Find Your Strongest Life

I am usually writing a post about a book I have read, but this time I am writing about a book and test that intrigue me. The book is called Find Your Strongest Life, and it is by Marcus Buckingham, author of books about the StrengthFinder test. This book is written for women, and, according to Buckingham’s website, “the book challenges ingrained myths about women and tackles the paradox of declining female happiness.” My daughter has ordered Find Your Strongest Life, and I am looking forward to hearing about it from her perspective. I took the free online Strong Life Test, and I found the results to be valid according to my passions. Although I have been an educator for more than 30 years, my dominant roles (according to the Strong Life Test) do not include Teacher. They are Motivator and Creator, and I recognize that these are roles that energize me and that I turn to naturally. I would love to hear from other women who have taken this online assessment. Do you feel a kinship to the results of this assessment? And for those of you who have read this book, do you feel it could help a woman find her strongest life?

Amplified & Misunderstood: Positive Gifted Identity Development & the Role of Parents

Here an article that appears in the Summer 2009 issue of “Talent” published by Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development.

Amplified and Misunderstood:
Positive Gifted Identity Development and the Role of Parents

Paula Wilkes, Ph.D. & Mark Szymanski Ph.D.

Positive gifted identity development is a dynamic process that is both nourished and diminished by interactions with family, peers, school, and culture. All of those interactions impact self-perception and ultimately the child’s identity. By understanding a gifted child’s innate personality traits, and by teaching them to use good habits of mind, parents can nurture a positive identity development process that can lead to the child becoming an emotionally healthy lifelong learner who is an information seeker, a problem solver, and a creative producer. These are all skills and dispositions our children will need to be successful in the 21st century.

CTD: Why have you chosen to focus on sensitivity, perfectionism, introversion/extroversion, and curiosity, the four amplified ways of being?

Gifted children often possess amplified ways of being that have the potential to impact both their work in school and sense of self. We focus on those amplified and innate ways of being because they are often misunderstood by others. From a very young age, many gifted children hear negative comments such as: “You’re too sensitive!” “Why are you so shy?” “Can’t you sit still for more than a minute?” “Don’t be such a perfectionist!” “Stop asking so many questions!” Those comments can inhibit the development of a positive gifted identity. Parents who do not understand their gifted child’s amplified ways of being may unknowingly respond in ways that have a negative impact on a child’s self-perception. Helping gifted kids understand, modulate, and make effective use of their amplified ways of being will enhance their academic growth and social development, and will become the foundation of a positive gifted identity. A positive gifted identity will increase the chances that existential depression and other emotional crises often faced by gifted children can be dealt with in a healthy manner.

CTD: Can you explain what you mean by sensitivity?

Many gifted children are highly sensitive and intense. That sensitivity may include a strong sense of justice as well as empathy for people and animals. Kazimierz Dabrowski outlined five specific areas in which a gifted child could exhibit “overexcitability” (what we are referring to as “amplified ways of being”) as a natural, organic trait of his or her giftedness.
o Psychomotor –This includes a heightened surplus of physical energy or rapid speech and movement. It can often be misinterpreted as ADHD.
o Sensual – What is “normal” to the average person can be seen or felt as an assault to the nervous system of a child with amplified senses. This can include amplified reactions to sights, sounds, smells, and touch (such as scratchy labels). On the other hand, children with amplified senses may be quite moved by sensual beauty.
o Emotional – Some gifted children may be seen as “drama queens and kings” because of their amplified reactions to experiences that are either highly enjoyable or unpleasant. While often seen as over-reactions, these responses are often within the “normal” range for emotionally sensitive children.
o Imaginational – Vivid imaginations taken to an extreme can cause these gifted kids to seem like perpetual daydreamers. At times they may seem like they have a hard time distinguishing between reality and fantasy.
o Intellectual – Getting wound up about new ideas and experiences is a common amplification experienced by gifted children. They love to try new and exciting puzzles and challenges in their areas of expertise.

CTD: How might amplified introversion or extroversion be misunderstood by parents and teachers?

