Posted on 05/31/2021
2 min read
The gifted, those people with an IQ greater than 130, constitute a small part of the population. However, many adults in search of identity or parents struggling to put a word on their child’s behavior are ready to believe, sometimes at all costs, that they are “zebras”. Sensing the right vein, many shrinks, coaches or even youtubers have positioned themselves in the niche. Attention danger.
“Zebra test. Find out if you are gifted”. These links supposed to help people wanting to know if they belong to the category of high potential abound on the Web. Unreliable and often misleading, these online questionnaires do not replace a diagnosis made by a professional in office. So, faced with the questions of an ever-increasing public, often eager to put a word on a malaise, many psychologists have embarked on the niche, sometimes only baited by the greed.
This is the case with Michelle. “I got into this because I knew there was money to be made”, explains the psychologist, interviewed as part ofa survey by L’Express. According to her, consultations to know his neuroatypicity (or not), exploded during the second confinement. A connection with the series “HPI” of TFI where the actress Audrey Fleurot plays a woman with an ultra muscular IQ? May be. Still, according to the revelations of the current weekly, this new vein is a juicy “business”, sometimes bordering on “charlatanism”.
All gifted?
The high potential fascinates as much as it raises questions. However, it is only reserved for a small part of the population: 2.3% (or about 1.5 million people in France). Many books on the subject have been published. One of the best known, “Too smart to be happy?” by psychologist and author Jeanne Siaud-Facchin has sold 240,000 copies. Beyond the IQ number, we discover psychological traits such as hypersensitivity, emotionality or affective receptivity. Qualities broad enough for many of us to identify with. However, self-diagnosis from a book, an online test or a Facebook group is not sufficient: only the clinical examination (WISC for children, WAIS for adults) is mandatory.
Consult a therapist online
Between 200 and 600 euros per test
Many psychologists choose to add this specialty to their skill. According to the Express, 16% of them on the Doctolib site offer the exam. And there, where a consultation varies between 70 and 110 euros, it is much more for an IQ test: between 200 and 600 euros. Many coaches or self-proclaimed specialists on the networks, without a diploma, also offer a diagnosis. Pseudo-experts to flee.
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