Correlates of Wisdom

Although wisdom has always played a prominent role in philosophy and religion, contemporary empirical wisdom research started around 1980, when several research teams tried to determine what wisdom is and how it can be measured. Two different approaches emerged, divided into implicit and explicit theories of wisdom. The implicit approach asked lay people to name characteristics of wise individuals that were then summarized into several dimensions, while the explicit approach referred to experts and classical wisdom texts to define the essential elements of wisdom. Based on these implicit and explicit wisdom theories, several wisdom measures have been developed in the past decades, ranging from measures that assess the cognitive aspects of general wisdom-related knowledge to those that attempt to capture the noncognitive elements of personal wisdom. Not surprisingly, correlates of wisdom vary, depending on what kind and what aspects of wisdom are assessed. Wisdom measures are distinguished on three dimensions: whether the measure assesses general or personal wisdom, whether cognitive or noncognitive aspects of wisdom are emphasized, and whether a rating measure or a standardized scale is used to assess wisdom

Theories of Wisdom and Aging

What is wisdom and does it come with age as many people assume, or is it a relatively rare quality even among the older population? How do people develop wisdom throughout life and what might be its benefits in old age? Empirical evidence suggests that wisdom in old age is positively related to subjective well-being and less fear of death, even in the face of physical disability or the nearing of death (Ardelt, Landes, Gerlach, & Fox, 2013). In fact, it appears that wisdom is most beneficial for subjective well-being under conditions of adversity and stress, when external means to increase well-being are less available (Ardelt, 2005; Ardelt & Edwards, in press). Wisdom tends to provide a sense of mastery and meaning in life that sustains well-being even under adverse circumstances (Etezadi & Pushkar, 2013; Glück & Bluck, 2013). In this chapter, we first provide a brief summary of explicit and implicit wisdom theories. After examining the relation between wisdom and age, we shed light on the contextual life-course approach to address the divergent trajectories of personal wisdom development, with focus on the importance of social support networks and role models. Last, we explore the associations among wisdom and culture, religion/spirituality, and well-being in old age

Pathways to Retirement in Taiwan: Do Ethnicity and Cohort Matter?

Studies about retirement often neglect ethnic identity. This research utilized the “Taiwan Longitudinal Study in Aging” data from 1989 to 1996 when political and social changes in the country occurred to examine the influence of ethnicity (dominant Mainlanders versus Southern Min, Hakka, and various indigenous people) on Taiwanese men’s working status at age 60 and above. We asked three questions: (1) Are Mainlanders more likely to retire earlier than non-Mainlanders? (2) Does working in the public versus the private sector affect the age of retirement and does this differ by ethnicity? (3)What factors determine retirement ages of two cohorts? Using chi-square and t-tests, results of a comparison of two cohorts (n = 1254 and n = 526 for the 1989 and 1996 cohorts, respectively) showed that being a Mainlander, being unmarried, older age, self-reported poor health, and functional limitation were associated with a higher likelihood of earlier retirement. In logistic regression models, public sector work mediated and moderated the effect of ethnicity on the likelihood of earlier retirement only in the older cohort, where Mainlander public sector workers had the greatest likelihood of earlier retirement, indicating that the incentive structure of public pensions contributes to earlier retirement. The results are consistent with cumulative advantage theory. To delay the retirement age for public sector workers, policymakers could reduce public pension incentives

Daughter\u27s Generation: The Importance of Having Daughters Living Nearby for Older Korean Immigrants\u27 Mental Health

With declining adherence to filial piety in East Asian cultures, the closeness of adult daughters rather than sons may become more important for older Asian immigrants’ well-being. With a sample of 177 older Korean immigrants to the United States (age 60+, M = 72, SD = 7.7), we examined how and to what extent having daughters living nearby rather than sons (daughters-in-law) is related to older Asian immigrants’ mental health, moderating the direct relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms. The analyses showed physical proximity of daughters rather than sons (daughters-in-law) functioned as a stress buffer by reducing the direct relation between stressful life events and older immigrants’ depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that gendered cultural expectations of adult children’s caregiving roles for older Korean immigrants are changing, implying that companionship and the perceived quality of instrumental and emotional support might take priority over traditional gendered expectations of filial piety

Conflito trabalho-família, auto eficácia parental e estilos parentais percebidos em pais e mães da cidade de Talca no Chile

The relationship between levels of work-family conflict, parental self-efficacy and perceived parenting styles in a group of 43 school children and both working parents is analyzed, controlling for socio-demographic variables. Also, gender differences are identified in the variables and the relationship between them in relation to the number of children. Three instruments were applied to the sample for measuring the referred variables. A significant and negative relationship is observed between levels of work-family conflict and parental self-efficacy (r = -0.484, P <0.001). The authoritarian parenting style has greater association with self-efficacy (r = 0.301, P = 0.005). A significant and negative relationship between self-efficacy and number of children (r = -0.257, P = 0.017) is reported. Finally, it is concluded that women have greater work-family conflict than men.Se analiza la relación existente entre los niveles de conflicto trabajo-familia, autoeficacia parental y estilos parentales percibidos en un grupo de 43 niños estudiantes y ambos padres trabajadores, controlando las variables sociodemográficas. Así mismo, se identifican las diferencias por género en las variables, y la relación que existe entre ellas con respecto al número de hijos. A la muestra le fueron aplicados tres instrumentos de medición de las variables referidas. Se observa una relación significativa y negativa entre los niveles de conflicto trabajo-familia y la autoeficacia parental (r= -0,484; p<0,001). El estilo parental autoritario presenta mayor asociación con autoeficacia (r=0,301; p=0,005). Se reporta una relación significativa y negativa entre autoeficacia y número de hijos (r=-0,257; p=0,017). Finalmente se reporta que las mujeres presentan mayor conflicto trabajo-familia que los hombres.Analisa-se a relação existente entre os níveis de conflito trabalho-família, auto eficácia parental e estilos parentais percebidos em um grupo de 43 crianças estudantes de pais trabalhadores, controlando as variáveis sociodemográficas. Assim mesmo, identificam-se as diferenças por gênero nas variáveis, e a relação que existe entre elas com respeito ao número de filhos. Foram aplicados à mostra três instrumentos de medição das variáveis referidas. Observa-se uma relação significativa e negativa entre os níveis de conflito trabalho-família e a auto eficácia parental (r= -0,484; p<0,001). O estilo parental autoritário apresenta maior associação com autoeficácia (r=0,301; p=0,005). Reporta-se uma relação significativa e negativa entre autoeficácia e número de filhos (r=-0,257; p=0,017). Finalmente reporta-se que as mulheres apresentam maior conflito trabalho-família que os homens

Self-Reported Wisdom and Happiness: An Empirical Investigation

Possible tensions between wisdom and happiness have been extensively debated in philosophy. Some regard wisdom as the 'supreme part of happiness', whereas other think that a more accurate and wiser view on reality might reduce happiness. Analyzing a Dutch internet survey of 7037 respondents, we discovered that wisdom and happiness were modestly positively related. Wisdom, measured with the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS), explained 9.2% of the variation in hedonic happiness. The correlation with the reflective dimension of wisdom was the strongest. In addition, wisdom was more important for happiness among adults with only an elementary education. Our results suggest that happiness and wisdom do not conflict