Wisdom: Definition, Assessment, and Its Relation to Successful Cognitive and Emotional Aging

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Wisdom is bred not in aging per se, but in experiences that encompass perplexing life crises or hardships. By bearing dynamic and unpredictable life affairs, wisdom ultimately grows. East Asian cultures well-known for promoting sagacity and wisdom as societal capital of the elderly for so long have been studied few in current gerontology literature. Moreover, in Korean gerontological society which is one of the leading East Asian societies along with China and Japan, rich history of filial duty for the elderly who have been respected for their wisdom and virtuous value has been depleted in the midst of changing socioeconomic hegemony. Current societal values emphasize short-term gains, personal achievement, individual wealth, status, and appearance rather than long-term inner gain, such as insight and a reduction in self-centeredness that benefits the individual and society at large. The rarity of wisdom, in brief, is due to idealizing it as a virtue only rather than implementing it into our daily lives and might be explained further by society’s emphasis on having rather than being. Having this in mind, and considering the urgency and importance of scientific study on wisdom, this article will give an overview of the definition (both Eastern and Western) and assessment of wisdom in the contemporary literature and describe its relation to successful cognitive and emotional aging.

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