Are the wise naturally reflective, or does wisdom make one reflect? This chicken-or-the-egg problem puzzles wisdom scientists. In 2017, Westrate and Glück conducted research on “hard-earned wisdom.” They looked at the impact that life experiences had on various individuals. They discovered that a difficult event alone isn’t enough to inspire wisdom. Rather, the ability to reflect on the experience is what makes the difference. That said, there seems to be a circular relationship between wisdom and self-reflection. Those who think about what has happened become wiser, and those who are wiser, by nature, will go on to reflect.
The answer to this question may lie in the field of guided autobiography writing. This is an activity where instructors lead older adults through the act of writing their life stories. Although it can be pleasant to relive memories, much of the work of guided autobiography writing has to do with reviving traumas. Often, painful experiences are processed poorly when they happen, and are ultimately repressed. While writing a guided autobiography, it’s possible to revisit these troubling memories in a supportive environment. Westrate and Glück (2017) found that wiser people approach the task differently. Some autobiography writers simply gloss over or put a positive spin on difficulties they’ve survived. By contrast, those with a higher capacity for wisdom explore their traumas deeply. They accept the pain. They also search for meaning and personal growth.
The psychologist Monica Ardelt stressed that reflecting on the past and learning from it is key to wisdom development. This instructive type of reflection isn’t a happy trip down memory lane. For wisdom to arise, the act of remembering should be a challenge. It might even be painful. Ideally, the effort to go back and relive the past should be an enlightening experience. From the scattered fragments of events we recall, something recognizable should assemble. Yet as our life story comes together, it should do so in a way that makes us understand ourselves and others more fully. Ideally, we should remember the past with forgiveness and compassion
In 2013, Plews-Ogan, Owens, and May released a study of 61 U.S. physicians who had made a serious medical error. These included errors that had cost the lives of patients. Physicians were interviewed with the goal of finding out how each of them had coped with the trauma. Those who had succeeded in overcoming the ordeal were found to have gone through a similar pattern of experiences in recovery.
The first step in recovering was acceptance. The physicians took responsibility for their error and chose not to shift the blame to someone else. Next, they worked to incorporate the image of themselves as more flawed than they had previously imagined. The third step was apologizing for their mistake. The next two steps involved searching for personal meaning in the terrible event and then using it to make sense of their ongoing careers. Needless to say, completing these steps involved enormous humility and a significant period of self-examination. The physicians who made it this far displayed attributes of wisdom, including better listening skills, and heightened compassion. They described a sense of greater inner strength. They even felt they had a greater tolerance for the imperfections of others, which translated to patience – a cardinal virtue of the wise.
Research on wisdom has found that the wise often begin to develop their special traits as early as adolescence or early adulthood. Adverse experience can have a nudging effect upon some people. It can cause them to move toward wisdom. Perhaps there are two main differences between these people and others. The first is that they have the right predisposition for wisdom. The second is that they have learned, through difficult life circumstances, how to regulate their emotions.
Question for discussion: Writing one's memoirs, or guided autobiography writing can trigger both good and bad memories. Have you had any experience in writing about your past? If so, what was the experience like? Did it help you to grow psychologically or spiritually?
The answer to this question may lie in the field of guided autobiography writing. This is an activity where instructors lead older adults through the act of writing their life stories. Although it can be pleasant to relive memories, much of the work of guided autobiography writing has to do with reviving traumas. Often, painful experiences are processed poorly when they happen, and are ultimately repressed. While writing a guided autobiography, it’s possible to revisit these troubling memories in a supportive environment. Westrate and Glück (2017) found that wiser people approach the task differently. Some autobiography writers simply gloss over or put a positive spin on difficulties they’ve survived. By contrast, those with a higher capacity for wisdom explore their traumas deeply. They accept the pain. They also search for meaning and personal growth.
The psychologist Monica Ardelt stressed that reflecting on the past and learning from it is key to wisdom development. This instructive type of reflection isn’t a happy trip down memory lane. For wisdom to arise, the act of remembering should be a challenge. It might even be painful. Ideally, the effort to go back and relive the past should be an enlightening experience. From the scattered fragments of events we recall, something recognizable should assemble. Yet as our life story comes together, it should do so in a way that makes us understand ourselves and others more fully. Ideally, we should remember the past with forgiveness and compassion
In 2013, Plews-Ogan, Owens, and May released a study of 61 U.S. physicians who had made a serious medical error. These included errors that had cost the lives of patients. Physicians were interviewed with the goal of finding out how each of them had coped with the trauma. Those who had succeeded in overcoming the ordeal were found to have gone through a similar pattern of experiences in recovery.
The first step in recovering was acceptance. The physicians took responsibility for their error and chose not to shift the blame to someone else. Next, they worked to incorporate the image of themselves as more flawed than they had previously imagined. The third step was apologizing for their mistake. The next two steps involved searching for personal meaning in the terrible event and then using it to make sense of their ongoing careers. Needless to say, completing these steps involved enormous humility and a significant period of self-examination. The physicians who made it this far displayed attributes of wisdom, including better listening skills, and heightened compassion. They described a sense of greater inner strength. They even felt they had a greater tolerance for the imperfections of others, which translated to patience – a cardinal virtue of the wise.
Research on wisdom has found that the wise often begin to develop their special traits as early as adolescence or early adulthood. Adverse experience can have a nudging effect upon some people. It can cause them to move toward wisdom. Perhaps there are two main differences between these people and others. The first is that they have the right predisposition for wisdom. The second is that they have learned, through difficult life circumstances, how to regulate their emotions.
Question for discussion: Writing one's memoirs, or guided autobiography writing can trigger both good and bad memories. Have you had any experience in writing about your past? If so, what was the experience like? Did it help you to grow psychologically or spiritually?
