A Process Model of Wisdom from Adversity

Excerpt

How might one measure the wisdom one gains from adversity? To answer this question, it is essential to define the central terms. Social scientists and philosophers have defined wisdom in a number of ways (Ardelt, 2003; Staudinger & Glück, 2011). In the present paper, we will build on the idea that wisdom involves knowledge about how to live well, which includes knowledge of what is more or less important for well being (Grimm, 2015). From this perspective, adversity can mean any situation that is appraised by a person as a challenge to well-being and the good life (e.g., trauma, transgressions, daily stressors). Gains in wisdom would involve learning that emerges through mastering this adversity—learning that may result in a new outlook on the adverse experience, including lessons for how to cope with similar adversity in the future. This point of view suggests the need for a process-oriented account of emotion regulation (Sheppes, Scheibe, Suri & Gross, 2011; Smith & Kirby, 2009) to identify conditions under which one can successfully navigate adversity. Application of the process-oriented account to the relationship between adversity and wisdom suggests the following steps: (1) Initial appraisal/recognition of adversity; (2) application of strategies for dealing with adversity (more or less successfully); and (3) reappraisal of adverse experience in light of the strategy deployed. The relationship between adversity and wisdom is different at each step, suggesting advantages of combining focused research on step-specific mechanisms, and research addressing macro-level questions spanning all steps: For example, a mechanism specific to step 1 might be the redeployment of attention during an adverse situation. …