Wisdom-related attitudes in psychosomatic patients and in a convenience sample

Abstract

Wisdom can be understood as a complex capacity to solve unsolvable problems. Wise persons are better in coping with difficult life situations. People with mental disorders often have problems coping with difficult life situations. This study examines whether a convenience sample from the general population and psychosomatic rehabilitation patients (dis)agree similarly or differently with global sentences representing wisdom-related attitudes. A total of 209 persons from a convenience sample (lecture visitors, M = 32 years of age) and 207 patients with mental disorders (M = 49 years of age) were given a short case vignette of a seemingly unjust situation. They were then asked to which degree they agree to different wisdom-related attitudes (12-WD Scale) regarding the example situation. Results: Patients judged the situation as more unjust, and they identified more strongly with the victim. There were no differences between the two groups concerning agreement to the wisdom ideas, except that the convenience sample was more likely to agree with the wisdom idea change of perspective. This finding of similar wisdom attitudes in patients and others is a validity support for wisdom being a capacity, which may be independent from psychopathology. Wisdom trainings for health promotion potentially do not need to distinguish between patients and general population persons. As the scale asks for wisdom-related attitudes for problem solving, it may be the case that coping with concrete situations (i.e. wise behavior) would be different.

Keywords:

• Wisdom-related attitudes
• unsolvable problems
• capacity
• coping
• resilience

Acknowledgements

We thank the Psychosomatic Outpatient Health Center [place blinded for review] for their support in recruiting participants and [name blinded for review] for his support in creating the figure.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The dataset for this study can be found in the OSF https://osf.io/ybt95/?view_only=01c741b75f2847d19fea22d8aa30fdca.

Author contributions

B.M. designed and supervised the study, provided the research question, and added to manuscript revisions. A.M.-C. contributed to study design, collected and analysed the data, wrote the first draft of the manuscript and carried out revisions. M.L. provided advice in the development of the study, assisted in the interpretation of the data and revised early versions of the manuscript.

Institutional review board statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Review Board and Ethics committee of the Technische Universität Braunschweig.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Meier-Credner

Anne Meier-Credner is PhD student and psychological psychotherapist in behaviour therapy.

Michael Linden

Michael Linden is medical specialist in psychosomatics and psychotherapy and senior researcher. He is director of the Research Group Psychosomatic Rehabilitation at Charité Berlin, and the Institute of Behaviour Therapy Berlin.

Beate Muschalla

Beate Muschalla is senior researcher, psychological psychotherapist (behaviour therapy) and supervisor. She is director of the psychotherapy and diagnostics unit and outpatient clinic at Technische Universitaet Braunschweig.