Authenticity
Inhibited, Provoking, Despairing, or Thriving? An Interview with Dr. Sonja Falck on High IQ Relational Styles
Are there specific relationship challenges that stem from having a high IQ? Through her research and consulting work, Dr. Sonja Falck developed a model that suggests three general types of relational struggles for high IQ adults—and one broad way in which bright people can thrive.
Finding Belonging Through Self-Knowledge One Family's Journey Through Profound Giftedness
Foske de Kruijf shares how her family’s journey through profound giftedness catalyzed connections in new communities and deepened her existing friendships.
Creativity as a Collective Activity
For fellowship to be right, there must be organization within diversity; clarity in purpose within the strength of diversity. Then does fellowship lead to order. —I Ching After eight years living abroad in Canada, I returned to my native Poland to establish a high school in Warsaw—a process of creation that ultimately led its […]
Getting Acquainted with a Stranger
From her earliest days as an intense, gifted girl, Benita Jeanelle spent her life trying to be who she was expected to be, and to achieve what she was supposed to achieve—until it caused her very personality to fragment.
Facing the Question of Non/Conformity A Letter from the Editor—and Eleanor Roosevelt—for Issue Four
Many pay lip service to nonconformity, but if you’re really unusual, you’ve probably struggled with the implications of deviating from the norm. How should we balance the costs and benefits of our divergence? In this issue’s introductory letter, Third Factor editor in chief Jessie Mannisto links our authors’ takes on this challenge to Eleanor Roosevelt’s writings on how to be an individual.
Political Iridescence: Courage and Complexity in a Tribal World
We’ve divided the political world into a red team and a blue team. Where does a person belong when she sees not only shimmers of red in the blue and the blue in the red, but oranges, yellows, greens, and purples besides? One thing’s for sure: it will take courage for such a person to find—or keep—a political home.
From Contrarianism to Authenticity Why Our Inner Selves Rebel
It’s easy to tell if you don’t fit in; it’s harder to know what to do about it. In this piece, Leon Garber explores contrarianism, the rejecting of norms just for the sake of rejecting them, and how to move from such rebellion to a truer sort of authentic personality.
Third Factor Reads: This Star Shall Abide by Sylvia Engdahl
For our issue on non/conformity, we have the perfect book to feature: the story of a heretic.