Week 7 - Wisdom and Courage

Question 1

Four Cardinal Virtues

Answer 1

Wisdom (prudence) - ability to learn from experiences is wisdom

Justice

Courage (fortitude)

Temperance

Question 2

what do the cardinal virtues facilitate?

Answer 2

personal development; good living through practicing them may foster the development of social resources that spark the growth of other people.

Well rounded view of the world

Inform human choices and fuel pursuits that lead to enhanced personal functioning and communal good.

Courage also can help overcome obstacles that make the practice of other virtues more difficult.

Question 3

Wisdom and strength both exemplify human excellence how?

Answer 3

involve a challenge,

they require sound decision-making,

they are culturally bound, and they

typically contribute to the common good

Question 4

Some disagreement about which one comes first

Wisdom comes first?

Courage as a precursor of wisdom?

Answer 4

Ex. Accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference
Sounds like wisdom comes first - have to know what we can change and have the wisdom to do that

Wisdom comes first?
wisdom can make courage unnecessary

Courage as a precursor of wisdom?
capacity for courageous action is necessary before one can pursue a noble outcome or common good that is defined by wisdom.
Courage sometimes is viewed as the virtue that makes all virtuous behaviors possible.

Question 5

Wisdom is referenced since ancient times in Western Classics dialogues revealed three distinct conceptualizations of wisdom:

Answer 5

1- Found in persons seeking contemplative life
2 - That of a practical nature
3 - Scientific understanding

+theoreitkes -theoretical thought and knowledge devoted to truth distinguishing it from practical wisdom - aristotle

Question 6

15-17th century - 2 issues dominated scholarly discussion of wisdom - Philosophical versus pragmatic

Answer 6

Is wisdom a form of excellence in living displayed by ordinary people or is it a fuzzy philosophical idea possessed by academics/sages

Question 7

Implicit

Answer 7

examine the nature or essence of a construct, explain through describing characteristics, qualities and or dimensions of the construct

Question 8

Implicit wisdom- Clayton - 3 dimensions of wisdom

Answer 8

Rate similarities of words believed to be associated with wisdom:
Empathic, experienced, intelligent, introspective, intuitive, knowledgeable, observant
Statistical procedure to look for dimensions

1-Affective - empath and compassion
2-Reflective - intuition and introspection
3-Cognitive - experience and intelligence

Question 9

Implicit wisdom- Sternberg - 6 dimensions

Answer 9

40 Students sort cards into as many groups as they think - factor analysis without technology

Again, a multidimensional scaling procedure was used, and the following six qualities of wisdom were identified:
1. Reasoning ability,
2. Profound knowledge/understanding,
3. Learning from ideas/environment,
4. Judgment,
5. Expeditious use of information,
6. Acuteness of discernment and percepti

Question 10

Implicit wisdom- Chandler and Holiday - 5 factors

Answer 10

Lists from participants and comes up with 5 factors
1.Exceptional understanding,
2- Judgment and communication skills,
3 -General competence,
4 - Interpersonal skills,
5- Social unobtrusiveness

Question 11

Implicit wisdom- Baltes - analysis of culture and philosophy

Answer 11

1- Addresses important/difficult matters of life
2 - Involves special or superior knowledge, judgment, advice
3 - Reflects knowledge with extraordinary scope, depth and balance applicable to specific life situations
4 - Is well intended and combines mind and virtue
5 - Is very difficult to achieve but easily recognized

Question 12

Implicit -Children’s beliefs of Wisdom Gluck - what are wise people like

Answer 12

1-Cognitive aspects - clever
2-Characteristics that addressed thinking of others - friendly
3-Appearance - green eyes, grey beard
4-Possession of real-world abilities - gives good advice
younger children is the absence of a “reflective” component of wisdom (e.g., life experience or perspective taking; p. 596). It may be that increased age comes with a better understanding of the value of these other, more abstract components.

Question 13

Implicit definitions of wisdom differ by context
Western vs. Eastern?

