Wisdom: Its Nature, Origins, and Development

Front Cover
Robert J. Sternberg
Cambridge University Press, Apr 27, 1990 - Philosophy - 339 pages
Wisdom is such an elusive psychological construct that few people have considered it a viable field, though many are fascinated by the topic. Well-known psychologist Robert J. Sternberg of Yale University, perceiving the growth of interest in wisdom as a field, saw a need to document the progress that has been made in the field since the early '80s and to point the way for future theory and research. The resulting comprehensive and authoritative book, Wisdom: Its Nature, Origins and Development, is a well-rounded collection of psychological views on wisdom. It introduces this concept of wisdom, considers philosophical issues and developmental approaches, and covers as well folk conceptions of the topic. In the final section, Professor Sternberg provides an integration of the fascinating and comprehensive material.
 

Contents

Understanding wisdom
3
Wisdom through the ages
13
The psychology of wisdom an evolutionary interpretation
25
Wisdom as integrated thought historical and developmental perspectives
52
Toward a psychology of wisdom and its ontogenesis
87
Wisdom in a postapocalyptic age
121
Wisdom and its relations to intelligence and creativity
142
The study of wise persons integrating a personality perspective
160
Wisdom and Reflective Judgment knowing in the face of uncertainty
212
Wisdom the art of problem finding
230
An essay on wisdom toward organismic processes that make it possible
244
Conceptualizing wisdom the primacy of affect cognition relations
279
The elements of wisdom overview and integration
317
Name index
333
Subject index
337
Copyright

The loss of wisdom
181

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