The "Secret" Ingredient for Talent Development: Psychosocial Skills

When we think about young people doing extraordinary things—writing compelling stories, solving complex math problems, leading community organizations, composing original music, building robots—it’s easy to call out their creativity, intellectual spark, or technical mastery. What we don’t always celebrate are the less visible skills and behaviors that make high-level performance possible: the psychosocial (mental, social, executive functioning) skills that help young people persist through difficulty, navigate feedback, organize their ideas, manage emotions, and present themselves as confident, capable learners.

Psychosocial development is not an “extra.” It is a core component of real and lasting talent development. Research in psychology, education, and related fields shows that skills and behaviors like perseverance, emotional regulation, adaptability, and intrinsic motivation are often the differentiators between early potential and long-term achievement. These skills don’t develop accidentally—and are not, as was once thought in some arenas—immutable personality traits; they grow through intentional experiences, teaching, and practice.

Skills and behaviors like perseverance, emotional regulation, adaptability, and intrinsic motivation are often the differentiators between early potential and long-term achievement. These skills don’t develop accidentally; they grow through intentional experiences, teaching, and practice.

This is why, at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD), psychosocial skill-building is deliberately embedded into our course design, instruction, and student experiences. It’s not an add-on—it's a defining characteristic of our programming.

Why Psychosocial Skills, Presented in the Right Context, Matter

In an article on the role of these skills in talent development, psychologist Rena Subotnik argues that while high ability provides the foundation for achievement, psychosocial skills are the levers that move students from ability to competence to expertise and creative impact (Subotnik, 2015). Psychosocial skills “must be actively and deliberately cultivated via programming, counseling, and mentoring” if young people are to reach their goals and excel in domains of interest and strength (Subotnik, 2015, p. 46). 

While there are a variety of skills and behaviors that become critical at different stages of development, several are consistently important, deeply influential, and understood to be malleable:

• Persistence and resilience, which help students manage through challenge and setbacks.
• Motivation to fuel engagement and long-term commitment.
• Coachability and receptivity to feedback, which accelerates learning.
• Confidence, hope, and a mastery orientation shape how students interpret difficulty and see themselves as learners.
• Social skills—like collaboration, communication, and empathy—enable students to thrive in academic communities, creative teams, and real-world environments.

Stoeger et al (2015) argue that these skills must be explicitly taught through structured opportunities that are appropriately challenging (aligned to students’ readiness and ability) and domain specific, which is where many SEL-focused programs implemented in schools fall short for advanced learners.

These insights align closely with CTD’s philosophy and with decades of psychological science demonstrating that talent development is not simply about what students know, but about how they work, think, relate, and grow.

How CTD Integrates Psychosocial Skills Into the Learning Experience

CTD has developed a Framework for Success that identifies categories of psychosocial skills and behaviors essential for talent development—from academic skills and mindsets to strategic learning and domain-specific expertise. These categories serve as the backbone for program design, instructional training, and student evaluation and are part of ongoing conversations and research among the Center staff.

Below are some examples of how this work is defined and what it looks like both in CTD programming and when our staff members are working with schools, families, and students on talent development. 

Academic Behaviors: Getting Work Done

Students practice foundational habits—focus, independence, task persistence—through challenging, inquiry-based activities that directly support deep learning and long-term mastery. CTD’s learning environments are structured to help students build these habits intentionally, not by chance, with the support of educators and peers. 

Academic Mindsets: Beliefs That Power Learning

CTD staff members foster beliefs such as I belong here, my ability grows with effort, and my work has purpose. Research shows that these mindsets positively and significantly affect motivation, engagement, and long-term outcomes, especially for advanced learners encountering challenge for the first time. 

Strategic Learning Skills: Learning How to Learn

Students receive direct support in and tools for goal setting, metacognition, using feedback, and taking smart risks. These skills and practices are critical for the transition from early ability to later expertise, independence, and intrepidness in learning.

Social and Communication Skills: Making Connections

Feedback cycles, collaborative projects, and peer interaction around shared interests and real problems are built into course experiences to strengthen communication, empathy, and the ability to work productively with others—skills that matter in academics, careers, and civic life.

Domain-Specific Skill Development and Identity

As students deepen their work in areas like writing, mathematics, science, engineering, or leadership, they gain exposure to the norms, pathways, tools, and ethical considerations of their domain. Understanding these aspects helps students envision futures in fields where they can lead and contribute meaningfully. They practice thinking and working like a historian, writer, scientist, etc.

Together, these components create a holistic environment where talent is not only recognized—it is nurtured, strengthened, and transformed.

The CTD Difference

Many enrichment programs focus solely on academics—activities that provide acceleration or content exposure. CTD’s approach is more comprehensive. We recognize that young people thrive when they develop the academic, emotional, social, and community-minded skills necessary to pursue learning with confidence and resilience.

This alignment with cutting-edge research is not incidental. It reflects CTD’s legacy of leadership in talent development scholarship and practice established by CTD’s founder Joyce VanTassel-Baska and long-time director Paula Olszewski-Kubilius. Our programs are designed with intention: to cultivate both the skills and the mindsets that help students discover their path and realize their potential.

Next Steps: Winter and Summer Opportunities at CTD

CTD is now enrolling for winter Online and Weekend Enrichment Programs, offering experiences that help students stretch their abilities and strengthen their psychosocial skills in supportive, challenging environments.

Applications are also open for Summer 2026 Residential, Commuter, and Online Programs, where students can delve deeply into advanced content, connect with peers who share their passions, and continue building the skills that support lifelong learning and achievement.

REFERENCES

Stoeger, H., Fleischmann, S., & Obergriesser, S. (2015). Self-regulated learning (SRL) and the gifted learner in primary school: The theoretical basis and empirical findings on a research program dedicated to ensuring that all students learn to regulate their own learning. Asia Pacific Education Review, 16(2), 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-015-9376-7

Subotnik, R. F. (2015). Psychosocial Strength Training: The Missing Piece in Talent Development: The Missing Piece in Talent Development. Gifted Child Today, 38(1), 41-48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217514556530