Wisdom and Meaning in Emerging Adulthood

TLDR

Wisdom and meaning are key developmental constructs in emerging adulthood. The authors examined wisdom–meaning links in two studies, using self‑report measures in Study 1 (N = 298) and narrative coding of autobiographical memories in Study 2 (N = 271). Both studies found that meaning—especially exploratory processing—positively correlates with wisdom, partially mediates its link to optimism and self‑esteem, and that wisdom predicts exploratory but not redemptive processing in stressful memories.

Abstract

Wisdom and meaning are important developments in emerging adulthood. In two studies, we investigated the relationship between wisdom and meaning using self-report measures (Study 1; N = 298) and narrative coding (Study 2; N = 271). Study 1 supported the hypothesis that the search for and presence of meaning in life were both positively correlated with wisdom. The presence of meaning partially mediated the relationship between wisdom and positive self-characteristics (i.e., optimism and self-esteem). Study 2 extended these results by coding two styles of narrative meaning-making in autobiographical memories of stressful life events. As predicted, wisdom was positively associated with exploratory processing (i.e., deriving lessons and insights) in stressful memories but uncorrelated with redemptive processing (i.e., aimed at positive emotional transformation). Results suggest a possible pathway through which wisdom and meaning influence positive self-development and the importance of styles of narrative meaning-making that differentially predict wisdom.