Older people's attitudes about wisdom and its components (wisdom Psychology)

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

Wisdom is a complex concept that has not been offered the unified definition. However, there is a general agreement among experts that wisdom includes knowledge, insight, reflection, and a combination of individual’s interests with others’ interests and welfare. Wisdom is associated with older age. Elderly people (old people) experience different events of life in different ways, so that in dealing with life matters they can provide appropriate solutions. Therefore, by investigating the concept of wisdom from the perspective of the
elderly, this study analyzes and interprets wisdom and its features.The research methodology was qualitative and the instrument used was a structured interview. The interviews conducted on 37 elderly people in hamedan Province (age range between 60 to 81) were recorded and transcribed. The interview texts were analyzed using content analysis.The results indicated that the most important feature of wise historical figures is “serve”, and an important factor effective in their being wise included God’s grace and good family training. The results also revealed that the concept of wisdom can be presented in 4 different forms (Religion, sympathy/support, cognition/ knowledge and personality), accordingly, the results show the spiritual and psychological/social aspects of wisdom in old age.

Keywords

References

 
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Aging Psychology
Volume 1, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
March 2016
Pages 157-167

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  • Receive Date: 12 June 2016
  • Accept Date: 12 June 2016

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