Description
Research and theory in adult development offers ideas about emotional maturity and cognitive development in adult life as well as operational definitions and methods that might provide clarity and rigor in work on wisdom. The study of human development offers a scaffold for understanding the emergence of wisdom, or the “process” that includes several lines of development, which may begin in childhood but which flower in adult life. This handbook brings together researchers from across the globe to examine theory and research about wisdom, especially as it relates to current ideas about adult development. Each chapter reviews both what has been accomplished in recent years and puts forward several perspectives, new and old, about the definition of wisdom, how it is understood across cultures, and how it can be integrated into the broader field of adult development.Section 1 introduces the work contained in the volume and undertakes an historical view of how periods, levels, and stages of life have been conceptualized over time. Section 2 reviews paradigms, theories, and models, including the intersection of environment and genes, the development of emotional maturity, generative learning, and the importance of radical ambiguity in adult life. Section 3 suggests a taxonomy of wisdom and reviews eastern versus western cultural differences, wisdom across the lifespan, and the literature on wise leadership. Finally, the volume editors bring together the various threads, highlighting intersections, and suggesting ways to find consonance across ideas and approaches. In each chapter, the authors point out the strengths and weaknesses in theory and research, while also making suggestions for future research. Chapter 13 of this work is available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International open access licence. This part of the work is free to read on Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction, by Judith Stevens-LongChapter 2. Positive Adult Development and Wisdom, by Judith Stevens-Long and Abigail LynamChapter 3. The Model of Hierarchical Complexity: Implications for Understanding Wisdom, by Sofia Ribeirinho Leite, Michael Lamport Commons, Patrice Marie Miller, and António Ramos SilvaChapter 4. Becoming Wise: A Developmental Control Model of Wisdom, by Andreas DemetriouChapter 5. Wisdom, Complexity, and Transcendence: A Developmental Frame, by Tom MurrayChapter 6. Wise and Shine: A Framework for Adult Development Within and Across Dimensions of Wisdom, by Eric H. KesslerChapter 7. Types of Wisdom, by Rasool KordnoghabiChapter 8. Positive Personality Development, Wisdom, and Spirituality in Young Adulthood, by Monika Ardelt, Hunhui Oh, and Orli ZaprirChapter 9. Wisdom: Learning to Understand the World as It Is with Humility and Flexibility, by Chao S. Hu and Zhe FengChapter 10. Self-Refinement in the Hindu Tradition, by Girishwar Misra and Shivantika SharadChapter 11. The Development of Wise Decision-Making Across Adulthood: The View from Intersubjectivity, by Michael F. MascoloChapter 12. Gandhi's Personal Transformation through Experiments with Truth, by Michel Ferrari, Juensung Kim, Kiana Habibagahi, Kevin Tang, and Divya SharmaChapter 13. "Critical Thinking Approach" as a Neo-Socratic Dialogue, a Way to Wisdom and Inner Development? by Anu S. Virtanen and Eeva K. KallioChapter 14. Wisdom and Compassion at Work and Beyond, by Jenni Spännäri, Monika Ardelt, Miia Paakkanen, and Bhavna SharmaChapter 15. Organizational and Managerial Wisdom: When the World Gets Wicked, Get Wise, by Steven PageChapter 16. Questions and Remarks of Adult Development and Wisdom Research: Summary and Critique, by Judith Stevens-Long and Eeva K. Kallio
