Tales gifted children tell: Exploring PTAT responses as pathways to socio-affective concerns

The Philippine Thematic Apperception Test was administered to 22 intellectually superior Filipino children aged 4 to 9 years from private and public school settings as a means to explore their socio-emotional concerns. A grounded analysis of their narratives revealed the following themes: (a) importance of family relationships, (b) perceptions on school and intelligence, (c) predominant characterization of heroes, (d) peer relationships, and (e) concerns related to God and spirituality. Significant differences in the narratives of the public and private school children are also examined. The implications of using projective measures as a window to gifted children's socio-affective concerns are discussed.