Michael R Levenson

Oregon State University | OSU · College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Practical wisdom is focused on sound decisions to promote a good life, while self-transcendent wisdom focuses on making ethical decisions for the greater good. Self-transcendence develops through self-knowledge, integration, and non-attachment, which focuses on decentering from egoistic perspectives. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of people a...

Wisdom development has typically been studied as a function of the individual, yet the social environment can also facilitate its development (Igarashi, Levenson, & Aldwin, 2018). We extended our earlier work by examining the sequence of social support and timing of pivotal wisdom-promoting social transactions following a difficult life event. Semi...

Objectives: This study examined the development of wisdom within the context of difficult life events (DLEs), and the importance of individuals and their social environments in this process of growth. Social support has long been studied in adulthood, yet less is known about the ways social transactions can promote wisdom. Method: Semi-structure...

Whether wisdom is a culturally-specific or universal construct is a matter of some debate (see Curnow 1999; Grossman et al. Psychological Science, 2012). This study compared similarities and differences in the factor structure of a measure of wisdom focused on self-transcendence in U.S. (n = 305, M age = 33.99) and Korean samples (n = 838, M age =...

We examined whether the social convoy model and socioemotional selectivity theory apply in collectivistic cultures by examining the contextual factors which are hypothesized to mediate age-related differences in social support in a collectivist European country. Five hundred Spanish community-dwelling older adults (Mean age = 74.78, SD = 7.76, rang...

Wisdom has returned to psychology, as a topic of study at least, and several approaches have been advanced, some very general and perhaps somewhat vague, and others quite specific. Wisdom has been understood in a number of quite different ways each of which has some domain-specific validity. Indeed, "wisdom" has such a broad range of denotation tha...

We examined long-term patterns of stressful life events (SLE) and their impact on mortality contrasting two theoretical models: allostatic load (linear relationship) and hormesis (inverted U relationship) in 1443 NAS men (aged 41-87 in 1985; M = 60.30, SD = 7.3) with at least two reports of SLEs over 18 years (total observations = 7,634). Using a z...

Theories of both wisdom and moral development have been divided between rationalist or cognitivist approaches and broader gauged ones that include affect, motivation, and intuition, as well as rational thinking. For example, Gilligan (1982)30. Gilligan , C. 1982 . In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development , Cambridge, MA :...

Stress, even extremely traumatic stress, may pose both risks and benefits. Although combat can have lifelong negative consequences, the perception of positive benefits from military experience can mitigate the negative effects of combat on mental health. However, little research has examined the impact of trauma earlier in life on the development o...

We evaluated the efficacy of an emotional education program that seeks to reduce the intergenerational transmission of negative interaction patterns by increasing forgiveness and spirituality. We examined both reduction of psychological symptoms and increase in positive psychological outcomes over the course of a year, as well as the mediators of t...

The metabolic syndrome is a complex construct with interrelated factors of obesity, blood pressure, lipids, and glucose. It is a risk factor for a number of chronic diseases in late life. This study tested a model in which the relationship between stress and the metabolic syndrome was mediated by appraisal, coping, and affect. Data were collected f...

Certain spiritual and contemplative traditions (e.g., Mahayana Buddhism, and Sufism) suggest that love or compassion may be one path toward wisdom. Fromm (1956) argued that certain cultures, particularly capitalistic ones, hinder productive and mature forms of love, and thus perhaps wisdom. In the first study, 90 Southeast Asian, Russian/Slavic, an...

Self-transcendence has been hypothesized to be a critical component of wisdom (Curnow, 1999) and adaptation in later life (Tornstam, 1994). It reflects a decreasing reliance on externals for definition of the self, increasing interiority and spirituality, and a greater sense of connectedness with past and future generations. The Adult Self-Transcen...

To examine four issues regarding college-student drinking to cope: (1) The prevalence of drinking to cope among students in a medium-sized Midwestern state university; (2) the relationships among drinking to cope and alcohol-related outcomes; (3) the use of drinking to cope within the larger context of students' coping processes; and (4) gender dif...

Assessing mental health in the elderly requires attention to a number of factors, including the age and the functional ability of the elder and whether or not the instrument used has adequate reliability and validity for older populations. While elders may be more or less as accurate at reporting symptoms as younger groups, the crucial assessment i...

Individual differences in physical and psychological health trajectories were examined in 1,515 Normative Aging Study men. Mean age at baseline was 47.15 years (range = 28-80), and average follow up was 18.55 years (range = 8-25). Both linear and nonlinear growth curves were estimated with random-effects models and then clustered to identify patter...

Geels (1996) provided an interesting description of a Sufi, Helveti-Jerrahi group dhikr. He also attempted to explain the effects of such an event on participants in terms of physiology, context, and ego psychology. Although his explanation of the psychological effects of the events he witnessed may well be correct, these effects are very different...

We examined whether alcohol consumption and problem drinking decreased with age or if the reported declines were actually cohort and/or period effects. We utilized data from the Normative Aging Study, assessing 1,267 men three times over an 18-year period (1973, 1982, 1991). Men were divided into five 9-year birth cohorts; age ranged from 46 to 72....

The present study examined antisocial dispositions in 487 university students. Primary and secondary psychopathy scales were developed to assess a protopsychopathic interpersonal philosophy. An antisocial action scale also was developed for purposes of validation. The primary, secondary, and antisocial action scales were correlated with each other...

