument for the assessment of mathematical giftedness, assessing mathematical abilities and creativity. The study was conducted among 359 4th, 5th and 6th grade elementary school students in Cyprus, using two instruments measuring mathematical ability and mathematical creativity and fluid intelligence. The results revealed that mathematical giftedness can be described in terms of mathematical ability and mathematical creativity. Moreover, the analysis illustrated that intelligence is a predictor of mathematical giftedness. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that different groups of students are identified by each type of testing; that is, through the mathematical instrument and the intelligence instrument. This variance may be explained by performance in specific categories of tasks. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

and progress of societies. In recent years, there has been a need for education systems that provide the environment and conditions in which gifted children can express themselves easily, that can help them overcome the problems and incompatibilities they are exposed to in their formal education, and that can reveal and develop their superior talents and capacities in creativity under the guidance of teachers specialised in the education of gifted children. BİLSEMs are the most systematic among the educational activities carried out in this field in Turkey. In this study, the purpose, organization, process and climate dimensions of the organizational effectiveness of Science and Art Centers that provide education to gifted children in Turkey; It is aimed to examine and evaluate according to the opinions of administrators, teachers, parents and students. In other words, it was aimed to determine the effectiveness level of Tunceli Hacı Bektaş Veli Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) according to the perceptions of administrators, teachers, parents and students. This research is a descriptive study conducted in the scanning model. The universe of the research consists of the administrator teacher (n:9) working in BİLSEM in Tunceli, the teacher-student (n:40) continuing education in BİLSEM and the parents of these students (n:29) in the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. consists of. In addition to the demographic information form, the BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Manager-Teacher Scale (57 items) was applied to the administrators, the BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Student Scale (38 items) to the students, and the BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Parent Scale (31 items) to the parents, in addition to the demographic information form. In order to carry out the research, ethics committee approval was obtained from the Munzur University Ethics Committee before starting the research. Participants included in the study were included in the study on a voluntary basis. As a result of the study, it was observed that there was a significant negative correlation between the average scores of the "BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Manager-Teacher Scale" and the average scores of the "BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Student Scale" and "BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Manager-Teacher Scale" (p < 0.05). It was observed that there was a negative, strong and significant relationship between the average scores of the “BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Student Scale” and the average scores of the “BİLSEM Organizational Effectiveness Parent Scale” scales (p < 0.05). According to BİLSEM administrators and teachers, BİLSEMs are effective institutions in terms of purpose (X=3.81) and climate (X=4.50). It was observed that the least effective dimension was the process dimension (X = 3.61). According to BİLSEM parents, BİLSEMs climate, purpose and process sub-dimensions are highly effective. The less influential dimension is the organizational dimension. According to this research, Tunceli Haci Bektas Veli Bilsem is an effective school, according to perceptions of teacher-administrator, parents and student. What needs to be done is a strong cooperation between relevant institutions and organizations and parents for higher-level effective BILSEM. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Background: The study of personal characteristics and cognitive needs of the intellectually gifted students with underachievement in school is relevant for the scientific substantiation of the personal and professional development programs and training for the teachers to interact with such pupils. Objective: Theoretical and methodological analysis of new scientific data on the cognitive and personal development of intellectually gifted schoolchildren underachieving in education as the psychological and pedagogical basis for developing teacher training for interaction with such students; empirical study of motivational and personal characteristics of intellectually gifted schoolchildren with different academic achievement. Study Participants: The empirical study involved 460 intellectually gifted students in grades 5–10 in Moscow schools, 74–80 people in each cohort. Methods: Theoretical and analytical review of new scientific publications on the peculiarities of the cognitive and personal development of intellectually gifted schoolchildren underachieving in education as well as their psychological and pedagogical support by teachers. The empirical study implemented the diagnostics complex including tests of cognitive abilities, questionnaires of achievement motivation, academic and general self-esteem (adapted by the author: