Intelligence, Wisdom, and Creativity: Three is Better Than One

Theory, assessment, and instruction in the field of human abilities have tended to emphasize intelligence at the expense of wisdom and creativity. Were these three abilities indistinguishable, such an emphasis would be understandable and acceptable. But a review of the literature as well as data I have recently collected suggest that the three abilities are distinguishable, and that there are important differences among them. Moreover, present measurements and instruction even of intelligence are to a much narrower operationalization of the construct than would be ideal. It is argued that educational psychologists and others need to give more serious attention to all three of these constructs and their interrelationships.