Multipotentiality is an educational and psychological term referring to a pattern found among intellectually gifted individuals.
“Because gifted students generally have diverse interests across numerous domains and may be capable of success in many endeavors or professions, they are confronted with unique decisions as a result of these choices. When encountering multiple opportunities, some students may experience confusion, anxiety and frustration because they fear missing something or making a wrong decision.” -“An Investigation of Multipotentiality Among University Honors Students” Laurie Diane Shute, University of Connecticut (Dissertation)
While there is some dispute as to the degree of prevalence of this phenomenon, it is a significant problem for those who experience it, leading to overscheduling, high stress levels, and impulsive or conformist choices in gifted children, and to feelings of social alienation, purposelessness, apathy and depression in the brightest of adults.
Leonardo da Vinci may be the best historical example of an acknowledged genius who struggled with the difficulties associated with multipotentiality. He failed to complete many of the projects he started, and has been quoted as saying:
“I have wasted my hours”
and
“I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”