Subjective factors of gifted adolescents’ psychological well-being: a theoretical model

Introduction. The problem of the research is determined by contradictory data on psychological well-being of gifted adolescents presented in Russian and international psychological studies. The aim of this article is to identify the subjective factors which mediate psychological well-being of gifted adolescents. Materials and Methods. The study uses methods of analytical literature review and theoretical modeling. The theoretical and methodological bases of the research include the process-activity approach to understanding giftedness, as well as C. Ryff’s concept of psychological well-being and self-determination theory of R. Ryan and E. Deci. Results. The study reveals the following main subjective factors of gifted adolescents’ psychological well-being: subjectivity, persistence, self-efficacy, problem orientation, dominant emotional background, and characteristics of Self-concept. The element which moderates the relationship between the above listed factors and gifted adolescents’ psychological well-being is their attitude toward their own giftedness. Gender, age, type of giftedness and type of educational environment are identified as the main conditions determining the specifics of gifted adolescents’ development and affecting their psychological well-being. On this basis, the authors have proposed a theoretical model. The model of subjective factors of gifted adolescents’ psychological well-being can be used to determine the most important areas of research on psychological well-being of gifted adolescents, to operationalize private research models in "psychology of adolescent giftedness", to compare the results of various empirical studies aimed at revealing the relationship between giftedness and psychological well-being in adolescence. Conclusions. Thus, the study has identified the main subjective factors which mediate psychological well-being of gifted adolescents.