Abstract
Giftedness is usually considered to be a stable personality trait that can be objectively measured and that determines future educational and professional outcomes. This concept of giftedness has been important in the Czech educational environment, influencing educational and parenting practices, the policies of schools and other educational institutions, and also the ways in which students perceive themselves.
The present monograph analyses the limits of this conception of giftedness and proposes a broader framework based on recent research on the development of human potential. Giftedness is approached here not as a personality trait but as the result of reciprocal interactions between individual children, their families and the educational environments that shape the children's outcomes, motivation and preparation.
The book thus attempts to introduce giftedness as a phenomenon that is created or disturbed through the child's relationships with other people. In other words, the ways in which children are perceived in their social environment and subsequently develop appears to be at least as important as their individual potential.