Answer 13

Eastern: affective and cognitive
—Personal qualities: compassion, open-mindedness, humbleness
three factors were found to be contained within implicit definitions of Asian participants: (1) altruism, (2) determination, and (3) serenity

Western: stress cognition over affective dimension
–Personal qualities: intelligence, problem solving, planning

Question 14

Explicit

Answer 14

• examine the externally visible aspects of a construct- focus on observable characteristics of a construct

Question 15

Explicit theory of wisdom -Jean Piaget

Answer 15

Jean Piaget - Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operations

Question 16

Life-span theorists (e.g., Erikson, 1959) view wisdom as part of

Answer 16

optimal development.

Erikson, wisdom reflects a maturity in which concerns for the collective good transcend
personal interests.

Elevated concerns for the collective good.

Question 17

Explicit theory of wisdom -Riegel builds on Jean Piaget

Answer 17

considered a form of postformal operational thinking referred to as the dialectical operations stage -

1, associated with wisdom involve reflective thinking that attends to a balance of information and to truth that evolves in a cultural and historical context. Such reflective, or dialectical, thinking facilitates an * integration of opposing points of view

2- dual use of logical and subjective processing of information

3 - integration of motivation and life experiences

Question 18

Explicit - wisdom - Sternberg’s Balance theory and Baltes Berlin wisdom paradigm

Answer 18

emphasize the organization and application of pragmatic knowledge

Propose that wise people can:
1-discern views of others
2-develop a rich understanding of the
world
3-craft meaningful solutions to difficult problems
4-direct their actions toward achieving a common good

Balance theory:the processes (balancing of interests and responses to environmental contexts) in relation to the goal of wisdom (achievement of a common good)

Question 19

Process of Sternberg’s Wisdom Balance Model

Answer 19

1 - wise decisions require implicit knowledge gained through experience

2- wise decisions require balance - intra, inter and extra-personal - community
Covid - put community first by wearing masks, getting vaccinated

3 - each interest, consequence or response is weighted

4- if balance is achieved - common good is addressed with the proposed solutionwisdom

involves forming a judgment when there are competing interests that lack a clear resolution.

Question 20

explicit - Baltes - Berlin Wisdom Paradigm

Answer 20

define wisdom as the “ways and means of planning, managing, and understanding a good life”

5 criteria that characterize wisdom (excellence) and wisdom-related (near-excellence) performance.
1. Know what - Rich factual knowledge
—To what extent does this product show general and specific knowledge about life matters and the human condition as well as demonstrate scope and depth in the coverage of issues?

2. Know-how - rich procedural knowledge
   —To what extent does this product consider decision strategies, how to define goals and identify the appropriate means, who to consult with, and about strategies of advice-giving?
3. life-span contextualism requires that wise people consider the contexts of life (e.g., love, work, and play), cultural values, and the passage of time when reviewing problems and their associated solutions.
4. Relativism of values and life priorities place the value differences across people and societies in perspective.
5. managing uncertainty knowing that you cant control everything

Question 21

Baltes hypothesized a few areas from which wisdom is manifested

Answer 21

Chronological age

Experience of a wide range of human conditions

Experience of being a tutor or a mentor

Motivational Dispositions - generosity
Motivated to be generous and help other people

Question 22

Baltes definition of wisdom
Baltes - Sehnsucht (“life longings”) to their life-span

Answer 22

view of positive traits that are experienced alongside such constructs as wisdom

Life longings as “the recurring strong feelings that life is incomplete or imperfect, coupled with a desire for ideal (utopian), alternative states and experiences of life”

More Idiographic experiential knowledge

Question 23

wisdom in Korean adults living in the United States

Answer 23

different set of emphasized factors of wisdom was found

items that aligned with factors such as Empathic Modesty (i.e., “I have high expectations for myself and others and am therefore more likely to be disappointed.”) important to constructing wisdom - This is in contrast to more cognitive items

AGE differences based on acculturation - Younger (and potentially more acculturated) Korean American participants were higher in factors such as Viewpoint Relativism in this study

Question 24

Developing Wisdom

Answer 24

Builds on knowledge, cognitive skills, and personality characteristics
–Requires understanding of culture

Life experiences and tutelage
–Develops slowly with exposure to wise role models

Grows through problem solving
–Two heads are better than one

Transmitted from generation to generation
—Observation, relationships and modeling

Question 25

Sternberg proposed that knowledge, judicial thinking style, personality, motivation, and environmental context precede wisdom.

