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Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Eudaimonia

a complex psychological construct that involves various can apprehend and accept how they are perceived by other
brain regions. people and what others think about them (self-distance).
They know about the relativity of their problems and
4. Eudaimonia and wisdom aspirations (relativization of aspirations) and recognize

When defining eudaimonia as mastery of life, guided that they are not the center of the world (modesty). They
by higher values within a lifespan perspective, the are adept in recognizing and accepting their own emotions,
question naturally arises: “How can this be achieved?” especially those they may wish to avoid (perception and
Again, Greek philosophers recognized centuries ago acceptance of emotions). They exhibit emotional control,
that wisdom is a pathway to eudaimonia. A substantial preventing emotions from clouding their views and actions
body of basic research on wisdom exists within lifespan (serenity and humor). They can come to terms with the past
and developmental psychology. 33-35 There is a general and forgive infringements (forgiveness). They approach the
consensus that wisdom entails expertise in mastering future with optimism (optimism) and make their decisions
difficult to solve and adversary situations in life. This with a long-term perspective in mind (sustainability). They
definition closely aligns with that of eudaimonia. Wisdom can live with uncertainty, acknowledging that they cannot
is a capacity inherent in all humans, though to varying predict the future with certainty yet continue to act and
degrees, similar to social competency. It is indispensable move forward (uncertainty tolerance).
for managing everyday life and navigating the course of Given the complexity of eudaimonia, mastery of life,
life, aiding in coping with dilemmas and difficult problems. and wisdom, the question arises of how to operationalize
Wisdom has been described as a protective and resilience and measure these features. Classical assessments of
factor. 12,36-38 This process includes finding meaning, one’s psychological traits and clinical symptoms are insufficient,
vocation, and goals in life, as well as reacting wisely to and there is no instrument to measure success in life as
dilemmas, demands, and unsolvable problems. There are a whole. The closest approach is to measure eudaimonic
irrevocable dilemmas, such as the death of a beloved one, well-being and wisdom competencies. A scale commonly
the infidelity of a partner, or public humiliation. Then, used to assess eudaimonia orientation is the Questionnaire
there are dilemmas in the form of difficult decisions, such for Eudaimonic Well-Being (QEWB). Items on this scale
42
as whether to marry, relocate for professional reasons, or include “I believe I know what my best potentials are, and
whether to spend money for more expensive bio-products I try to develop them whenever possible,” “I can say that I
or instead buy cheaper no-name products to safe the have found my purpose in life,” “I feel best when I’m doing
money for activities with the kids. Further dilemmas arise something worth investing a great deal of effort in,” and
from vocations, challenges in life, and decisions about “I believe I know what I was meant to do in life.” There
important goals and objectives. These challenges include are further numerous scales available to measure wisdom
managing marital relationships, careers, and children’s dimensions. 43,44 One example is the Multidimensional
education. They are important aspects of life, complex Wisdom Competency Scale (MWC-15). 45,46 This
topics that are often difficult to handle and lack clear-cut instrument assesses problem-solving behavior and skills
solutions, requiring long-term goals and perspectives. in managing difficult situations and dilemmas in life,
Wisdom capacities and skills are essential “to solve such with one item for each of the aforementioned wisdom
unsolvable problems”, 39(p.27) handle ambiguity, and master subdimensions. The introductory statement reads: “When
exceptional as well as day-to-day dilemmas and problems. I am confronted with a problem or dilemma in life…,”

When summarizing the various scientific concepts which is followed by the items such as “I take my time
of wisdom, about a dozen subdimensions can be to check what exactly happened” (knowlegde of facts),
distinguished. 12,34,35,40,41 Wise individuals can recognize “I look what alternative solutions are at my disposition”
and accept factual information, even if it contradicts their (procedural knowledge), “I accept that the context is as it is
own wishes (knowledge of facts). They possess procedural and can often not be changed” (contextualism), “I am aware
knowledge about effective actions of strategies (procedural that there are always many views on the same situation”
knowledge). They acknowledge the role of contexts, (value relativism), “I first of all try to understand why
understanding that the same event may be judged differently everybody has acted as they did” (change opf perspective),
depending on the situational framework (contextualism). “I try to feel what emotions all others have in this situation”
They know the importance of their own values while (emotional empathy), “I am aware that everything could
respecting the validity of differing values held by other be much worse” (relativization of aspirations), “I try to be
people (value relativism). They are able to understand the content with what I still have “ (modesty), “I accept that
perspective of others (change of perspective) and exhibit I have negative or even undesirable feelings” (emotional
empathy, even toward potential enemies (empathy). They acceptance), “I first of all try to calm down and control

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 3 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.2988