Gifted children frequently display amplified introversion or extroversion. In both cases, this way of being is their preferred way of processing information. Extroverts are energized when they are engaged with others. They process their ideas through interaction; as a result, they are often seen as too talkative and unable to wait their turn during a discussion. They may also be mislabeled as having ADHD. Introverts, on the other hand, are energized when they are alone. They process their ideas internally; as a result, they don’t have a great need to share their ideas with others. Gifted introverts may go unnoticed by teachers who see them as shy or slow thinking and withdrawn. Although most people are extroverts, the higher the IQ of a gifted child, the greater chance the child is an introvert.

CTD: What impact does perfectionism have on gifted development?

There are actually two different types of perfectionism, intrinsic and extrinsic. Gifted children are often cautioned about their perfectionism, however, intrinsic perfectionism is a positive trait when it challenges children to extend their understanding and skills. It is a negative trait when it interferes with the learning process, leads to debilitating procrastination, or results in social and emotional difficulties.

Extrinsic perfectionism is not an organic trait. It is inappropriately created and nourished by parents and teachers. Young gifted children are eager to please the adults in their lives. When they are praised for their perfect papers, praised for their large vocabularies, and praised for their ability to read chapter books at a young age, they believe that they are “worthy” when they are perfect and capable of doing extraordinary things. This can cause gifted kids to be embarrassed, angry, and/or fearful when they aren’t able to get 100% on a test or when they are faced with a challenge that doesn’t allow them to demonstrate perfection. Extrinsic perfectionism can be debilitating because it can put gifted kids in a box of competence that doesn’t allow them to take the risks necessary for healthy intellectual and emotional development.

CTD: If curiosity killed the cat, what does it do for gifted kids?

Curiosity helps gifted kids discover their passions and stumble upon new discoveries. This amplified way of being can manifest itself in a variety of ways including asking lots of questions and needing to touch and explore things of interest. While curiosity may have killed the cat, it gives life to the lives of gifted kids. This amplified desire to seek information should be nurtured by parents and teachers in order to support and encourage behaviors that lead to life-long learning.

CTD: What first steps can parents take to support the positive identity development of their gifted children?

Let your children know you love and understand them. Help them learn to modulate and make effective use of their amplified ways of being. Be an advocate! Share this information with other people. Gifted children deserve to be amplified AND understood.

Positive Gifted Identity Development Resources

Habits of Mind website (www.habits-of-mind.net/)

MindWare Games (www.MindWare.com) (Flow Experiences)

Aron, Elaine. (2002). The highly sensitive child. New York: Broadway Books.

Aron, Elaine. (1996). The highly sensitive person: How to thrive when the world overwhelms you. Bridgewater, New Jersey: Replica Books.

Belknap, Martha. (2006). Stress relief for kids: Taming your dragons. Duluth, MN:
Whole Person Associates.

Biel, Lindsey and Nancy Peske. (2005). Raising a sensory smart child. New York: Penguin Books.

Brooks, Robert and Sam Goldstein. (2003). Nurturing resilience in our children. New York: Contemporary Books.

Brooks, Robert and Sam Goldstein. (2001). Raising resilient children. New York: Contemporary Books.

Buckingham, Marcus and Donald Clifton. (2001). Now, discover your strengths. New
York: Free Press.

Chopra, Deepak. (1997). The seven spiritual laws for parents: Guiding your children to
success & fulfillment. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.

Costa, Art and Kallik. (2009). Leading and learning with habits of mind: Sixteen
essential characteristics for success. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Desetta, Al, (editor). (2005). The courage to be yourself: True stories by teens about
cliques, conflicts, and overcoming peer pressure. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit
Publishing.

Halsted, Judith. (1994). Some of my best friends are books. Dayton, OH: Ohio
Psychology Press. (Bibliotherapy; annotated bibliography)

Hanh, Thich Nhat. (2008). Mindful movements: Ten exercises for well-being. Berkeley,
CA: Parallax Press.

Heller, Sharon. (2002). Too loud, too bright, too fast, too tight. New York: Broadway HarperCollins Publishers.

Laney, Marti Olsen. (2005). The hidden gifts of the introverted child. New York: Workman Publishing.

Lerner, Stephanie. (2005). Kids who think outside the box: Helping your unique child
thrive in a cookie-cutter world. New York: AMACOM.

Piechowski, Michael. (2006). “Mellow out,” they say. If I only could. Intensities
and sensitivities of the young and bright. Madison, WI: Yunasa Books.

