[Oz-gifted] Re: oz-gifted Digest, RE: Ability grouping (Kristy)

[Deidree McMaster]

On 28/11/2005, at 1:01 PM, oz-gifted-request at rite.ed.qut.edu.au wrote:

> I have worked as a social educator with the challenge foundation, and 
> with
> my time there working with 30 mentally disabled persons, only 1 of 
> them was
> ever "Brutish".

I think the person who used the word was thinking more along the lines 
of football players who use physical force, not necessarily low IQ:  it 
seems to have more to do with his perceptions of life.

> Conversely, when you do a search on Mean IQ on criminals, you find
> references like the one below. Interestingly, I remember reading a 
> study or
> theory that the mean IQ of prisons was higher than the mean IQ of the
> general public. But i cant find a link to it again as yet.

Interestingly, in Mensa we often get mail from psychiatrists asking for 
entrance requirements for inmates who test highly.  It DOES seem true 
that the higher the intelligence, the more 'difference' is felt, the 
more likely that depression may ensue and the subsequent 
self-medication may lead to anti-social or criminal behaviour.  I think 
it's about time that we started seeing drug and alcohol abuse as health 
problems, rather than punishing them with jail terms.

> Many of the mentally disabled and/ or lower IQ people I know are soft 
> and
> loving and considerate of others, as are many of the High IQ people I 
> know.
> I also know people who are stressed and cant cope, know  fear and bully
> others around, and these too follow a cross section of the community in
> general.

Exactly.

>
> I sincerely hope that our society never gets to the stage where a 
> persons
> possible behavior is ever determined by an IQ score.

It does seem to be true that children who are different are picked on 
at school:  the differences can be minor and barely perceptible to 
outsiders, but the result is that many bright children, without 
adequate emotional support at home or school, may 'dumb down', drop 
out, and become social problems.
I'd say that my life followed that scenario:  and one thing that 
redeemed me was passing the Mensa test: of course, it also depressed 
me:  I felt I'd wasted half my life not reaching my full potential!

Many people think that Mensa is for high achievers:  it's not.  It's an 
international social group, and has a wide mix of people and 
personalities.

Deidree apologising again for being out of order.