The study of wisdom
Uploaded by professorzo on Mar 10, 2014
Wisdom: Article Analyses #2
Perhaps there is not any subject of considerable interest to psychologists than the study of wisdom, for the reality of wisdom expands continents, politics, cultures, and even intellectual abilities (Kramer, 2000). Since the beginning of human evolution, philosophers, poets, and artists have attempted to define wisdom. In the article, wisdom as a classical source of human strength: conceptualization and empirical inquiry, Kramer’s (2000) basic hypothesis is that he can predict wisdom by observing people who exhibit an openness to experience, think dialectically, demonstrate compassion, acknowledge life’s limitations, and discover meaning. Wisdom can be defined as a rational, emotional, and behavioral understanding of human affairs and the capacity to work out life’s uncertainties. While researchers have consistently failed to define wisdom objectively, there is a fundamental consensus that wisdom requires cognitive introspection and intuitive understanding of human nature. Thus, wisdom is an understanding of complex human dilemmas, whereby one can make sense out of subjective experience.
Kramer (2000) points out how people must not only look out for their own self-interest, but also for the interest of others. When human values, beliefs, and goals conflict, a wise person must have the understanding to resolve those differences, and therefore transcend their own preconceived notions. Furthermore, studies have shown that wise people do not subject themselves to social norms, for they define their own identity and challenge the status quo (Kramer, 2000; 86). One of the reasons for this is that the wise tend to understand the weaknesses of human nature and how money, power, and prestige can influence even the most noblest of people.
One of the most relevant studies in this article is the Max Plank study. The Max Plank study essentially consisted of seven main findings, but the most compelling study measures wisdom by assessing clinical psychologists, volunteers, and other research participants’ ability to think-aloud on issues of goal setting and life reflection (Kramer, 2000; 89). The study consisted of 12 total trained and untrained participants in which they are to rate life planning and life review response (using a variety of test such as the five wisdom criteria) to measure wisdom. The findings suggest (Kramer, 2000) that—those who made global wisdom judgments, tended to be highly associated with ratings by the trained raters on the five wisdom criteria. This information is significant in that it lends support for Kramer’s (2000) hypothesis that those who are open to...