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A Handbook of Wisdom: Psychological Perspectives
At a time when poor choices are being made by notably intelligent and powerful individuals, this book analyzes a form of reasoning and decision-making that is not only productive and prudent, but serves as well a beneficial purpose for society. A Handbook of Wisdom includes contributions from some of the most prominent scholars in the field of wisdom research. Written from multiple perspectives, including psychology, philosophy, and religion, this book gives the reader an in-depth understanding of wisdom's past, present, and possible future direction within literature, science, and society.
- GenresPsychologyPhilosophy
406 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Robert J. Sternberg
309 books189 followersRobert J. Sternberg's spectacular research career in psychology had a rather inauspicious beginning. In elementary school he performed poorly on IQ tests, and his teachers' actions conveyed their low expectations for his future progress. Everything changed when his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Alexa, saw that he had potential and challenged him to do better. With her encouragement, he became a high-achieving student, eventually graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University. In a gesture of gratitude, Dr. Sternberg dedicated his book, Successful Intelligence to Mrs. Alexa.
Dr. Sternberg's personal experiences with intelligence testing in elementary school lead him to create his own intelligence test for a 7 th grade science project. He happened to find the Stanford-Binet scales in the local library, and with unintentional impertinence, began administering the test to his classmates; his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities (STOMA) appeared shortly thereafter. In subsequent years he distinguished himself in many domains of psychology, having published influential theories relating to intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, love and hate.
Dr. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of (Successful) Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular sociocultural contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information. Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting. To be successful in life the individual must make the best use of his or her analytical, creative and practical strengths, while at the same time compensating for weaknesses in any of these areas. This might involve working on improving weak areas to become better adapted to the needs of a particular environment, or choosing to work in an environment that values the individual's particular strengths. For example, a person with highly developed analytical and practical abilities, but with less well-developed creative abilities, might choose to work in a field that values technical expertise but does not require a great deal of imaginative thinking. Conversely, if the chosen career does value creative abilities, the individual can use his or her analytical strengths to come up with strategies for improving this weakness. Thus, a central feature of the triarchic theory of successful intelligence is adaptability-both within the individual and within the individual's sociocultural context.
Dr. Sternberg's personal experiences with intelligence testing in elementary school lead him to create his own intelligence test for a 7 th grade science project. He happened to find the Stanford-Binet scales in the local library, and with unintentional impertinence, began administering the test to his classmates; his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities (STOMA) appeared shortly thereafter. In subsequent years he distinguished himself in many domains of psychology, having published influential theories relating to intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, love and hate.
Dr. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of (Successful) Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular sociocultural contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information. Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting. To be successful in life the individual must make the best use of his or her analytical, creative and practical strengths, while at the same time compensating for weaknesses in any of these areas. This might involve working on improving weak areas to become better adapted to the needs of a particular environment, or choosing to work in an environment that values the individual's particular strengths. For example, a person with highly developed analytical and practical abilities, but with less well-developed creative abilities, might choose to work in a field that values technical expertise but does not require a great deal of imaginative thinking. Conversely, if the chosen career does value creative abilities, the individual can use his or her analytical strengths to come up with strategies for improving this weakness. Thus, a central feature of the triarchic theory of successful intelligence is adaptability-both within the individual and within the individual's sociocultural context.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 7, 2022
Having read a book by Robert J. Stenberg before I was hesitant to wander into the complexities of wisdom with him once more, but as a Handbook there were many more contributors and they all were a joy to read. This really is one of the most comprehensive updates on where the status quo in the research into wisdom was at the time of writing the book in 2005.
We get a lot of different perspectives on wisdom and look into the research that is done from many perspectives. There is maybe a tad of repetition as most of the chapters reiterate the studies and the definitions of wisdom, but in a sense, this repetition is welcome because in the end one really feels a kind of mastery of it all-knowing about all these studies. It also makes all the chapters stand on their own feet which is great if you want to look only at one of the aspects of wisdom.
Yes, the book is a bit "heavy" at times but also very well researched and a product of a lot of work by the authors. I'm impressed after reading it, and I wish there was a more updated version of this or something similar.
We get a lot of different perspectives on wisdom and look into the research that is done from many perspectives. There is maybe a tad of repetition as most of the chapters reiterate the studies and the definitions of wisdom, but in a sense, this repetition is welcome because in the end one really feels a kind of mastery of it all-knowing about all these studies. It also makes all the chapters stand on their own feet which is great if you want to look only at one of the aspects of wisdom.
Yes, the book is a bit "heavy" at times but also very well researched and a product of a lot of work by the authors. I'm impressed after reading it, and I wish there was a more updated version of this or something similar.
May 26, 2015
best book for those who want to delve into the path of philosophy
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews