This handbook introduces the concept of transformational wisdom as the missing component to build a more sustainable future and address the world's most pressing challenges. Drawing on Sternberg's work on transformational creativity and transformational giftedness, this timely collection brings together contributions from leading scholars in wisdom as well as creativity research to challenge the traditional Western skill- and knowledge-based education systems and help build a new social conscience that fosters resilience, equity, and systemic change. Chapters investigate topics such as virtue-based thinking, ethical frameworks, sustainability, omniculturalism, and the role of wisdom in leadership, education, and social justice.
Closing an ideal trilogy started with The Palgrave Handbook of Transformational Giftedness for Education (Palgrave, 2022) and Transformational Creativity: Learning for a Better Future (Palgrave, 2024), this groundbreaking collection asks how transformational wisdom can be exercised to create a more sustainable world and tackle global societal issues like climate change, pollution, poverty, war, violence, ideological polarization, and the spread of dictatorships. It provides a comprehensive reference for understanding and cultivating transformational wisdom across disciplines, making it essential reading for scholars and students in psychology (developmental, social, cognitive, educational, clinical), education, philosophy, political science, and leadership studies. It will also benefit researchers and practitioners interested in ethics, sustainability, intercultural competence, and the application of wisdom to global problems.
About the Author :
Robert J. Sternberg is Professor of Psychology at Cornell University, USA, and Honorary Professor of Psychology at Heidelberg University, Germany. He is Past President of the American Psychological Association and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and he was cited in an APA Monitor on Psychology report as one of the top 100 psychologists of the 20th century. ScholarGPS ranked him #2 in 2025 among psychologists around the world for contributions to the field of psychology.
Arezoo Soleimani Dashtaki is a PhD student in Psychological Science and Human Development at Cornell University, USA, where she works under the supervision of Professor Robert J. Sternberg. Her scholarly work focuses on wisdom and leadership, cultural intelligence, attitudinal intelligence, motivation and human needs, talent management, and education.
