How Do You Picture a Genius? Children’s Images of Outstanding People

The aim of the research is to investigate children’s ideas about outstanding people (geniuses). Three research questions were posed to 38 children aged 8–9 years: How do children imagine a genius? What gender do they identify with a genius? and What are the emotions of the genius they imagine? The research used the projection method, in which the children were asked to draw a genius and to add a description to the drawing. Qualitative analysis was conducted on the results; the codes and categories appearing in the drawings and descriptions were identified. 
The research showed that children envision geniuses as both men and women (women although less frequently); in one case, it was said that a genius is everyone. Most often they were seen as scientists, but athletes, historical figures, characters from fairy tale or advertisements, or ordinary real people were described as well. The characters drawn by the children were mostly positive: attractive, elegant, and active. Only a few features testified to negative emotions accompanying the idea of a genius: being ridiculed, helpless, or disliked. The children’s conceptions of geniuses indicated that they are people (not traits) who stand out from others with their actions, appearance, and achievements and are more likely to be a man. These findings require further investigation, particularly in the context of creating labels and stereotypes about above-average people and the outstanding capabilities of women and men.