Improving Aggression Regulation in Highly Gifted Underachievers: An Evaluation Study Based on a Mixed Methods Design

Abstract

Background: Gifted adolescents suffering from severe intellectual inhibition may generally not be helped by pedagogical means alone. This special blockade results from a deep disturbance of the affective and pulsional functioning and can be treated by music psychotherapy in individual sessions, combined with psycho-pedagogical applications of music therapy in group sessions. Methods: The integrated treatment programme was evaluated by means of a prospective longitudinal study, using a mixed research methodology that combined a psychometric scale, a projective test, and an observational frame for the music therapeutic sessions. Two clinical subgroups of students treated by the above described psychotherapeutic approach (N = 20 + 23) were compared with a control group (N = 43) of students who received only traditional pedagogical measures. Results: The changes induced in the two clinical subgroups on emotional and conduct variables point to a better integration and elaboration of aggressive drives leading to an increase in creativity and intrinsic motivation. There were also positive changes in school results. On variables linked to aggressivity, the control group partially evolved in an opposite direction. Discussion: The observed changes are discussed at the light of structural psychopathology. As to the chosen research methodology, a person-centred approach, combined with a quasi-experimental design, is liable to meet Wampold’s conclusions on psychotherapy research. Conclusions: The outcome of the study stresses the opportunity to offer music psychotherapy to highly gifted underachievers as a means of tertiary prevention.