Wisdom
Page Information About Wisdom Researchers
Ursula
M. Staudinger
Introduction:   Ursula
Staudinger is a Professor of Psychology, Vice President, and Dean of the
Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development at Jacobs
University Bremen in Bremen, Germany. Formerly, she was a senior researcher
at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development,
and was part of the team that developed the "The Berlin Paradigm"
which defines wisdom as "an expert knowledge system concerning the
fundamental pragmatics of life. These include knowledge and judgment about
the meaning and conduct of life and the orchestration of human development
toward excellence while attending conjointly to personal and collective
well-being."
Regarding
her research she says:
Modern notions of
development, such as the lifespan approach, claim that human development
is the result of the interaction between three different sources: biology
(maturation/senescence), culture (learning), and the individual person
(decision/action). This leaves much room for variation between individuals;
this potential for variation and change is labelled plasticity (e.g.,
Staudinger, Marsiske & Baltes, 1995). More specifically, plasticity
is defined as the divergence of an individuals development from
the average developmental trajectory, for better or for worse. Two types
of positive plasticity need to be distinguished: resilience
and growth. Plasticity is dependent on available internal or external
resources.
Our research aim
is to identify contextual and individual characteristics that are crucial
to facilitate productive adult development and aging; we seek to promote
positive plasticity of adult development. In terms of external contexts,
we currently focus on both work environments as well as the larger context
of civil society. With regard to internal contexts, we have been investigating
the effects of physical fitness. So far, we have concentrated on cognitive
functioning, features of personality such as personality dimensions
and emotion regulation, as well as job performance and health as developmental
outcomes.
Email: sekstaudinger@jacobs-university.de
Personal
Web Site: http://www.ursulastaudinger.com Formal
CV: http://webedit.jacobs-university.de/imperia/md/content/groups/schools/jcll/staudinger/cv_for_web_download.pdf
Complete Works
Accessible On Line:     Several
of Staudinger's works in full-text form are available on line from the
Max Planck Institute for Human Development: http://library.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/fulltext/
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