Scheblanova, 2006), parametric statistical methods for the data processing. Results: The analysis of the school teachers’ ideas about self-efficacy in teaching gifted students demonstrated their insufficient professional readiness to work with such pupils. Recent scientific publications review highlighted the important aspects of the modern understanding on differentiated approach to the identification and education of intellectually gifted children taking into consideration the new data on the variability of giftedness manifestations and trajectories of its development in the programs for the personal and professional development of teachers. Conclusions: The study provides theoretically and empirically substantiated basis for developing teacher professional and personal training for effective interaction with intellectually gifted students, and namely,—understanding the peculiarities of not only cognitive, but also motivational and personal development of students with high abilities and varying academic achievement as well as the need of psychological and pedagogical support for intellectually gifted underachievers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Objectives: The number of identified gifted children in Slovakia is small and Slovak psychologists need more modern and specialized assessment tools. Test for Identifying Gifted Children in Mathematics in Grades 3–5 (TIM3–5) is standardized in Czechia and has excellent psychometric properties with two parallel and fully equated forms. The study aims to adapt the test in the Slovak language and support its practical use. The authors ran a small pilot study using form A only and compared it to the Czech standardization sample. Sample and settings: The Slovak sample consisted of 169 pupils from four elementary schools and was supplemented by the Czech standardization sample (404 children in form A). The Slovak data were collected in February 2022; informed consent from the parents/legal guardians was obtained before data collection with approx. 40 % drop-out. The original authors of the test provided the Czech data collected in 2015. Hypotheses and analysis: The authors compared descriptives of Slovak and Czech pupils, assessed essential psychometric parameters (reliability and factor validity), and mainly performed measurement invariance and Differential Item Functioning analyses. Results: The psychometric parameters of the Slovak test form were excellent, fully comparable, or even better than the original Czech version. The mean of IRT reliability across grades was .76. However, the test differentiates mainly in above-average children. The confirmatory IRT analyses suggested clear unidimensionality and scalar invariance across the Czech and Slovak samples. However, Slovaks outperformed Czech pupils. The difference was highest in the third grade with 9.6 and 95%CI = [6.7–12.1] points at the T-score scale and lowest in the fifth grade, 3.6 with 95% CI = [0.9–6.3] points. The authors recommend the test for practical use using Czech norms. However, a user should be aware of possible differences in average performance, considering that the Czech norms could be too mild for Slovak children. Limits: Such a massive difference between Czech and Slovak populations is not plausible. The authors provided several explanations based mainly on the sampling procedure and systematic missingness in the Slovak sample, correlated to math ability. The most realistic explanation of the difference is a systematic sampling error in one or both samples. Therefore, the results are of importance for Czech users as well since it might be the case that the norms are too mild also for the Czech pupils. The authors advise Czech test users to interpret the test results with caution (and rather conservatively) until a new norming study is performed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Background: There are very few modern studies on the psychology of the actor and they are mainly based on the study of individual personality traits of actors. The current article discusses L.S. Vygotsky’s approach to the psychology of the actor and presents the results of a comprehensive study of the personal characteristics of student actors. Peculiarities of professional activity and the modern socio-cultural situation was taken into account in the interpretation. Objectives: The research is a complex analysis of personal characteristics of actors during the early stage of mastering their professional activity. Study Participants: The study involved second and third year students of the acting faculty of the Institute of Contemporary Art (Moscow); a total of 76 people (39 girls, 37 boys), with an average age of 20.2 years Methods: R.B. Cattell 16 PF personality questionnaire, Eysenck EPI personality questionnaire adapted by A.G. Shmelev, short Big Five portrait questionnaire “B5- 10” (authors M.S. Egorova and O.V. Parshikova), short Dark Triad questionnaire (adapted by M.S. Egorova, M.A. Sitnikova, O.V. Parshikova), A.A. Megrabyan empathy questionnaire, and the integral indicator “expert assessment of abilities” were used in the study. Results: As a result of a factor analysis of the respondents’ indicators for all the methods used, the following 10 factors describing 69.9% of the total cumulative dispersion were identified: F1 “emotional excitability, plasticity”, F2 “sensitivity to moral constraints”, F3 “empathy”, F4 “openness to experience, trying oneself out”, F5 “publicity”, F6 “frankness, sincerity”, F7 “emotional joining the group”, F8 “insightfulness”, F9 “individualism”, F10 “free-thinking”. The identified factors are interpreted as specific personal formations involved in the realisation of