The Concept of Wisdom: A Cross-cultural Comparison

doi:10.1080/002075900399475

Paper

The Concept of Wisdom: A Cross-cultural Comparison

Published Feb 1, 2000 · Masami Takahashi, P. Bordia

International Journal of Psychology

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126

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3

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Abstract

To examine the meaning of wisdom cross-culturally, American, Australian, Indian, and Japanese samples judged the similarity of seven personality descriptors: “aged,” “awakened,” “discreet,” “experienced,” “intuitive,” “knowledgeable,” and “wise.” Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis revealed different clustering patterns for the Western (American and Australian) and the Eastern (Indian and Japanese) samples. For the Westerners, “wise” was clustered with “experienced” and “knowledgeable,” whereas the Easterners associated “wise” with “discreet.” Further, the Western samples selected “wise” and “knowledgeable” as the favourable descriptors for an ideal self whereas mixed results were obtained from the Eastern samples. The results suggest that the conceptualization of wisdom in the West differs from that in the East, with the former emphasizing the cognitive dimension and the latter stressing the cognitive and the affective dimensions. Cette etude interculturelle du concept de sagesse compare des echantil...

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Study Snapshot

Key takeawayThe concept of wisdom varies across cultures, with the West emphasizing cognitive dimensions and the East stressing cognitive and affective dimensions.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

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Citations

Deconstructing wisdom through a cultural lens: Folk understandings of wisdom and its ontology in the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Epistemic themes are common in both Philippines and Sri Lanka, but more prevalent in Filipino participants when defining wisdom in general terms.

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Journalists treated the ages of Mahathir Mohamad and Syed Saddiq cautiously in Malaysian elections, supporting the journalistic objectivity norm and avoiding ageism.

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Wisdom positively impacts cross-cultural adaptation of Chinese visiting scholars in Canada, with proactive-reflective coping being a key factor in promoting positive psychological adaptation.

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Procedural fairness and police-initiated contacts significantly influence citizens' perception of police legitimacy in Ghana, with an interactive effect on legitimacy.

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Wisdom is developed by inculcating healthy personality traits like openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, humility, forgiveness, ego transcendence, gratitude, hope, playfulness, humor, kindness, curiosity, judgment, and perspective-taking abilities.

Iranians’ Understanding of Wisdom: The Role of Ethnicity, Gender, Age and Education

Iranians' understanding of wisdom varies by ethnicity and academic status, with Kurds and Turks emphasizing civilization, Lurs and Arabs highlighting spirituality, and higher academic status emphasizing intellectuality, civilization, and performance.

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