Wisdom as a developmental concept: A discussion of its functional and structural changes during late adulthood

Abstract

While wisdom is generally understood as one of the ideal psychological states in late adulthood, its precise definition remains unclear. In this article, we first present a comprehensive review of its definitions and assessment tools to date. We then propose a new inclusive approach to wisdom that takes into account its functional and structural aspects. This approach enables us to discuss issues related to wisdom in a new light, and includes continuity/discontinuity characteristics and age-related psychological changes.