Robert J. Sternberg

Ann S. Masten

Laura S. Abrams

Willem E. Frankenhuis

Bruce J. Ellis

Nim Tottenham

Children growing up in harsh environments may develop intact, or even enhanced, skills for solving problems in high‐adversity contexts (i.e., 'hidden talents'). Summarizing theory and research on hidden talents, this Element proposes that stress-adapted skills represent a form of adaptive intelligence enabling individuals to function within the constraints of harsh environments. It discusses the alignment of the hidden talents model with current knowledge about brain development following early adversity; examine potential applications of this perspective to multiple sectors concerned with youth from harsh environments, including education, social services, and juvenile justice; and compare the hidden talents model with contemporary developmental resilience models. It concludes that the hidden talents approach offers exciting new directions for research on developmental adaptations to adversity, with translational implications for leveraging stress-adapted skills to more effectively tailor education, jobs, and interventions to fit the needs and potentials of individuals from a diverse range of life circumstances.

Implications for Science, Policy, and Practice

The Hidden Talents Framework

Ellen Grünewald

Researching the Self originated in a conference held at the University of Amsterdam in 2005, where scholars from various academic backgrounds presented their current theories and research. One central theme that emerged from the conference is the need for interdisciplinarity in the study of self. The present volume tries to meet this need, as it covers fields as diverse as psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy, sociology, and computer science. Additionally, the authors have contributed interdisciplinary reflections, in which they contemplate the other contributions to the present volume, and consider integrating this work with their own. â [What are the neural correlates of self? â [Can individuals have multiple selves? â [How do selves depend on other people? â [Will engineers ever construct artificial selves? â [What is the problem of self we are trying to solve? â [What does the future hold for the self? â [Do selves really exist? â oeAs I read the other entries in the current volume I was struck by the implications that the many different perspectives on the self had for each otherâ (Gillihan, this volume). â oeWe must continue to keep in mind what we know, what we donâ (TM)t know, and what we only think we know in order to successfully conquer this interdisciplinary problem of the selfâ (Gorman and Keenan, this volume).

Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Researching the Self

Researching the Self originated in a conference held at the University of Amsterdam in 2005, where scholars from various academic backgrounds presented their current theories and research. One central theme that emerged from the conference is the need for interdisciplinarity in the study of self. The present volume tries to meet this need, as it covers fields as diverse as psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy, sociology, and computer science. Additionally, the authors have contributed interdisciplinary reflections, in which they contemplate the other contributions to the present volume, and consider integrating this work with their own. •What are the neural correlates of self? •Can individuals have multiple selves? •How do selves depend on other people? •Will engineers ever construct artificial selves? •What is the problem of self we are trying to solve? •What does the future hold for the self? •Do selves really exist? “As I read the other entries in the current volume I was struck by the implications that the many different perspectives on the self had for each other” (Gillihan, this volume). “We must continue to keep in mind what we know, what we don’t know, and what we only think we know in order to successfully conquer this interdisciplinary problem of the self” (Gorman and Keenan, this volume).

Willem E. Frankenhuis

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