Type III GT - Underground

Generally, these are middle school females, although males may also want to hide their giftedness. If a gifted boy goes underground, it tends to happen later, in high school and typically in response to the pressure to participate in athletics. When their need to belong rises dramatically in middle school, gifted girls begin to deny their talent in order to feel more included with a non-gifted peer group. Students who are highly motivated and intensely interested in academic or creative pursuits may undergo an apparently sudden radical transformation, losing all interests in previous passions. They frequently feel insecure and anxious. Adults often respond to them in ways that only increase their resistance and denial.
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