Answer 25

Baltes and Staudinger (2000) suggested that fluid intelligence, creativity, openness to experience, psychological mindedness, and general life experiences “orchestrate” to produce wisdom

importance of “guidance by mentors or other wisdom enhancing ‘others’” (p. 127), although such mentoring benefits are sometimes indirect and sometimes direct.

Question 26

Taiwan - ideas similar to those found in Western contexts

Answer 26

life and work experiences, observation and social interaction, and professional development and reading

Also included in this list, however, are unique ideas more normative of Eastern culture, including “family teaching” and religion

Question 27

Edmondson (2012) conducted a study of family interactions in the West of Ireland and found via ethnographic study that access to wisdom in the form of interactions with older members of the family provided younger members with more resilience and competence, even in the face of very difficult situations

Answer 27

not necessarily a mere sharing of advice, however, but also a modeling of the way in which people in older generations might listen to the information provided and the ways in which they may use this to direct their behavior

Wisdom seemed to be bred from close observation, close relationships, and an emulating of wise characteristics found in others.

Question 28

Wise people and their Characteristics

Answer 28

Greater life satisfaction
Gender differences in cognitive and affective wisdom
Wisdom likely integrates both but women have higher levels of affective, people who were the wisest had high levels of both

Question 29

Wisdom ages

Answer 29

Major development between 15 and 25

No age differences for wisdom 25-75

Wisdom decline after 70

few differences in wisdom score were found between older adults in general and current college students.

Question 30

Cultural differences: Japan and US wisdom

Answer 30

Japan - people were wise over their life span
Difference in handling conflict makes them wise
become skilled at resolving conflicts in wise ways at an earlier age due to normative pressure to maintain group harmony

US - people developed greater wisdom with greater age
may not have as much motivation to resolve conflicts, and as such, they may not practice these strategies as frequently; wisdom related to resolving conflict accrues more quickly in Japanese individuals but takes a lifetime to develop in U.S. adults

Question 31

Wisdom used as a coping strategy

Answer 31

Adolescents who thought of difficult situations as turning points had higher wisdom later on
Use difficult situations as opportunities for personal growth

Question 32

Benefits of Wisdom
Beneficial inter- and intrapersonal qualities

Answer 32

Young adults - Coherent sense of self and consistent ego

Less investment in hedonistic pursuits - if not seeking hedonism seeking eudaimonia - sense of purpose, fulfillment, meaning, contentment

More interest in reflection and personal growth

Reserve social judgment

Understand context before making conclusions

Decreasing prejudice and the making of ultimate attributional errors

Flexible, adaptive, grateful

Higher subjective well-being, greater humility - not flashy

Question 33

Defining Features of Courage

Answer 33

A willing/intentional act
Involving danger, risk or difficult

Some element of perceived risk

Primarily motivated to bring about a noble good or morally worthy goal
Trying to do something for the benefit of ourselves, our family, the world at large

Question 34

Neurobiology of Wisdom

Answer 34

frontotemporal lobe, deficits are found in the ability to be socially appropriate, process emotions effectively, and control impulsivity;

Question 35

Types of Courage
Physical

Answer 35

acting despite physical danger - preventing injury due to the dangerous environment or helping an injured person

maintenance of societal good by the expression of physical behavior grounded in the pursuit of socially valued goals

Only sparked in special circumstances - usually have training that helps them overcome fear

Question 36

Types of Courage - Moral

Answer 36

doing what is right despite social opposition - standing up to others for what is right or taking responsibility for a negative situation

we all experience situations in which a morally courageous response is provoked, and this behavior requires no special training.