Welsh, David. (1997). The boy who burned too brightly. Fort Worth, Texas: Alisam Press.

Zeff, Ted. (2004). The highly sensitive person’s survival guide. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

IQ Tests: Measurement of Reasoning Ability or Achievement?

This blog is being written from Vancouver, BC, the site of the World Gifted Council. Whereas I usually focus my discussion on a book I have read, I am prompted to respond to a keynote presentation by Dr. Jack Naglieri. Naglieri is the author of the NNAT, a non-verbal ability test that is designed to assess general reasoning ability in children and adolescents. Dr. Naglieri showed several examples where IQ tests had identical items as tests for achievement. He argued that while achievement tests are able to assess talent, a true IQ test should assess reasoning ability, free from achievement-type questions. He showed examples from his non-verbal ability test that have been shown to be free from culture or language bias as they do not require a student to read, write, or speak while completing the test. For a sample problem from the Naglieri test, see the Duke Newsletter.

While this is not the only test we can use to identify gifted students, Dr. Naglieri is encouraging educators to provide this test to all students so that we are able to identify a more diverse group of high ability students including students from under-represented populations as well as students with high introversion who may be overlooked by traditional teacher nominations. Once a student is identified as having gifted ability based upon this test, it is important for teachers to provide appropriate instruction so that these students have a greater chance of realizing their talents. I look forward to returning to my community to encourage our local educators to take a new look at gifted identification. Our gifted students are one of our greatest resources, and we can’t afford to lose these resources to a lack of appropriate assessment.

Josh Waitzkin and The Art of Learning, Revisted

I think the best thing I ever created at Pacific University is the gifted education book club meetings. These book discussions take place three times per year, and we usually have a group of six to a twelve participants. This afternoon, nine of us gathered to discuss Josh Waitzkin’s book, The Art of Learning. This book was the topic of a previous blog.

During this afternoon’s discussion, I was able to experience, once again, the notion that the reader tells the story. We each had insights about The Art of Learning that were related to our own personal experiences and/or background knowledge. The sharing of those insights helped push my understanding even further, and I hope I can continue to push my adult students to the edge of their zone of proximal development, or what Josh calls “the outer reaches of our abilities.”

Parents of gifted children should read this book! Here was a chess prodigy “who was scared of the dark and loved Scooby-Doo,” and in this book he calls his father his “best friend” and his mother “the greatest person I have ever known…She has always encouraged me to follow my heart.” Not only is this book an important read for educators, but it is a wonderful model of how to raise and encourage a gifted child.

Here are some ideas and quotes from Josh’s book that can serve as inspiration for any learner:

* “The game (chess) was exhilarating and also spiritually calming….Then, suddenly, the game became alien and disquieting.”

* “I had won eight national championships an had more fans, public support and recognition than I could dream of, but none of this was helping my search of excellence, let alone for happiness.”

* “I recognized that being at the pinnacle in other people’s eyes had nothing to do with quality of life, and I was drawn to the potential for inner tranquility.”

* “Someone stuck in an entity theory of intelligence is like an anorexic hermit crab, starving itself so it doesn’t grow to have to find a new shell.”

Josh Waitzkin is going to be the keynote speaker for the National Association for Gifted Children’s 2009 annual conference, and he will have an important message for those who live with or educate gifted children.

Learning as an “Art”: The Journey of a Chess and Tai Chi Champion

As part of the requirements for my Introduction to Gifted Education course, I have my preservice and inservice teachers watch five movies from a list of several dozen. While watching the movies, they are asked to use the Kingore Observation Inventory to determine ways in which the characters may be gifted. After watching Searching for Bobby Fisher, I was interested in finding out what had become of Josh, the main character of this movie. Josh Waitzkin was a chess prodigy, and Searching for Bobby Fisher was his father’s attempt to describe the journey from young boy to chess champion.

Josh Waitzkin is a gifted person with multipotentiality. Not only did he display giftedness through chess, he later became a Tai Chi champion. I learned from his website that he had written a book, The Art of Learning, and as a professor in teacher education, I was immediately drawn to the title. Several months later, at the National Association for Gifted Children’s Annual Conference in fall 2008, each participant was given a copy of Waitzkin’s book in preparation for his keynote address in fall 2009. Having previously purchased the book but not having read it, I had another reason to read this book.

