Abstract

This study examined the contextual background of wisdom. Two hundred and ninety adults from ages 17 to 90 were administered a two-part Wisdom Questionnaire. The subjects were asked to rate the degree to which they believed selected decisions and behaviors involved wisdom, intelligence, seriousness, compassion, and difficulty. Means for the items in Section II ranged from 6.59 to 2.49 on a 7 point scale. The most distinct factors emerging from a factor analysis were Health and Safety, Complex Problem-Solving, Mundane Decisions, and Life Planning. A moderate amount of variance was accounted for in multiple regression analyses. Results from analyses of vignettes were less clear and did not confirm Section II results. Vignettes with consequences were rated significantly higher than those without consequences. In general, older and female subjects responded with higher Wisdom ratings. Comparison with previous wisdom research, problems with the current study, and suggestions for future research are discussed