Many gifted adults seem to know very little about their minds and how they differ from more "ordinary" minds. The result of this lack of self-knowledge is often low, sometimes cripplingly low self esteem. Most have never been formally identified as gifted, and even those who have may disbelieve the identification or have difficulty incorporating it into their sense of themselves.

Though women are particularly hard-pressed in our culture to recognize and fully utilize unusual intelligence, uncertainty about gifts can affect both males and females, especially those who are not recognized as intellectual achievers. Strangely, even among men and women who are recognized achievers, the "impostor-syndrome" is widely reported. These people go along routinely doing what few others can do, all the while dreading the moment when the world will find them out and discover that they are the fakes they believe themselves to be.

This article reveals a bounty of information.

* Gifted people tend toward low self-esteem because they have no idea they are gifted, and assume others are just incompetent.
* Gifted people tend to like to live with other gifted people, because non-gifted people don't understand them. Formation of a caste system follows.
* Non-gifted people tend to hate gifted people and do whatever they can to sabotage their self-esteem, because non-gifted people feel left behind.

If you substitute "above average IQ" for "gifted," this article provides a rational insight into the failings of democracy, capitalism, liberalism and Christianity.