I sponsor a gifted education book club selection three times per year, and The Art of Learning is my choice for summer 2009. Many of the participants will already have seen Searching for Bobby Fisher, and this book will be a great way for them to learn what became of Josh, as well as to read about the art of learning from the perspective of a gifted learner.

This book speaks to Josh’s ability to maximize his learning through passion, focus, automaticity through practice, intuition, reining in impulsivity, remaining open to continuous learning through a growth mindset, and preparation. While reading this book, I was reminded of others whose ideas have inspired me including: Coach John Wooden (The Pyramid of Success), Carol Dweck (Mindset), Jane Piirto (The Pyramid of Talent Development), and Art Costa and Bena Kallick (Habits of Mind).

You are the Friend I Will Cherish Forever

This post is a departure from my usual discussion about a significant book I’ve been reading. This past weekend I shared in the celebration of life of the woman who was my best friend in high school, and the synchronicity of events that took place will forever be a part of my most cherished memories.

I met up with Sue’s sons the evening before the memorial service. We laughed and cried as I shared high school stories her sons had never heard. I was struck by what beautiful men her sons are, and I know why Sue was so proud of these young men and the fathers they had become. When going through her apartment, they had found a manilla envelope with my name on the outside and a card on the inside that she had planned to give me one day. Sue had always called me her “Forever Friend,” and now this card was proving that even after her death I was learning just how much I had meant to her. Here is what that card said:

YOU ARE THE FRIEND I WILL CHERISH FOREVER
Once in a long while,
someone special walks into your life
and really makes a difference.
They take the time
to show you in so many little ways
that you matter.
They see and hear the worst in you,
but don’t walk away;
in fact, they may care more about you.
Their heart breaks with yours,
their tears fall with yours,
their tears fall with yours,
their laughter is shared with yours.

Once in a long while,
two special friends
have to go their separate ways.

Every time you see a certain gesture,
hear a certain laugh or phrase,
or return to a certain place,
it reminds you of them.
You treasure the time you had with them,
and you thank God that someone
can still touch your heart so deeply.
You remember their words, their looks,
their expressions;
You remember how much of themselves
they gave — not just to you, but to all.
You remember the strength
that amazed you,
the courage that impressed you,
the grace that inspired you,
and the love that touched you.
by Laurie Winkelmann

The card has no handwritten note, but the fact that it was in an envelope with my name on it is a powerful reminder of what it means to be a forever friend.

The service was held in a beautiful Catholic church in South Lake Tahoe. It was a spectacularly sunny afternoon, and the sun lit up the stained glass with the beauty that must have been envisioned by its artist. When the priest asked us to rise for a prayer, the snowcapped mountains were framed by a clear window above the priest. It was the perfect day (Sue’s birthday) and the perfect setting for a celebration of life for a beautiful and dynamic woman.

Many years ago, when a high school friend was setting up an alumni website, he asked us to send photos and information we would like posted on our individual pages. He also asked for a song from our high school days that could play when someone came to our page. I didn’t know why I had him attach this particular song, but despite my blue eyes, I loved the Van Morrison song, “Brown-Eyed Gilrl.” As my husband and I drove past the church on our way home the following morning, I was thinking about all the great times with Sue and how much we had loved each other. I was sharing yet another story with my husband when “Brown-Eyed Girl” came on the radio. Sue was the brown-eyed girl, and the words “…now that I’m on my own…” had new meaning. I laughed and cried to think that this song would no longer be my song, it would be OUR forever friends song.

Happy for No Reason: Take Ownership of Your Happiness

Have you ever come upon a book with a title that was so ridiculous you wouldn’t consider reading it?  That was my first inclination when I received an email message about Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff.  So why did I end up buy this book?  The email message was a bulk mailing from Dr. Judith Orloff, intuitive energy psychiatrist, author of many great books including her latest, Emotional Freedom.  Having read Dr. Orloff’s previous books, and having been impressed by her views on positive energy and other techniques for sensitive and intense people, I was willing to read Happy for No Reason.

The subtitle of the book, “7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out,” intrigued me because it suggested that I could be in control of my own happiness.  I decided to purchase two copies so that I could write in the margins of one and encourage my husband to read the other one.  That was a great decision because I have seen both subtle and significant changes in the way we relate to otherwise stressful situations.  

