Waiting for Sophia: 30 Years of Conceptualizing Wisdom in Empirical Psychology

Abstract

In response to a proposed definition of wisdom that integrated sophia and phronesis, this article reviews the constructs of wisdom in the psychological literature in regard to their inclusion of both. The author found about one fourth of the 41 models examined to contain reference to aspects of sophia. He discusses elements of sophia in the global wisdom tradition, and makes the argument that two aspects of sophia must be included in a comprehensive definition of wisdom: (a) the perspective of the self-transcendent unity of being and (b) intuitive knowing of reality.