What are zebras in psychology? What is a zebra?

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Written by Paul Dugué

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We hear more and more about zebras in psychology and everyday life.

Yet this idea of "zebra person" or "zebraness" is not necessarily obvious at first glance.

What are zebras in psychology?

Today, I explain everything to you so you can finally understand what a zebra is, where to take tests, and what to do if you are.

What is a zebra personality?

A zebra personality is actually a person to High Intellectual Potential .

So why the word "zebra" and not gifted, HIP or early as we usually read?

Actually, There are lots of words to talk about people. HIP. Everyone wants to go with his own, which he considers more relevant.

That's what the psychologist did. Jeanne Siaud-Facchin explaining that the gifted adults were zebras.

It explains this by the fact that it is its stripes that allow the zebra to be perfectly recognized in the savannah compared to other equidae. But paradoxically it is these same stripes that allow him to camouflage himself in the high grasses.

In short, to be a zebra in psychology is therefore to feel different while getting merged into the mass.

It would therefore be necessary to bring zebras in psychology closer to those in High Intellectual Potential. Technically, they're the same, but they just have different names. We always talk about gift and intellectual precocity.

What is the behavior of a zebra in psychology?

Some typical zebra signs and behaviours can put you on the track.

There are 7 main participants:

  1. You are a hypersensitive person : According to Jeanne Siaud-Facchin (also she!), zebra people are people who have a great emotional and sensory sensitivity (called called "sensibility"). hyperaesthesia). This means that their emotions are exacerbated, but also their sensations (touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste). We usually joke about the fact that zebras in psychology always wear their socks turned around because sewing at the toe level hurts too much for example. Your emotions are very strong and you show great empathy.
  2. You are very creative: Zebras are artists at the bottom of them and like to create. Attention, by "artist" I do not mean only "creators of art" as one might think, or people with great creative skills. Creation can occur everywhere (not just on tables). Generally speaking, you like to create sculptures, projects, designs, Excel paintings (that's me), etc.
  3. You are a very curious person and like to put yourself at 200% in your new passions (because yes, you change interests regularly).
  4. Your intuition is very developed. It's called it somewhere else.extra-lucidity. Basically, thanks to your hypersensitivity and your great ability to analyze, you can understand precisely the situations and your intuition generally guides you in the right direction.
  5. You've always felt different from others without really knowing why. This feeling of lag with others is often felt at school.
  6. You're a perfectionist. Besides, you apply this great requirement to you... but also to others. You want everything to be perfect.
  7. Your need for justice is enormous. You feel bad in your heart when you face injustice.

How do we know we have a zebra psychological profile?

The signs I mentioned earlier should put the chip in your ear and allow you to recognize the potential. However, only a real IQ test (such as WAIS 4) can validate the zebra psychological profile.

In fact zebras in psychology have an intellectual quotient of more than 130, which represents about 2.5% of the population.

What is a zebra person in psychology?

To know whether or not you're a zebra, you have to get tested.

In the video below, I explain in detail how this psychological assessment is going:

The test to determine whether one is a zebra person is composed of several exercises divided into 4 categories (called indices) : 

  • Oral understanding
  • Perceptive reasoning
  • Working memory
  • Processing speed.

Basically, the different exercises will test your brain's ability to retain elements to work with, how fast it works, and your cognitive potential.

This test is performed with a psychologist who diagnostic HIP, and costs around 300€.

That's why it's best to check that we have certain characteristics before (not to throw money out the window). TheZebra childrenThey are often detected because they have difficulties in school or are in complete failure at school.

Do a zebra test online for free

Unfortunately, the investment requested by the zebra test is not necessarily feasible for all.

This is why some psychologists have developed other methods of detecting a zebra psychological profile. We call it the method. Clinical.

The best known test on this subject is the test of 17 questions developed by Monique de Kermadec.

If you're interested, I'll send it to you as a free video:

Nevertheless, take the result with some hindrance as it will always be less accurate than a real IQ test. Here, let's see if you have a symptom HIP And not if your brain is really gifted.

For fun, you can also go for a walk among these 9 free IQ tests to do online. But again, do not take the results too seriously.

Where to find a specialist psychologist for zebra people?

If you choose the psychologist option to really know if you have the psychology of a zebra, then I can only encourage you!

To find a specialist psychologist for zebra people, I realized a directory of recommended professionals.

There are many cities (Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Rennes, Toulouse, etc.) so you should find one near you.

The case of Zebra children

As I mentioned, zebra psychology is usually detected in early children. Indeed, teachers will often recommend going to a shrink if they have doubts. There is therefore:

  • A potential difficulty in adapting to the school system (which I mentioned above) or on the contrary a great success in school. This may also require a class jump or repetition.
  • High emotional potential and emotional management problems
  • ADHD (Warning Deficit Trouble with/without Hyperactivity)
  • Dys (dyslexia, dysarthography, dysphasia, etc.)

In short, I always recommend that you listen to the opinion of the school and, if possible, go see if you have a gifted child. Moreover, the term Child Intellectually Precocious (or EIP) is used instead.

Faced with the potential of a gifted child, their parents may be deprived to understand this particular intellectual functioning. If you are in this situation, do not hesitate to get closer to specialized associations.

FAQ / summary

What is a zebra person?

A zebra person is an individual with an IQ greater than or equal to 130 and hypersensitivity. This affects 2.5% of the population, both men and women.

Zebra definition in psychology

In psychology, the zebra is someone who has different characteristics: a high intellectual quotient, a heightened sensitivity, a thought in tree, great creativity and curiosity, and a sense of lag.

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Hello! I'm Paul. I come out of many years of international business studies that have brought me to a few years of experience in management and events and the creation of a company. What I love most is to experiment and test new things, understand what's going on. So I've always been very curious, read and learn a lot. In order to share my passion for personal development, I decided to create Connect The Dots (CTD). Good reading!