The present study examined antisocial dispositions in 487 university students. Primary and secondary psychopathy scales were developed to assess a protopsychopathic interpersonal philosophy. An antisocial action scale also was developed for purposes of validation. The primary, secondary, and antisocial action scales were correlated with each other...

The purpose of this study was to examine whether appraisals of desirable and undesirable effects of military service mediated the effect of combat stress on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in later life in 1,287 male veterans, aged 44-91 years (M = 63.56, SD = 7.46), 40% of whom had been in combat. The men reported more desirable effe...

Although retirement is generally thought to lead to a decline in social support due to a loss of social contacts with coworkers, the evidence for this is at best contradictory. This longitudinal study examined change in social support among 1,311 men, participants in the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study, over a 3-year period. In genera...

Several prospective studies have suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may offer protection against total and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. These studies have been criticized for failing to control for changes in drinking and the influence of comorbidity on consumption decisions. In the present study, we examined whether rates of de...

Leading conceptions of psychopathy originated from a clinical perspective, which assumed abnormality and sought to explain it. This perspective has led to three related potential explanations of psychopathy: the sociological (i.e. the psychopath as nonconformist); the physiological (i.e. the psychopath as characterized by a deficiency in the behavi...

Examined whether separate norms for older men are necessary for the revised Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). Scores from 1,459 men in the Normative Aging Study ([NAS] mean age 61.27 yrs) were contrasted with those from 1,138 men from the MMPI Restandardization Study (mean age 41.71 yrs). Results showed that scores on the MMPI-2...

The stressfulness of retirement both as a transitional event experienced during the past year and as a life stage was investigated. Transitional stress was assessed using a life events approach, and stage stress using a "hassles" approach. Respondents were 1,516 male participants in the Normative Aging Study, 45% of whom were retired. Among those r...

The MAC scale has been very successful in identifying alcoholics and, in studies of clinical populations, is often considered a test for predisposition to alcoholism. MacAndrew, however, holds that the MAC scale assesses a more general personality trait characterized by sociability, boldness, rebelliousness and pleasure seeking. The present study e...

We investigated the relationship between the personality traits of emotionality and extraversion and symptom-reporting, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The sample consisted of 1,034 men, initially screened for good health, who completed both the 16PF and at least two CMIs, (M = 5, range = 2-8) over an average period of 17 years (range =...

Comparisons were made of the personality and social orientations of antisocial risk takers, defined as residents in a long-term drug-treatment facility (N = 24); adventurous risk takers, defined as rock climbers (N = 18); and prosocial risk takers, or heroes, defined as policemen and firemen decorated for bravery (N = 21). Measures included substan...

Cross-sectional differences between retirees and workers in the importance of coworkers as a source of support, as well as in general quantitative support (social networks and frequency of interaction) and qualitative support (confidants and the perceived reliability of support) were examined. The sample consisted of 1,513 older men (mean age = 61)...

Longitudinal changes in self-reported symptoms were investigated using the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) in a sample of 2,041 men. The average man completed 5 CMIs (range = 2-8) over 17 (range = 2-25) years. Using a two-stage growth model, we first regressed symptoms against time on study for each man. The average slope of physical symptoms showed a...

Investigated whether emotionality, assessed in 1975, predicted the reporting of both objective stress (life events) and subjective stress (hassles) 10 years later, and how emotionality affected the relation between both objective and subjective stress and mental health. The sample consisted of 1,159 older men, participants in the Normative Aging St...

The present longitudinal study examined the relation between the temperament types of emotionality and extraversion, as assessed by the Eysenck Personality Inventory-Q (EPI-Q; Floderus, 1974), and self-reported psychological symptoms 10 years later, as assessed by the revised version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-9O-R; Derogatis, 1983). The...

Researchers during the past decade have found little effect of retirement on physical health. However, retirement entails a number of losses, and its effect on mental health, as measured by the prevalence of psychological symptoms, is unclear. We examined psychological symptoms in a sample of 1,513 older men, participants in the Normative Aging Stu...

Researchers during the past decade have found little effect of retirement on physical health. However, retirement entails a number of losses, and its effect on mental health, as measured by the prevalence of psychological symptoms, is unclear. We examined psychological symptoms in a sample of 1,513 older men, participants in the Normative Aging Stu...

a minority of male retirees have reported finding retirement stressful / this study addressed the task of characterizing that minority two types of retirement stress were distinguished: transition stress, the stressfulness of the retirement event itself among those who experienced it within one year of the survey, and state stress, the daily reti...

Compares ontogenetic and sociogenic models of adult psychological development and contrasts these models with the liberative approach (LA) that is defined by an increasing freedom from biological and social determinism. Some ontogenetic models have much in common with the liberative approach while the sociogenic model is compatible with the LA that...

The process of retiring from the world of work is considered a stressful life event. In this chapter, the authors explore answers to the question of who experiences retirement as a stressful life event. Predictors of retirement state stress are examined, as is evidence from various clinical research studies. Future research needs are identified, an...

ABSTRACT We examined individual differences in physical and psychological symptom trajectories, as well as their personality correlates, in 1,515 Normative Aging Study men. Their mean age at baseline was 47.15 (range = 28-80), and they were followed for an average of 18.55 years (range = 8-25). We estimated both linear and nonlinear growth curves,...