Wise characteristics in religious thought in comparison to psychology theories of wisdom: a comparative study

Abstract

Wisdom is one of the factors related to cognition and thought, and has a long history in religious and philosophical texts. However, since 1970, it has entered into empirical researches and debates in different fields of psychology, and various patterns have evolved in this area. Wisdom is taken into consideration as one of the most important factors in mental health, life management, and preservation of cultural values of each country. Our culture, due to its rich written sources on wisdom, has a lot to say. Therefore, this study aims to comparatively investigate the characteristics of wise individuals in religious sources (books such as Nahj al-Balagha, Misbah al-Shariah, Makarem Akhalagh, Kimiaye Saadat, Usul al-Kafi, Bihar al-Anwar, Motahari, Eynol Alhyah, Meraj al- Sa'adah and Gharalhkm) using the knowledge arised from empirical research on wisdom related fields. The reseach methodology was content analysis. The results of the present study shows that in studied sources, 10 features were reported for the wise individuals to have higher frequencies that include sincerity, humility, meekness and patience, hard work, courage, generosity, good behaviourm and curtailment of the world. The comparative study shows that except reticence and contentment features, there is a relationship between other features and patterns in the field of wisdom.