Premium
Wisdom and Psychosocial Functioning in Later Life
Author(s) -
Wink Paul,
Staudinger Ursula M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/jopy.12160
Subject(s) - psychology , generativity , agreeableness , personality , developmental psychology , conscientiousness , social psychology , big five personality traits , context (archaeology) , neuroticism , personality development , life satisfaction , extraversion and introversion , paleontology , biology
We investigated the connection between wisdom‐related performance, personality, and generativity to further the understanding of how they are interrelated. Our sample consisted of 163 men and women 68–77 years of age, mostly White, and predominantly middle class. Wisdom was assessed with the performance‐based B erlin W isdom P aradigm, with the remaining measures being mostly self‐report. As hypothesized, on the zero‐order level, wisdom‐related performance ( WRP ) was positively associated with (a) growth , a personality component indexed by O penness to E xperience, psychological mindedness, and a sense of well‐being derived from growth, purpose in life, and autonomy; (b) adjustment , a personality component associated with life satisfaction, high levels of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, low Neuroticism, a sense of well‐being derived from positive relations with others, self‐acceptance, and environmental mastery; and (c) a generative concern for the welfare of others. Latent path analysis indicated that the bivariate associations between adjustment and wisdom and between generativity and wisdom were mediated by growth. Wise individuals are characterized by their ability to balance different personal strengths and interests, an integration that occurs, however, within the context of a dominant personality style marked by the pursuit of maturity through personal growth.