Philosophical Fundamentals of the Theory of Giftedness

The article describes the historical stages of exploring the concept of “giftedness” which reflect principally different understandings of this term, but nowadays are considered as the alternatives. The 1st stage: during the Medieval Period, the term “giftedness” is introduced for the first time ever and it explains the ability of a man to create (the God has given the gift). The 2nd stage: during the Renaissance period, the emergence of the wage labour puts an issue of assessing the presence and the height of abilities. The dependence of the product on the giftedness as high/low abilities is postulated. The 3rd stage: in the philosophy of the Modern Period, in the framework of dialectics, the concept of the process is developed and the levels of cognition as the main, generic ability of a human are defined, therefore the giftedness as an issue is missing. The 4th stage: beginning from the middle of the 19th century, due to the split in the philosophical directions and the demands of the psychometric paradigm, giftedness is reduced to the height of intellect and, subsequently, to the height of any abilities. The 5th stage: the emergence of the theory of giftedness based on the advanced methodology introduced to psychology by Vygotsky.

1. Adamar Zh. Issledovanie psikhologii protsessa izobreteniya v matematike: per. s fr. [An Essay on the Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field]. Moscow: Sovetskoe radio.1970, 152 p. (in Russ.).
2. Abelyar P. Poznai samogo sebya [Know oneself]. Arkhiv Marksa i Engelsa [Archive of Marx and Engels]. Vol. 10. Moscow: Politizdat, 1948. 300 p.
3. Bakhtin M.M. Estetika khudozhestvennogo tvorchestva [Aesthetics of artistic creation]. Moscow: Iskusstvo, 1979. 424 p.
4. Berdyaev N.A. Smysl tvorchestva: Opyt opravdaniya cheloveka. [Smysl of creation: a trial of justifying of a man]. Moscow: Publ. G.A.Lemana i S.I.Sakharova, 1916. 358 p.
5. Bogoyavlenskaya D.B., Bogoyavlenskaya M.E. Odarennost’: priroda I diagnostika [ Giftedness: nature and diagnostics]. Moscow: Obrazovanie lichnosti, 2018. 239 p.
6. Bogoyavlenskaya D.B. Psikhologiya tvorchestva v kontekste teorii deyatel’nosti [Psychology of creativity in the context of the theory of activity]. Voprosy psikhologii [Questions of psychology], 2013, no. 3, pp. 1—6.
7. Bogoyavlenskaya D.B., Susokolova I.A. Psikhometricheskaya interpretatsiya tvorchestva. Nauchnyi vklad Dzh. Gilforda [Psychometric interpretation of creativity. G. Guilford’sscientific contribution.]. Moscow: Publ. MGPPU, 2011. 267 p.
8. Bogoyavlenskaya D.B. Psikhologiya tvocheskikh sposobnostei [ Psychology of the creative abilities]. Samara: Uchebnaya Literatura, 2009. 416 p.
9. Vygotsky L.S. Myshleniye i rech [Thinking and Speech]. Moscow: National Education. 2016. 368 p.
10. Ivleva M.L. Filosofskie osnovaniya psikhologicheskoi kontseptsii odarennosti. Uchebnoe posobie [Philosophical fundamentals of psychological conception of giftedness]. Moscow: Publ. MGTU MAMI, 2011. 256 p.
11. Leont’ev A.N. Problemy razvitiya psikhiki [ Problems of development of the psyche]. Moscow: Publ. APNRSFSR, 1959. 345 p.
12. Rabochaya contseptsiya odarennosti [ Working conception of giftedness]. Bogoyavlenskaya D.B. (eds.). Moscow: Publ.MORF, 2003. 39 p.
13. Rubinstein S.L. Printsip tvorcheskoi samodeyatelnosti [The principle of the creative spontaneous activity]. Voprosy psikhologii [Questions of psychology],1986, no. 4, pp. 101—109.
14. Rubinstein S.L. Printsipy i puti razvitiya psikhologii [Principles and ways of development of psychology]. Moscow: Publ. AN SSSR, 1959. 356 p.
15. Rubinstein S.L. Osnovy obshchei psikhologii [Fundamentals of general psychology]. Moscow: AN SSSR. 1940. 794 p.
16. Teplov B.M. Problemy individual’nykh razlichii [Problems of individual differencies]. Moscow: Politizdat, 1961. 224 p.
17. Filosofskaya entsiklopediya. T. 1. [Philocophical enciclopedy. Vol. 1]. Moscow: IF AN SSSR, 1960. 504 p.
18. Sharden P.T. Fenomen cheloveka [Le phénomène humain]. Moscow : Nauka,1987. 384 p. (in Russ.).
19. Stern V. Umstvennaya odarennost’ [Intellectual giftedness]. Moscow: Soyuz, 1997. 128 p. (in Russ.).
20. Einstein A. Fizika i real’nost’ [Physics and Reality]. Moscow: Nauka, 1965. 360 p. (in Russ.).
21. Bacon F. New organon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 290 p.
22. Galton F. Hereditary Talent and Character. MacMillan’s Magazin. Vol. XII, 1865, pp. 157—166.