It's possible that some of it is normal - lack of fully developed empathy in particular isn't uncommon for kids. I know a lot of normal kids experience that kind of rage-at-the-world too; but in my case intelligence sort of framed it and gave the rage something to be about. It may have magnified it too; I don't know.
I'm fairly convinced that high IQ doesn't, of itself, predispose one to rage or other kinds of crazy. In most cases rage or nihilism that persists into adulthood is due to formative experiences and alienation, regardless of IQ. I believe that having peers around would have limited the issues to not much more than the normal degree of dysfunctional childhood, and perhaps framed whatever 'normal' non-empathy and rage I might have had in terms of something that easily went away when childhood was over.
I do know that there is a much higher proportion of well-adjusted friendly people among the 'normal' population than there is among the severely gifted, and this persists into adulthood. Sad to say, while your local chapter of Mensa probably has many fascinating, brilliant, well-adjusted people, it probably also has about three times as many borderline-crazy assholes per capita as your local bowling league. They may be fascinating and brilliant borderline-crazy assholes, but that doesn't change the facts. I say this, sadly, as a Mensa member.
But as for well-adjusted? Let's put it this way. How many of the people you hung out with in college are dead of suicide or in jail, ten years later? For me the proportion was about 30%. I don't claim this is typical, but it's so far off the norm that it's hard to believe it's just a coincidence.
I'm fairly convinced that high IQ doesn't, of itself, predispose one to rage or other kinds of crazy. In most cases rage or nihilism that persists into adulthood is due to formative experiences and alienation, regardless of IQ. I believe that having peers around would have limited the issues to not much more than the normal degree of dysfunctional childhood, and perhaps framed whatever 'normal' non-empathy and rage I might have had in terms of something that easily went away when childhood was over.
I do know that there is a much higher proportion of well-adjusted friendly people among the 'normal' population than there is among the severely gifted, and this persists into adulthood. Sad to say, while your local chapter of Mensa probably has many fascinating, brilliant, well-adjusted people, it probably also has about three times as many borderline-crazy assholes per capita as your local bowling league. They may be fascinating and brilliant borderline-crazy assholes, but that doesn't change the facts. I say this, sadly, as a Mensa member.
But as for well-adjusted? Let's put it this way. How many of the people you hung out with in college are dead of suicide or in jail, ten years later? For me the proportion was about 30%. I don't claim this is typical, but it's so far off the norm that it's hard to believe it's just a coincidence.