Dialogical techniques of wisdom enhancement

Abstract

Psychological conceptions of wisdom can be divided into three groups. First approach framed wisdom as a cumulative effect of one’s experiences in problems solving over the whole lifetime. According to second approach wisdom can be viewed as an expert system dealing with the meaning and conduct of life or application of tacit knowledge to balance intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal interests. Third approach understands wisdom as dialectical thinking which allows an individual to integrate various points of view, accept inherent contradictions and alternate truths. This paper is focused on third approach and practical possibilities of enhancing dialectical reasoning and dialectical decision making. The proposed techniques and interventions are inspired by Hubert Hermans’s conception of dialogical self and based on three aspects of internal dialogical activity:

a) identity dialogues between opposing aspects of self;

b) temporal dialogues of the self located in the personal past, present and future;

c) dialogical simulations of social interactions (f.e. with authorities and mentors).