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9 - The Distinction between Personal and General Wisdom

How Far Have We Come?

from Part II - Conceptions of Wisdom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2019

By
Ursula M. Staudinger
Edited by
Robert J. Sternberg  and
Judith Glück
Robert J. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Judith Glück
Affiliation:
Universität Klagenfurt, Austria
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Summary

The distinction between general and personal wisdom is a recent one in the scientific study of wisdom, and has already garnered a lot of interest since its introduction. This interest has created some terminological confusion which the present chapter aims to resolve. For instance, personal wisdom does not highlight that there is a link between wisdom and personality, nor does it highlight the fact that personal experiences contribute to wisdom. Neither is it in contrast to general wisdom lacking a self-transcending component, nor does it denote the fact that wise insights belong to or are unique to the person who had them. The distinction between general and personal wisdom is a meta-conception rather than a conception. It can be applied to extant wisdom conceptions. Distinguishing personal from general wisdom highlights the fact that wisdom-related thinking and judgment about personal life dilemmas follows different rules and constraints than wise thinking and judgment about general life dilemmas. Research from social-cognitive psychology is summarized that supports the differences between the processes required by personal as compared to general wisdom.
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Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom , pp. 182 - 201
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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