Last week, my husband had a medical procedure that required outpatient treatment in the hospital.  This was a planned procedure that was supposed to take about 2 1/2 hours from beginning to end.  However, due to someone dropping the ball and not providing my husband with an antibiotic prior to the procedure, once he was wheeled into the room for surgery, the doctor noticed the error and sent him back to short stay to receive 2 hours of intraveneous antibiotics.  As if that wasn’t enough, once he was brought back for surgery, the doctor wasn’t able to complete the procedure because his blood clotting level hadn’t been correctly monitored so that if she completed the procedure, my husband wouldn’t have been able to clot quickly enough.  All of these issues could have been taken care of prior to our coming to short stay, so not only did the 2 1/2 hours become a 6 hour experience, my husband also has to return again next year to complete the procedure.

I share this story because at no time were we angry, nor did we harass the nurses who had nothing to do with the issues we faced.  The nurses kept telling us how sorry they were, and that they were amazed by how nice we were.  My husband and I were thinking that it was unfortunate to have had to deal with this situation, but due to having practiced the Happy for No Reason strategies, we weren’t going to get ourselves upset nor upset the people who were trying to help us.  I truly believe that in the past we would have spent those additional hours ruminating, making ourselves more and more miserable.  Now, however, my husband is going to meet with his doctor to see what went wrong, just for clarification for the next time he has this procedure.

Chapter 3 is called “The Foundation – Take Ownership of Your Happiness,” and that is what we are trying to do.  The author talks about how complaining is a nasty habit that can cause emotional and physical harm to the complainer.  And who really wants to spend much time with a complainer?  I am trying to be mindful of my reactions, and I am attempting to limit the whining response.  

Parents contact me on a regular basis to get information on how to advocate for their gifted children whose academic needs aren’t being adequately met.  I am now more aware of the impact their complaining has had on their personal happiness as well as on the happiness of their children.  Many of these sensitive and intense children are complaining about their discontent at school, and in turn, many of them are hearing their parents also complain about teachers and the educational system.  Do these kids deserve to receive an appropriate education?  Absolutely!  They also deserve to be taught coping strategies and strategies of the autonomous learner to get their needs met.  Their complaining, and the complaining of their parents sets all of them up for anxiety, depression, and a sent of hopelessness.  

The titles of the following chapters will give you an idea of the strategies that are the focus of this book:

Chapter 1: Happy for No Reason…Really?

Chapter 2: Practicing Happiness

Chapter 3: The Foundation — Take Ownership of Your Happiness

Chapter 4: The Pillar of the Mind — Don’t Believe Everything You Think

Chapter 5: The Pillar of the Heart — Let Love Lead

Chapter 6: The Pillar of the Body — Make Your Cells Happy

Chapter 7: The Pillar of the Soul — Plug Yourself In to Spirit

Chapter 8: The Roof — Live a Life Inspired by Purpose

Chapter 9: The Garden — Cultivate Nourishing Relationships

Chapter 10: The Happy for No Reason Plan for Life

If, as Marci Shimoff says, emotion is contagious, we might as well chose to spread the happiness germ!  I recommend this book to parents and teachers who are the models for bright, sensitive, and intense children.  They deserve to be surrounded by adults who spread happiness rather than the angst of complaining.

Getting to the Heart of Giftedness: Living with Intensity

Always searching for the perfect books for my gifted education classes, I have come upon a new book I will certainly require for my fall course, Social and Psychological Foundations of Gifted Education.  That book, Living with Intensity, is edited by by Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowski and includes chapters from experts in the field of gifted education.

The authors have divided Living with Intensity into the following sections:

Part One: Kazimierz Dabrowski, Overexcitability, Giftedness, and Developmental Potential

Part Two: Understanding Intensity: Practical Applications for Parents, Teachers, and Counselors

Part Three: Still Gifted After All These Years — Lifespan Intensity and Gifted Adults

Part Four: Current Research and Future Directions

My first posting was June 1, 2008, and the topic was “Bright, Sensitive, Intense“.  I have been interested in the “amplified ways of being” of gifted children, and Living with Intensity goes a long way to explain these amplified ways.  If you are a gifted adult, or a parent or teacher of a gifted child, this book is a must read!

