Scale to evaluate wisdom

Wisdom is an ancient concept, mainly referred to the set of knowledge that a person acquires in his life and uses with prudence and good judgment. This construct is associated with well -being, satisfaction, resilience and healthy old age. Taking into account the aforementioned, a group of researchers decide to generate a scale to measure this construct scientifically. This instrument is called "San Diego Wisdom Scale" and functions as a test to evaluate wisdom. Therefore, this instrument can be used both in clinical fields and in biopsychosocial research.

Content

• What is wisdom?
• Theoretical models of wisdom
• Scale to evaluate wisdom
  • References

What is wisdom?

The notion of wisdom is very old and has been widely studied at the philosophical, religious and spiritual level. The origin of this term derives from the word 'savor', because it refers to taste and enjoy the truth and knowledge. Wisdom could be defined as the set of knowledge that an individual has acquired over time. Likewise, an essential characteristic of wisdom is that this knowledge is used with prudence and wisdom. Usually, Wisdom is associated with aging in a healthy way and well -being.

The wisdom construct can be divided into six essential dimensions or characteristics. To begin with, (1) Wisdom refers to a general knowledge of life, either by experience or study. (2) Wise people have multiple tools to self -regulate emotionally and (3) have a varied repertoire of pro-social skills, such as empathy, altruism or compassion. In turn, (4) the wisest people tend to be introspective, because they show the ability to understand themselves in a deep way. Finally, wisdom brings (5) tolerance to values ​​other than their own and (6) the ability to make quick and effective decisions.

Theoretical models of wisdom

As explained, the study of wisdom used to be relegated to the spiritual sphere of the individual. For this reason, the research of wisdom from a scientific perspective is much more recent. Since the 50s, psychology has begun to deal with wisdom as an important component in the human being.

In 1950, psychoanalyst Erik Erikson raised the psychosocial development scale, in which they take a general look at each of the conflicts that arise in the evolution of an individual. He explains that, from the age of 60, individuals begin to look at the past. This can make them feel desperate, or on the contrary to fill them with satisfaction because their life has been worth it. Erikson considers wisdom as a key aspect to avoid the anguish of old age and the proximity to death.

In 2005, Baltes linked wisdom to the development of creative and harmonic strategies to face dilemmas. Thanks to this, configure a cognitive model in which A wise individual has multiple cognitive, emotional and social resources. Being able to find novel and functional solutions to the problems of everyday life.

From a neurobiological perspective, Test and Meeks (2009) managed to determine each dimension of wisdom activated a specific area of ​​the cerebral cortex. For example, Altruism activates the prefrontal middle cortex and effective decision making requires a combination of the functions of the dorsolateral and average prefrontal cortex. All these theories and concepts served as the basis for, subsequently, create a scale to evaluate wisdom in a scientific way.

Scale to evaluate wisdom

In general, it has been shown that wisdom has important individual and collective implications. In this way, it is considered useful to have the possibility of measuring how wise a person is, instead of only estimating it inaccurate. For this reason, A group of researchers decide to create a scale to evaluate this construct, called "San Diego Wisdom Scale" (SD-Wise). Also, in Spanish it can be found as "San Diego scale to evaluate wisdom".

To verify the reliability of this instrument, a group of 524 adults between 25 and 104 years was recruited. This population was given the SD-Wise with two other tests to measure the wisdom that have proven to be psychometrically effective. The other administered tests were the three -dimensional wisdom scale and the self -evaluated wisdom scale.  As a result, It was determined that high levels of wisdom were associated with greater emotional well -being. On the contrary, low levels of wisdom are related to stress.

This test is very advantageous and functional. It is psychometrically valid, it has a period of short application, the measurement model is consistent and based on neurobiological models of wisdom. So, This scale can be used for research in clinical practice or in the scientific field for biopsychosocial studies.

References

• Bergland, c. (2021). A FAST WAY TO SEE IF YOU ARE WISE. Psychology Today. Extracted from: https: // www.psychologytody.com/US/Blog/The-Athays-Way/202112/Fast-Way-See-Iph-Youre-Wise.
• Krzemien, d. (2012). Wisdom and aging: a conceptual and operational review of the wisdom construct and its relationship with age. Annals of Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 1.
• Lombardo, e. (2015). Wisdom, a possibility in development. Kairós Gerontology Magazine, 18.
• Person, u. (2022). The 'psychocosocial development' of children and adults according to Erik Erikson. Toads and princesses.
• Thomas, M and others. (2019). A New Scale for Assessing Wisdom Based On Common Domains and A Neurological Model: The San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-Wise). National Library of Medicine. Extracted from: https: // www.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/PMC/ARTICLES/PMC5843500/.