Question 37

Types of Courage -Civil

Answer 37

Civil - brave behavior accompanied by anger and indignation that intends to enforce societal and ethical norms without considering one’s own costs - intervening where someone is being physically attacked due to discrimination

“brave behavior accompanied by anger and indignation that intends to enforce societal and ethical norms without considering one’s own social costs”

combine facets of physical courage and moral courage

Question 38

Types of Courage - Psychological

Answer 38

facing psychological discomfort to pursue a meaningful goal - stepping outside of comfort zone to try something new

strength in facing one’s destructive habits - stress, sadness, and dysfunctional or unhealthy relationships.

psychological courage might be viewed as a form of moral courage in some ways as individuals possessing this trait are often asked to stand up against this stigma

Question 39

Types of Courage - Vital

Answer 39

perseverance through a disease or disability even with the outcome is ambiguous - a child with a heart transplant maintaining intensive treatment even if the outcome is uncertain

perseverance through a disease or disability even when the outcome is ambiguous

ital courage is not needed unless we encounter disease or disability, and often professionals teach us how to battle the infirmity

Vital courage in the face of suffering often is manifested by people other than the identified patient

Question 40

chronic illnesses and courage

Answer 40

chronic illnesses and concluded that being courageous is a lifelong process that entails factors such as significant others, values, and hope

Question 41

Courage and physicians

Answer 41

• along with competence and compassion, is a very desirable characteristics of health care providers.

instilling courage through “encouragement” is required of anyone in a profession that exemplifies care and concern.

the necessary components of courage are freedom of choice, fear of a situation, and the willingness to take risks in a situation with an uncertain but morally worthy end

Question 42

Civil courage -

Answer 42

“brave behavior accompanied by anger and indignation that intends to enforce societal and ethical norms without considering one’s own social costs”

combine facets of physical courage and moral courage,

someone exhibiting civil courage may decide to intervene in a situation where someone is under physical attack as a result of prejudice.- altruism

Question 43

Ethics and Courage Research

Answer 43

Retrospective narrative methods - rely on stories of courage

Advantages?
Advantage to looking at courage from a subjective lens - courage has a degree of subjectivity in it

Disadvantages?
Why arent there more experiments designed to test courage

Question 44

Children’s views on courage and fear - younger vs. older children

Answer 44

Younger children think of courage as physical risk taking
—Fear and courage can’t coexist
——did not consider fear or overcoming fear in describing the experience of courage, but this propensity to equate courage with the experience of fear increased with age.

Question 45

Older children think of courage as psychological risk-taking

Answer 45

They also talk about many emotions - fear, self-confidence, and an urge to act

Question 46

Risks of not being courageous - Milgram’s study

Answer 46

then assessed their feelings with regard to personal responsibility, civil courage, and societal engagement.

Results showed that these factors increased after being primed by the lack of civil courage present in the Milgram study.

When the behavior of the participants in the Milgram study was attributed to personal traits, intentions to volunteer and to stand up in the face of wrong were increased the most

Question 47

Personal traits can lead to courageous actions - jewish rescuers vs. bystanders

Answer 47

Non-jewish rescuers and non-Jewish bystanders after holocaust

Rescuers had greater social responsibility, empathic concern, risk taking, altruistic moral reasoning

understand the effect of various positive characteristics of personality (e.g., social responsibility) on the “courageous altruism” that took place during this time

Question 48

Haase: Attitudes and coping methods rather than born heroes

Answer 48

Through daily mini experiences of courage, a teen becomes aware than they are acting courageously

Development of mastery, competence, accomplishment, growth

Mechanisms at the heart of Haase’s work may also be found in use with psychotherapy. Some psychologists have spoken of the use of courage in therapeutic treatment, specifically with regard to having the “courage to risk positive change”

one must take some risks to seek out change in one’s life, which requires courage.

Question 49

Campos - culture of courage

Answer 49

clients are encouraged to try to change themselves or their community in some way

expressions of moral courage can be met with initial discomfort from the group

leaders can challenge themselves to behave in authentic ways when faced with change and that this may assist others in letting go of their discomfort and encourage them to be more authentic as well.

Question 50

ways in which leaders can support expressions of moral courage. Simola

Answer 50

expressions of moral courage can be met with initial discomfort from the group.

