Wisdom: Concept, Dimensions, Measurement

Abstract

This study aimed to present the historical development of the concept of wisdom, through philosophical and psychological studies during successive civilizations and cultures. The study also focused on defining the conceptual framework for the proposed models of wisdom and methods of measuring them, and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of these models while trying to present a newly developed proposal. The study used the descriptive and analytical method to address this issue. The study concluded that the topic of wisdom is complex and still needs more research. The study has also presented a new framework that has assumed some consensus among scholars in the field of wisdom studies, especially from the positive psychology perspective. Furthermore, the study classified the measures of wisdom into three categories according to specific theoretical frameworks and a comparison between them was made. There are prospects for future research on wisdom that can have a wide range of purposes and methods in investigating differences in the ways of defining and measuring wisdom, taking into consideration cultures and religions as well as the results of this study.