Do advanced moral reasoners also show wisdom? Linking moral reasoning and wisdom-related knowledge and judgement

Abstract

Wisdom and morality are both discussed as developmental ideals. They are often associated in theoretical contexts but the nature of their empirical relation is still an open question. We hypothesised that moral reasoning (one facet of morality), would be related to wisdom-related knowledge and judgement, but that the two represent different facets of high level psychological functioning. A sample of 220 adults ranging in age from 20 to 87 years completed measures of wisdom-related performance, moral reasoning, and a battery of cognitive and personality measures. As predicted, moral reasoning was positively associated with wisdom-related performance, although we also found evidence for divergent validity of these two constructs. This association was mediated by person characteristics (e.g., personality, intelligence, and additional measures). In addition, as predicted by a threshold model, very high levels of wisdom-related performance were unlikely among those with very low moral reasoning performance. In line with neo-Piagetian conceptions, exploratory analyses suggested that higher age was associated with higher levels of wisdom-related knowledge and judgement only for those with high levels of moral reasoning. Results are discussed in terms of a lifespan model of wisdom-related knowledge and judgement.