Bucking the system and standing against a policy or incident can be extremely beneficial but also carry with them a push for change.

This can be something that an organization, for example, may initially resist, even if the moral courage shown is on the side of right.

Simola states that leaders can challenge themselves to behave in authentic ways when faced with change and that this may assist others in letting go of their discomfort and encourage them to be more authentic as well.

The end result in an organization that practices these skills is that moral courage may instead increase vitality of the organization and foster collective growth

Question 51

Hannah - Courageous mindset

Answer 51

Acting courageously leads to courageous mindset which leads to further acts of courage

factors such as the perception of risk are affected by external constructs such as social forces s (e.g., normative influences) and positive states (such as hope, efficacy, or the experience of positive emotions), as well as more internal characteristics such as positive traits (e.g., openness to experience and conscientiousness) and values and beliefs (e.g., valor, loyalty, honor).

Question 52

We can help teach children courage

Answer 52

Try new food

Challenge himself by playing with the big kids

Try not to cry when missing mother

How can we make ourselves feel brave?
“The Bravery Tree” when inspiration for trying challenging new things seems to be needed.

Question 53

Relationships Between Fear and Courage

Answer 53

This relationship is not well understood - t frightened people can perform courageous acts. perseverance despite fear is the purest form of courage.

Question 54

Courage and fearlessness typically regarded as synonymous

Answer 54

But fearful people can act courageously

Courageous people might have lower physiological stress response - May be a physiological difference in those who choose to act courageously

relative to those in a control group, the decorated operators maintained a lower cardiac rate under stress. The findings from these studies suggested that people who had performed courageous acts might respond (behaviorally and physiologically) to fear in a way that is different from people who had not demonstrated courage

Question 55

Behavioral and physical responses to fear

Answer 55

Moderate amount of fear but it subsides

Execution of fear-provoking behavior reduces future fear - doing the thing that scares you
paratroopers. His assessment of subjective fear and corresponding physiological markers revealed that paratroopers reported a moderate amount of fear at the beginning of their program, but this fear subsided within their initial five jumps
execution of a jump despite the presence of fear (i.e., courage) resulted in a reduction of fear.

Question 56

Benefits of Courage

Answer 56

Higher agreeableness and openness on Big 5 - score higher on measures of courage

Negative relationship with anxiety

Adaptive coping, higher confidence but is courage different from confidence

Have to be confident that you will effect change

Question 57

Courage - Neurological

Answer 57

Subgenual anterior cingulate cortex - execution of a jump despite the presence of fear (i.e., courage) resulted in a reduction of fear.

Question 58

Courage and Culture

Answer 58

Important to consider that what one culture deems courageous might not be seen that way by other groups
Harmony may be viewed as courageous
Deciding to keep one’s opinions to oneself

Conceptual differences in US and china
similar elements were likely to inspire courage in both groups (e.g., self-confidence, support
of social network, anger) some facets of courage, such as responsibility, may be unique to the Chinese individuals’ conceptualization of the need for a courageous act

Gender stereotypes may also build expectations of courage as a trait in men
in particular.

Question 59

Race relations require courage

Answer 59

some cultural groups might find courage to be necessary more often than others. For instance, the young Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, discussed previously, was faced with extreme discrimination and danger, the likes of which might not be present for members of many other cultural group

Within the United States, problematic race
relations may require a basic level of courage from racial, ethnic, and other minorities to
live day to day in our country despite violence directed disproportionately at these groups.

USA - hate crimes are most often perpetrated against African Americans

Question 60

LGBTQ individuals may act out of necessity

Answer 60

They may have adverse reactions to their identities and have more need to be courageous

1,376 hate crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation bias, 98.1% were due to
bias against lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals

courage may emerge as a result of resilience in the face of adversity

People who were not LGBTQ but who intervened when threat was levied on this community were shown to be higher in courage and other positive attributes such as altruism, leadership, and justice sensitivity

Question 61

Can Courage be Learned?

Answer 61

Maybe not but it can be inspired

Preparation, and knowing you are prepared can help

Practice facing your fears - making new friends, stand up to adversity

This will help you with your courage mindset