acting. Conclusions: The personal characteristics discovered in the study are considered from the point of view of the content and organisation of the actors’ training process. They can act as an alternative to the traditional approach aimed at the development of actors’ individual mental functions. Consideration of specific psychological vectors of personal development of student-actors as a basis for the proposed in training etudes and exercises shifts the focus of training on the image of character as a semantic unit of psychotechnical training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Our colleague, Professor Marcia Gentry, left us too soon. Thankfully, her professional legacy lives through her scholarship. Likewise, her impact on family and friends endures through her timeless gentleness of spirit. This essay reviews Professor Gentry’s decades-long quest for equity and excellence as markers of our field. Toward this end, Marcia proposed that professionals in the highly specialized niche area of gifted education retire the words gifted and giftedness and focus on excellence and talent development. A core value for Marcia was the belief that equitable access to talent development is fundamentally an issue of social justice. In response, I suggest that we consider how to retire these terms from the vantage point of five pivots, ultimately shifting from gifted education to talent discovery and development thereby promoting equity through excellence. The fifth pivot briefly discusses why we must shift from a nearly exclusive educational perspective to one that incorporates psychological components, including developmental and educational psychological principles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Solving a novel problem has recently garnered some attention as a viable alternative to traditional explicit instruction in the preparation of students for learning. This study investigated the effectiveness of introducing problem-solving tasks and worked examples prior to explicit instruction, along with the use of contrast, for gifted and non-gifted adolescents. One hundred and ninety-nine students from academically selective government and Independent high schools participated in this study. The 2 × 2 × 2 research design that was used examined the effects of giftedness (i.e., gifted vs. non-gifted), instruction-type (i.e., problem-solving vs. worked examples), and structure (i.e., high vs low contrast materials) on the learning outcomes of transfer and procedural knowledge. The study also examined the impact of explicit instruction and invention-first instruction strategies on non-performance variables—self-efficacy, extraneous load, experience of knowledge gaps, and interest. The results of the study suggested that invention-first instruction may be more effective than example-first instruction in transfer, and that gifted students may benefit more from invention-first instruction than example-first instruction. The use of contrast materials was not found to affect performance. Furthermore, instruction was found to have no significant effects on the investigated non-performance variables. Collectively, these findings challenge the conventional teaching modality of explicit instruction in gifted education, and puts forward the possibility of the invention-first strategy as an effective instructional strategy for gifted students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

In this final essay, we summarize some of the main themes of this special issue of the Roeper Review dedicated to the scholarly and educational contributions of Marcia Gentry. Our goal is to provide a broad sweep of her contributions: Specifics can be found in the individual articles. We cover as themes (a) the term “gifted,” (b) identification, (c) abilities, (d) opportunity, (e) twice-exceptionalities, (f) gifted programs, and (g) systemic failures, followed by our brief conclusions. Marcia was one of the truly great contributors to the field of gifted education, and her legacy will live long after her untimely death. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

This article explores how psychological categories linked to the mental level, such as genius, mediocrity, and intellectual superiority, were directly intertwined with political discourse in the early 20th century. To illustrate this, I analyze El Hombre Mediocre (The Mediocre Man) published in 1913 by José Ingenieros, seemingly as a direct critique of the law for free democratic elections in Argentina sanctioned in 1912. The book’s main argument drew on psychological categories to explain that democracy was, in fact, a poor choice in government. Ingenieros’ main concern was that the population was mostly mediocre and therefore unable to govern or elect a suitable candidate to run the country. One category that stood out in his analysis was the “genius.” This term was reserved for men who demonstrated exceptional intelligence and remarkable morals and ideals. The methodology used in this article is based on the qualitative and interpretative analysis of bibliographical sources (which include books of essays, scientific papers, and books aimed at lay audiences) from the perspective of intellectual history and the critical history of psychology. I argue that Ingenieros’ book served as a political essay founded on a comprehensive scientific explanation, even if it was aimed at a lay audience. This analysis shows the productivity of psychological categories referring to giftedness, intelligence, and talent, in adulthood for assessing political movements and planning new imagined societies through the history of psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)