The study aimed to determine the level of cognitive dissonance and social adaptation among middle school students, and to identify the nature of the relationship between cognitive dissonance and social adaptation and the differences between ordinary and gifted people in cognitive dissonance and social adaptation, as well as according to gender (males and females), and academic grade. The study was conducted on a sample of (176) students, including (120) ordinary students and (56) gifted students, were given a measure of cognitive dissonance and social adaptation, and the descriptive approach was used. The results of the study revealed a convergence in the level of cognitive dissonance among the ordinary and gifted students, as the level ranged between low and medium in both groups. There was a convergence in the level of social adaptation among the ordinary and the gifted in most dimensions and the total score, where the level ranged between low and medium in the two groups, except for the emotional adaptation dimension, which was moderate among the ordinary and high among the gifted, and the presence of a positive relationship between cognitive dissonance and social adaptation among the ordinary in most dimensions. While the relationship was not significant in most dimensions for ordinary people, with the exception of the emotional adjustment dimension, it was significant with the area of ​​social and personal cognitive dissonance and the total score, and there were differences between the normal and gifted people in the field of learning and the total score of cognitive dissonance in the direction of the gifted, and there were no differences between students in cognitive dissonance. According to the academic grade, except for the personal field, there are differences between males and females in the field of learning only in the direction of the males, and there are significant differences between the gifted and the ordinary in social adaptation (dimensions and total score) in the direction of the ordinary, and there are no differences between students in social adaptation according to the grade in Dimensions of social adaptation and the total score. There were significant differences in the dimension of emotional adaptation only towards females. It was possible to predict social adaptation through the dimensions of cognitive dissonance and the total score. Through the results, a number of recommendations and proposed research were presented.

Keywords: Cognitive Dissonance, Social Adaptation, Gifted People, Middle School.