Reflections from a study about wisdom with students from a senior university

Abstract

This chapter shows the results of an empirical study about the relationship between wisdom and education carried out with adults from a senior university in Portugal. The study aimed to investigate the answers about wisdom of the retired users attending a Senior University, within the context of the Berlin Paradigm, looking for the relation between these answers and the participants’ life paths. For the data collection, we applied a semi-structured interview and a dilemma of life review to a sample of six subjects with equal distribution concerning gender. All participants showed average-high levels of wisdom (between 4+ and 5+ on a scale of 7 points). From the analysis of the interviews, using the technique of content analysis, it was found that the participants generally indicated several aspects as enhancers of wisdom, namely: a wealth and wide range of experience, mentor practice and generativity. Although the results are consistent with the empirical verification of the rarity of wisdom since the highest level was not obtained they confirm the potential of old age as a positive phase of development and also reinforce the importance of education and learning across the life cycle, so that retirement could be a good and developmental time. Additionally, these advanced-age adults showed that there is plenty of life beyond the retirement frontier and that education in the advanced stages of life considerably improves opportunities for an active and wise aging process.