For some time now, I have been meeting Zebra throughout France. And every time, despite our great similarities, we are different. Our high potential is different. Our stripes are different, although very close. Then why?
At the same time, I continue my research on gift. I often come across themes like complex gifted, heterogeneous IQ, cognitive philo, laminar profile... what does that mean? What's the point? Why, again, try to put everyone in a box?
Could these different appointments not ultimately have something to do with the different doubts?
In this article, we will try to understand the nature of these peculiarities in order to position ourselves. If you're a zebra, it will help you better understand your gift. And that's part of why some people can't manage their High Intellectual Potential Every day.
My name is Paul, and my high potential was diagnosed more than 10 years ago now. Today, I share what I have learned since then to help new people understand themselves, accept, and love each other.
NB: This is an article initially broadcast in video format (above). The texts you see here are the transcript.
Adult gifted complex vs. laminar: where does this difference come from?
The complex and laminar profiles were discovered by Fanny NUSBAUM, Olivier REVOL and Dominic SAPPEY-MARINIER. They talk about it in their book. The Philo-Cognitives.
What is that? It's very simple.
Not long ago, I told you about intellectual quotient tests. They are actually divided into several sub-tests, called sub-tests. Our score of IQ Overall is therefore in reality composed of all these sub-scores.
If you get high results everywhere, they say you have homogeneous results and a laminar profile. Conversely, if you get various scores, they say you have heterogeneous results and a complex profile.
Easy, right? Although this distinction between complex HP and laminar HP seems to be only mathematical, it actually has far greater impacts on the life of the gifted.
Characteristics of high laminar potential
The laminar profile would generally be a rather analytical person: it resembles the stereotype of the left brain. He has a rather stable school career, he likes to learn and is a worker. His interests are rather different from those of his schoolmates, which makes his socialization complicated. At work, he will be someone demanding and organized, and he will work hard to achieve his goals.
In the collective imagination, this is how one imagines the gifted person: with good results, hard work, but not especially sociable.
Note that this is also the least well studied profile and known by psychologists and science because... they don't go (at the psychologist). Since from outside everything is good for them (they work well, are wise and have a good job). They are only too little detected by being a child and later. It is a population that "gets well into the mass" and manages to anchor in society.
Characteristics of high complex potential
Conversely, the complex profile is rather creative and intuitive. He ticks all the boxes in the right brain. He is very creative and needs to be constantly stimulated. He makes decisions based on his instincts. It is Highly Sensitive Person and it is his great sensitivity that guides him in his choices.
Overall, the complex gifted person does not match the image of the zebra person. It's not Einstein what. On the other hand, it is the profile that is best known because its school difficulties (such as the refusal of authority, his particular vision of the world and the truth) often push his parents to him make an appointment with a psychologist.
What I find amusing is that these are the Complex early childhood are better detected because of their educational difficulties. Yet, the collective imagination tends to consider that the gifted person (the "genius") can only have exemplary results.
To caricature, the laminar zebra will have a rather scientific profile, while the complex zebra will rather be artist.
Be careful little precision: the portraits that I have prepared here are typical portraits. No one corresponds to 100% to one box or another. You know me now: I think there are as many forms of high potential as there are people with high potential. Although some broad lines are common, we all have our particularities.
So, rather complex or laminar?
Besides, do you think you're rather laminar or complex?
The disadvantages of the distinction
For my part, this distinction bothers me a little bit. My intellectual quotient test placed me in the laminaries: my results were homogeneous. However, I recognize myself as both a laminar adult and as High Intellectual Potential complex. It will rather depend on the moments, but I always try to bring together the best of both worlds when I make a decision. From there, how do I fit? Should I only rely on the results of my intellectual quotient subtests, or on my feelings?
Moreover, the problem with this new label is that she tries to classify the gifted person. By its very nature, it is unclassifiable and indomitable. It is also partly from where the idea of zebra of the Jeanne Siaud-Facchin (for he is the only equidae that has not been domesticated by man).
Anyway, we're back on my idea of multiple doubt. Each has its own way of expressing its high potential.
* with the horse of Przewalski
The advantages of distinction
But distinguishing between laminaries and complexes also brings good sides. I am thinking for example of all those who have discovered their gift but which did not correspond to the cliché of the gifted (so rather the complex HP). Do not look like Einstein while being gifted can make a real impostor syndrome develop.
I therefore think that, for these people, discovering distinction is a real asset.
That's what happened to a zebra person I'm very close to. It was detected very young, but absolutely did not correspond to a gifted model student. She had poor results at school, and her ADHD (High Attention Deficit Trouble) did not help. As a result, she never really felt "validated" as a person with high potential. At least not before her psychologist explained to her that she was a HIP complex.
Conclusion
Let's recap this.
There are two "subcategories" of gifted within the gift: laminar profiles and complex profiles. This distinction is based on the homogeneity or heterogeneity of the IQ subtest results.
If the person achieves homogeneous results, it is said that she is HP laminar.
Conversely, if it achieves heterogeneous results, it is said that it is overtly complex.
This distinction has impacts on several aspects of life. High Intellectual Potentialand in particular his personality. The laminar will be more analytical and scientific, while the complex will be more artistic and intuitive.
As with everything, these are typical profiles. Nobody fits this personality pattern perfectly. I'm the first to say that after my intellectual quotient test, I'm a laminar gifted. However, my experience makes me feel a bit on both sides. In my opinion, the border between the two is far from impermeable.
This distinction is, in my view, mainly beneficial for the gifted who do not recognize themselves in the classical vision of gift. They are not the new Einsteins or do not succeed in everything they undertake. For these people, understanding that the gift comes in many forms allows to limit the impostor syndrome they may feel when detected.
Sources
- Nusbaum F., Revol O., Sappey-Marinier D.,Philo-cognitives: they only like to think and think differently, 2019.
