Wisdom - Eastern & Western Conceptions among Young Adults

     A recent (2000) study suggests "that the concept of wisdom is understood differently in Western (American & Australian) and Eastern (Indian & Japanese) cultures.
     American and Australian young adults (felt) that 'wise' is semantically most similar in the West to 'experienced' and 'knowledgeable,' while least similar to 'discreet' ... reflecting the Western historical/cultural understanding of the concept that stresses the analytical features such as a broad knowledge database accumulated through life experience.
     By contrast, both the Indian as well as Japanese young adults perceived 'wise' as semantically most closely associated with 'discreet' followed by 'aged' and 'experienced,' whereas 'wise' and 'knowledgeable' were clustered at the last step of the analysis.

     'Wise' is conceptualized in the East not as mere analytical ability but as a psychological quality that emphasizes more 'direct' understanding with a great deal of emotional involvement or an effective integration of multiple aspects of human consciousness (eg cognition, affect, intuition, etc)."

       Takahashi M, Bordia P. The concept of wisdom: A cross-cultural comparison. International Journal of Psychology 2000; 35(1): 1-9.

     See also: http://www.johnlovas.com/2012/01/listening.html

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