Personal Beliefs and Values Within Wisdom in Practice
摘要
Personal beliefs, values and dispositions shape individuals’ thinking and acting and those associated with what constitutes wisdom is no exception. Drawing on the interview data from 42 informants, patterns of responses were identified associated with what constitutes that wisdom, its learning, and the collaborations that characterise it and the beliefs and values of those who were deemed to be wise in practice. Repeatedly, across the informants’ data were references to sets of beliefs or values that influence their approach to occupational practice, its exercise and decision-making that were associated with wise practice. Six kinds of personal beliefs that shaped their approach to occupational practice were delineated. These comprised i) family upbringing and influence, ii) social beliefs that arose from their communities and shaped how they view the world and engaged with it, iii) trust and honesty as central to wise action, iv) religious and self-belief shaping what constitutes wise action, v) given the importance of collaboration, the need to exercise respect for others in work and adopting ethical approaches to work, and vi) work or occupational-related activities as being central for effective engaging both internally and externally in achieving the goals of wise practice. These qualities are elaborated in this chapter to indicate what might constitute exceptional qualities of both the personal qualities of wise practice and the ability to exercise wisdom in practice, as a more collective concept.