Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-0-355-44768-2
M.A.
Applied Psychology and Human Development
University of Toronto (Canada)
2017
It is argued that there is presently a theoretical confusion in psychology between the concepts of personal wisdom and moral virtue, a confusion not present in traditional religious and philosophical literature. It is further argued that this confusion may be resolved by understanding how exemplars of wisdom and virtue develop such qualities. The narratives of 16 participants, 8 scoring high on the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale and 8 scoring low, from 2 age cohorts (18-25 and 60-85) and 4 religious backgrounds (Atheist, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim) were analyzed for implicit narratives of developing exemplary qualities. It is found that wisdom and virtue are best understood as perspectival and procedural aspects of some further, little-discussed quality, stemming from deep immersion in religious paths of cultivation, which is shown to have important implications for the psychology of wisdom and virtue.
Philosophy of religion; Comparative religion; Psychology
Philosophy, religion and theology;Psychology;Exemplar;Narrative analysis;Psychology of religion;Qualitative analysis;Virtue;Wisdom