Abstract
A self-report Adjective Check List (ACL) Practical Wisdom Scale (PWS) and external ratings of Transcendent Wisdom (TWR), based on subjects' examples of personally important wisdom, were used to study the personality correlates and life implications of two types of wisdom among participants in their 50s in a longitudinal study of women. High scorers on both the PWS and the TWR were cognitively complex, perceptive, insightful, and healthily self-directed. Only the PWS was associated with social initiative and leadership, empathy, and generativity. Only the TWR correlated with openness to experience, intuition, and creativity. ACL data from young adulthood were used to show that both the women and their spouses increased on the PWS from early to mature adulthood. For women, we demonstrated how occupation (psychotherapy) and traumatic life events (divorce) contributed to these agerelated gains.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbaum, W. A., & Orwoll, L. (1991). Becoming wise: A psycho-gerontological interpretation of the Book of Job.International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 32, 21–39.
Assmann, A. (1994). Wholesome knowledge: Concepts of wisdom in a historical and cross-cultural perspective. In D. L. Featherman, R. M. Lerner, & M. Perlmutter (Eds.)Life-span development and behavior (Vol. 12, pp. 188–224). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Baltes, P. B., & Smith, J. (1990). Toward a psychology of wisdom and its ontogenesis. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.),Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development (pp. 87–120). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Baltes, P. B., Smith, J., & Staudinger, U. M. (1992). Wisdom and successful aging. In T. Sonderegger (Ed.),Nebraska symposium on motivation (Vol. 39, pp. 123–167). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Baltes, P. B., & Staudinger, U. M. (1993). The search for psychology of wisdom.Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2, 75–80.
Baltes, P. B., Staudinger, U. M., Maercker, A., & Smith, J. (1995). People nominated as wise: A comparative study of wisdom-related knowledge.Psychology and Aging, 10, 155–166.
Basseches, M. A. (1984). Dialectical thinking as a metasystemic form of cognitive organization. In M. L. Commons, F. A. Richards, & C. Armon (Eds.),Beyond formal operations (pp. 216–238). New York: Praeger.
Birren, J. E., & Fisher, L. M. (1990). The elements of wisdom: Overview and integration. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.),Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development (pp. 317–332). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Block, J. (1978).The Q-sort method in personality assessment and psychiatric research. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Bursik, K. (1991). Adaptation to divorce and ego development in adult women.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 300–306.
Clayton, V. P., & Birren, J. E. (1980). The development of wisdom across the life span: A reexamination of an ancient topic. In P. B. Baltes & O. G. Brim, Jr. (Eds.),Life-span development and behavior (Vol. 3, pp. 103–135). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Erikson, E. H. (1968).Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: W. W. Norton.
Gough, H. G. (1987).California Psychological Inventory administrator's guide. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Gough, H. G. (1992). Assessment of creative potential in psychology and the development of a creative temperament scale for the CPI. In J. C. Rosen & P. McReynolds (Eds.),Advances in psychological assessment (Vol. 8, pp. 225–257). New York Plenum Press.
Gough, H. G., & Heilbrun, A. B. (1983).The Adjective Check List manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Grimm, J., & Grimm, W. (1984).Deutsches Worterbuch. Munich, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag. (Original work published 1854).
Habermas, J. (1971).Knowledge and human interests. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Heckhausen, J., Dixon, R., & Baltes, P. B. (1989). Gains and losses in development throughout adulthood as perceived by different adult age groups.Developmental Psychology, 25, 109–121.
Helson, R. (1967). Personality characteristics and developmental history of creative college women.Genetic Psychology Monographs, 76, 205–256.
Helson, R., Elliott, T., & Leigh, J. (1989). Adolescent personality and women's work patterns. In D. Stern & D. Eichorn (Eds.),Adolescence and work: Influences of social structure, labor markets, and culture (pp. 259–289). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Helson, R., & Roberts, B. W. (1994). Ego development and personality change in adulthood.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 911–920.
Helson, R., Roberts, B. W., & Agronick, G. (1995). Enduringness and change in creative personality and the prediction of occupational creativity.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 1173–1183.
Helson, R., & Wink, P. (1987). Two conceptions of maturity examined in the findings of a longitudinal study.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 531–541.
Holliday, S. G., & Chandler, M. J. (1986).Wisdom: Explorations in adult competence. Basel, Switzerland: Karger.
Jung, C. G. (1965). The relations between the ego and the unconscious. In H. Read, M. Fordham, & G. Adler (Eds.),Collected works (Vol. 7, pp. 173–241). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1935)
Karp, D. A. (1988). A decade of reminders: Age consciousness between fifty and sixty years old.The Gerontologist, 6, 727–738.
Kitchener, K. S., & Brenner, H. G. (1990) Wisdom and reflective judgment: Knowing in the face of uncertainty. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.),Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development (pp. 212–229). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kitchener, K. S., King, P. M., Wood, P. K., & Davison, M. L. (1989). Consistency and sequentiality in the development of reflective judgment: A six year longitudinal study.Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 10, 73–95.
Kohlberg, L. (1981).The philosophy of moral development. Ne York: Harper & Row.
Kohut, H. (1966). Forms and transformations of narcissism.Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 14, 243–272
Kohut, H. (1977).The restoration of the self. New York: International Universities Press.
Kramer, D. A. (1990). Conceptualizing wisdom: The primary of affect-cognition relations. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.),Wisdom Its nature, origins, and development (pp. 279–313). New York Cambridge University Press.
Labouvie-Vief, G. (1990). Wisdom as integrated thought: Histori cal and developmental perspectives. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.)Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development (pp. 52–83). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Labouvie-Vief, G., DeVoe, M., & Bulka, D. (1989). Speaking about feelings: Conceptions of emotion across the life spanPsychology and Aging, 4, 425–437.
Loevinger, J. (1976).Ego development: Conception and theory. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Loevinger, J., & Wessler, R. (1970).Measuring ego development (Vol. 1). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Loevinger, J., Wessler, R., & Redmore, C. (1979).Measuring ego development (Vol. 2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Marrott, G. (1981).The nature of insight: A conceptual and empirical exploration of the insightful person. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.
Martindale, C. (1990).The clockwork muse. New York: Basic Books.
Myers, I. B. (1962).Myers-Briggs Type Indicator manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Myers, I. B., & McCaully, M. H. (1985).Myers-Briggs Type Indicator manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Neugarten, B. L. (1969). Continuities and discontinuities of psychological issues in adult life.Human Development, 12, 121–130.
Orwoll, L., & Perlmutter, M. (1990). The study of wise persons: Integrating a personality perspective. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.),Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development (pp. 160–177). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Peterson, B. E., & Klohnen, E. C. (1995). Realization of generativity in two samples of women at midlife.Psychology and Aging, 10, 20–29.
Picano, J. (1984).Ego development and adaptation in middle-aged women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation California School of Professional Psychology, Berkeley.
Roberts, B. W. (in press). Plaster or plasticity: Are work experiences associated with personality change in women?Journal of Personality.
Schaie, K. W. (1977–1978). Toward a stage theory of adult cognitive development,International Journal of Aging and Adult Development, 8, 129–138.
Smith, J., Staudinger, U. M., & Baltes, P. B. (1994). Occupational settings facilitating wisdom-related knowledge: The sample case of clinical psychologists.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 989–999.
Staudinger, U. M., Smith, J., & Baltes, P. B. (1992). Wisdom-related knowledge in a life-review task: Age differences and the role of professional specialization.Psychology and Aging, 7, 271–281.
Sternberg, R. (1986). Implicit theories of intelligence, creativity, and wisdom.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 607–627.
Sternberg, R. J. (1988).The nature of creativity: Contemporary psychological perspectives. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sternberg, R. J. (1990). Wisdom and its relations to intelligence and creativity. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.),Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development (pp. 142–159). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Taranto, M. A. (1989). Facets of wisdom: A theoretical synthesis.International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 29, 1–21.
Wink, P. (1991). Self- and object-directedness in adult women.Journal of Personality, 56, 769–791.
Wink, P. (1992). Three narcissism scales for the California Q-set.Journal of Personality Assessment, 58, 51–66.
Wink, P., & Gough, H. G. (1990). New narcissism scales for the California Psychological Inventory and MMPI.Journal of Personality Assessment, 54, 446–462.
Wink, P., & Helson, R. (1993). Personality change in women and their partners.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 597–605.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wink, P., Helson, R. Practical and transcendent wisdom: Their nature and some longitudinal findings. J Adult Dev 4, 1–15 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02511845
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02511845