1.
Department of Psychology, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar
(www.dsvv.ac.in)

2.
Introduction01
Definitions & Components02
Concept of Wisdom03
Balance Theory of Wisdom04
References
Conclusion05

3.
Introduction:
Wisdom is described as mastering the basic dialectics shaping human existence, such as
the dialectic between good and bad, positivity and negativity, dependence and
independence, certainty and doubt, control and lack of control, finiteness and eternity,
strength and weakness, selfishness and altruism.
Knowledge
Wisdom
Wise Action
Virtue
Judgement

4.
DEFINITIONS:
“The power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action,
based on knowledge, experience, understanding etc.”
Webster’s New World Dictionary(1997)
“Wisdom is that understanding which is essential to living the best life”
Garrett (1996)
“Wisdom is not knowledge used for individual well-being alone; it also is used
for the well-being of others.”
Kekes(1995)
“Wisdom can be considered a positive personal characteristic; it involves
valuable subjective experiences; and it is a life orientation that contributes to
productivity and well-being at the individual, social group, and societal levels.”
(Baltes & Staudinger, 2000; Kramer, 2000; Sternberg, 1998)

5.
Components:
FIVE WISDOM-RELATED CRITERIA PROPOSED BY BALTES AND SMITH (1990) ARE:
General and
Specific
Knowledge
about the
conditions of life
and its
variations
General And
Specific
Knowledge
About Strategies
Of Judgment
And Advice
Concerning
Matters Of Life
Knowledge
About The
Contexts Of Life
And Their
Temporal
[Developmental]
Relationships
Knowledge
About The
Relative
Indeterminacy
and
Unpredictability
of Life and Ways
To Manage
Knowledge
About
Differences
in Values,
Goals, and
Priorities
Rich
Factual
Knowledge
Rich
Procedural
Knowledge
Life
Span
Contextualism
Relativism Uncertainty

6.
Concept of Wisdom
These three conceptualizations share at least three important ideas:
Involves cognitive, affective, and motivational elements.
 It is integrative
Wisdom is different from other Personal Characteristics
It guides a person’s behavior in ways that
simultaneously optimize this person’s own
potential and that of fellow mortals.
Wisdom is an ideal
Many people may strive for wisdom, but only
few, if any, will ever become truly wise.
Wisdom sets high behavioral standards
Concept of wisdom
provides a
metaperspective on
the organization of
personal values that
integrates more
limited approaches
advanced in past
psychological
research on
morality and
human motivation.

7.
Wisdom is the application of tacit as
well as explicit knowledge as mediated
toward the achievement of a common
good through a balance among :
a) Intrapersonal,
b) Interpersonal, and
c) Extra-personal interests,
Over The :
1. Short- and
2. 2. Long-terms
To achieve a balance among :
a) Adaptation to existing environments,
b) Shaping of existing environments,
c) Selection of new environments
-Sternberg (2001)
Balance Theory of Wisdom

8.
The Balance Theory of Wisdom
• Intrapersonal interests:
Affect only the individual. They have to do with an individual’s
own sense of identity and may include concerns such as the
desire for self-actualization, popularity, prestige, power,
prosperity, or pleasure.
•Interpersonal interests:
Involve other people. They relate not only to the individual’s
sense of self but also to desirable relationships with others.
•Extrapersonal interests:
That affect a wider organization, community, country, or
environment. In addition to multiple interests, the consequences
of each decision are assessed to balance short- and long-term
objectives.

9.
The Balance Theory of Wisdom
•Adaptation: Involves changing yourself to fit the already existing
environment. For example, smokers may decide to quit smoking to
adjust to the nonsmoking constraints of their work or social
environments.
•Shaping: The opposite behavior, which involves modifying parts
of the environment to fit your own interests.
• Selection: Finally, when people cannot adapt to an existing
environment or change the environment to meet their needs, they
can select a new environment.

10.
Multiple factors constitute this model of wise decision making :
Ii
•First, wise decisions do not just require intelligence and
explicit knowledge, they typically draw on or tacit, or implicit,
knowledge gained through experience as well .
•Second, the definition draws heavily on the idea of balance: the
balance among multiple interests, immediate and lasting
consequences, and environmental responses.
•Third, the balance in the balance theory of wisdom does not
mean that each interest, consequence, or response is weighted
equally.

11.
The Balance Theory of Wisdom
The balance theory proposed by Sternberg specified the processes
( balancing of interests and of responses to environmental contexts)
in relation to the goal of wisdom (achievement of a common good).
The balance theory of wisdom provides a framework for evaluating
a decision within a specific context by considering all the factors
enumerated and described in the conceptual model of the decision-
making process.
 Thus, although the balance theory of wisdom cannot determine a
wise answer to any problem, it can help to assess how well a
particular solution meets the theory specifications in a given context.

12.
Conclusion
•Wisdom not only enhances the power of judging
rightly, understanding deeply and acting
accordingly it gives us that understanding which is
essential to living the best life.
•A wise person is more likely to in living a good life.
•Wisdom is definitely a life orientation that
contributes to productivity and well-being .
•Since wisdom is a positive personal characteristic
involving valuable subjective experiences , it acts as
an instantiation of a construct that offers the
potential for defining the means and ends toward a
good or even optimal life.

13.
A Psychology of Wisdom: History and Recent
Developments, April 2008- Ursula M. Staudinger
Wisdom – Its nature, origins, and development (Robert J.
Sternberg)
Positive Psychology in Practice Edited by P. Alex Linley and
Stephen Joseph
Handbook of Positive Psychology C. R. Snyder Shane J.
Lopez, Editors
The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology Shane J. Lopez,
Editors
Sternberg, R.J. (1998) A balance theory of wisdom. Review
of General Psychology, 2, 347-365.
 http://web.mit.edu/jrising/classes/24.202/wisdom.pdf
http://www.robertjsternberg.com/wisdom