Highly Sensitive Kids Deserve to Thrive, Not Merely Survive

Last week I received an email message from the mom of gifted children, and that message reminded me of why children who live amplified lives need our understanding and guidance. That message read:

“I attended your workshops on parenting gifted kids last year and I’m
hoping you can help me with some sensitivity issues we’ve been having!

We have 3 children – Jonathan-11, Maya-8 and Carson -almost 4. I’ve
been doing some reading about hypersensitivity and I think all 3 kids
would qualify in several areas. Actually, my husband and I do, too,
but we’re usually able to cope! The kids’ sensitivities are starting
to clash, and I’m hoping you can recommend some reading materials for
Jonathan to read. He’s capable of reading, understanding and enjoying
a book written for an adult – is there one that you would recommend
over others? He is incredibly sensitive to sounds, smells
(particularly foods), textures (again foods) and he cannot stand to
see people eat. Some days it can be an emotional strain and he is
having a lot of trouble getting to sleep some nights. Mealtimes have
become a constant struggle – if he’s agitated, I’ll let him take a
tray of food to his room to eat by himself, but there have been times
when eating at a restaurant that he will eat with his coat over his
head so he can’t see anything. I just want to help him to understand
and identify the things that bother him, and maybe develop some
coping skills.”

I had the pleasure of meeting with Jonathan’s mother, and it was obvious that she fully understood that he is living an amplified life. I was impressed to learn that even his grandparents were beginning to understand his sensitivities. I loaned the family several books about highly sensitive people, and was happy to hear that they have begun both the reading and the modification of their environment. Here is the message I received from Jonathan’s mom:

“Thanks so much for your help. Jonathan has started reading one of the
books and we’ve come up with some ideas to lessen the intensity at
dinner times. We’re hanging some Christmas lights and candles in the
dining room, moving a cd player in there for classical piano music
during dinner and we’ll dim the over head lights. After you and I
talked, I started noticing that he’s more anxious about coming to the
table, with the fear that he’s going to see / hear something that
bothers him than he actually is during the meal. So, I’m hoping that
if we can just get past this anxiety, he’ll realize that he can eat
with the family without being over-stimulated. I also think that re-
arranging how we sit at the table will help also. I put a hold on
the “Mindful Movements” dvd at the library.”

I’m sure there are lots of “Jonathans” out there who struggle with the stress of living an amplified life. If you are like Jonathan, or know someone who is, I recommend the following books:

The Highly Sensitive Person - Elaine Aron
The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide - Ted Zeff
The Highly Sensitive Child - Elaine Aron
Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World - Sharon Heller
Mindful Movements - Thich Nhat Hanh

Are You a Diver, or are You a Scanner?

I am a DIVER. I find a topic that interests me, and I dive deeper, and deeper, and deeper. I have been diving into gifted education for more than 20 years, and I know I have more diving to do. In fact, at the age of nearly 58, I feel I have just hit my stride in my profession. I can’t imagine pulling up and moving on to a new passion.

While I feel comfortable as a Diver, there are many gifted people with multipotentiality who spend their lives as SCANNERS. According to Barbara Sher, author of Refuse to Choose, “Intense curiosity about numerous unrelated subjects is one of the most basic characteristics of a Scanner. Scanners are endlessly inquisitive. In fact, Scanners often describe themselves as being hopelessly interested in everything (although, as you’ll find out, this isn’t so). A Scanner doesn’t want to specialize in any of the things she loves, because that means giving up all the rest. Some even think that being an expert would be limiting and boring.” So, in the view of some Scanners, my preoccupation with gifted education could be both stifling and boring.

Scanners often get a bad rap from family and friends who expect them to “settle down” and grow up professionally. In college, they often move from major to major, trying any subject that sounds interesting, even if it doesn’t lead to a degree. As Sher suggests, scanners are different kinds of thinkers who are interested in building upon their many gifts and interests. Parents may be frustrated with their gifted adult children who are still searching for that perfect career, not understanding that a Scanner may focus on an area of interest until they have a better understanding of that topic, and then they are driven to move on to another area of interest. It is not important for Scanners to have the deep understanding about a topic that is desired by a Diver.

If you are the parent or partner of a Scanner, and you are frustrated about their unwillingness to make a commitment to a single major, job, or a hobby, be sure to read Refuse to Choose.