Welcoming Wisdom #6" - Developmental Intelligence: The Super Power of the Mature Mind

In this episode, host Michael C. Patterson explores Dr. Gene Cohen’s groundbreaking concept of developmental intelligence—the idea that our minds can continue growing in complexity, depth, and wisdom throughout life. Drawing on Cohen’s framework for postformal thinking—relativistic, dualistic, and systematic—Michael shares insights from his book Welcoming Wisdom and discusses how mature minds can cultivate new ways of seeing, thinking, and contributing to a flourishing future.

Developmental Intelligence

• Relativistic Thinking
• Dualistic Thinking
• Systemic Thinking

Chapters

• 0:00 Introdution
• 1:31 Postformal Thinking
• 5:33 Relativistic Thinking
• 8:40 Dualistic Thinking
• 13:04 Systematic Thinking
• 17:25 Summary and Conclusion

Transcript

Title: Developmental Intelligence and the Power of Postformal Thought

Intro

Welcome to *Flourish As You Age*, the podcast where we explore how to live wisely, age boldly, and help shape a more compassionate future. I’m your host, Michael C. Patterson, and today’s episode will be focusing on the groundbreaking work of Dr. Gene Cohen and his concept of *developmental intelligence*—an idea that challenges the assumption that significant mental growth stops in early adulthood.
 
 I had the privilege of working closely with Gene for a number of years. I helped fund some of his early research on creative aging, and regularly featured him as a presenter for AARP’s Staying Sharp program. And then Gene invited me to serve on the board of the National Center for Creative Aging. That experience deepened my commitment to the creative aging movement—and to helping others see aging not as a decline, but as a developmental frontier.
 
 In this episode, I’ll share selections from my forthcoming book Welcoming Wisdom, which is inspired by Gene’s ideas —especially his view that the mature mind can cultivate higher-order ways of thinking, known collectively as postformal thought.

So, what is postformal thinking

Postformal Thinking – Cultivating Higher-Order Wisdom

In his vision of developmental intelligence, Dr. Gene Cohen identified three core modes of thought that tend to emerge—or can be deliberately cultivated—in the mature mind: relativistic thinking, dualistic thinking, and systematic thinking. These forms of cognition are often referred to as postformal thinking, a term drawn from developmental psychology that describes cognitive growth beyond the stage of formal operations defined by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget.
 
 Piaget, a pioneer in child development, described how thinking progresses through a series of increasingly complex stages, culminating in adolescence with the ability to reason abstractly and logically. But his model left adulthood—and especially older adulthood—essentially uncharted.
 
 Erik Erikson later expanded the developmental map with his influential theory of eight psychosocial stages across the lifespan. Yet even Erikson acknowledged that his final stage—old age—was underdeveloped in his own work, receiving only a single page in his major text. As Gene Cohen recounted, Erikson challenged his students, including Cohen, to take that work further—to explore and articulate the developmental potential of later life. Gene took that challenge seriously. Drawing on years of clinical experience and creative aging research, he identified four stages of psychological development in older adulthood and introduced the idea of developmental intelligence: the capacity for deeper, more integrated, and generative forms of thought that can emerge as we age.
 
 While Piaget’s “formal operational thinking” centers on logical reasoning and abstract problem-solving—skills that typically stabilize in adolescence and early adulthood—postformal thought goes further. It embraces ambiguity, contradiction, shifting perspectives, and the integration of emotional and experiential knowledge. While formal thought seeks precision and control, postformal thinking seeks meaning and coherence in the midst of complexity.
 
 In many ways, postformal thinking parallels what we might call a shift from left-hemisphere-dominant cognition—precise, linear, categorical—to right-hemisphere-dominant cognition—contextual, relational, and holistic. As Iain McGilchrist argues, our best thinking emerges when both hemispheres collaborate: the left analyzes, the right synthesizes. Postformal thinking represents this integrative dance, where analysis is followed by reflection, and logic is tempered by insight.
 
 Older adults often have the advantage here—not by default, but by experience. If we engage life with curiosity and openness, our minds can grow more complex. The accumulation of lived experience offers us an endless stream of raw material. Postformal thinking is the sculptor of that raw material.
 
 Cohen’s three core elements of developmental intelligence are—relativistic, dualistic, and systematic thinking.  Each offers a different lens through which the mature mind can flourish.

Let’s take a closer look. 

Relativistic Thinking

Relativistic thinking acknowledges that truth is rarely absolute. Instead, it emerges from the interaction of multiple perspectives, shaped by personal experiences, cultural contexts, and situational variables. What is “true” in one context may not hold in another. This mode of thinking is essential to the mature mind’s ability to hold ambiguity and entertain opposing viewpoints without rushing to closure.
 
 This idea is central to William James’s distinction between monism and pluralism. The monist sees the world as ultimately reducible to a single truth or principle—a view that can be both appealing and dangerous. It appeals to our desire for simplicity and certainty, but risks oversimplification and dogma. If there is only one truth, and we believe we know it, further inquiry becomes unnecessary—or even threatening.
 
 The pluralist, by contrast, recognizes that each of us sees the world through the lens of our unique perspective. There is not one truth, but many partial truths. As we contemplate more perspectives and hold them in dialogue, our understanding – our picture of the truth - deepens and evolves. Truth becomes a mosaic rather than a monolith.
 
 This idea aligns beautifully with the work of psychologist Ellen Langer, who introduced the concept of mindfulness as a form of open, curious, and context-sensitive awareness. For Langer, the opposite of mindfulness is mindlessness: a tendency to accept rigid categories, settle for first impressions, and make what she calls "premature cognitive commitments." When we lock in our judgments too quickly, we lose the opportunity to discover nuance or learn something new.
 
 Relativistic thinkers resist these premature commitments. They remain flexible and inquisitive, aware that most problems are more complex than they first appear. This doesn’t mean they are indecisive; it means they are comfortable navigating ambiguity and refining their views in light of new information. They can disagree without demonizing. They see both sides, and often more.
 
 This form of thinking is not only more accurate—it is more humane. It allows for empathy. It recognizes difference without erasing it. And in a society where polarization and absolutism seem to be on the rise, the relativistic capacities of the mature mind may be more necessary than ever.

Dualistic Thinking

When Gene Cohen spoke of dualistic thinking as a core mode of postformal thought, he wasn’t advocating for the rigid binaries of Cartesian dualism. He was not referring to the old split between mind and body, matter and spirit—what philosophers call substance dualism, which posits two fundamentally different kinds of “stuff” in the universe. That framework has fueled centuries of confusion, especially in the sciences, where it leads to questions like: how can an immaterial thought arise from a physical brain? How can consciousness, seemingly ethereal, emerge from matter?
 
 Instead, Cohen was pointing to a more nuanced, dynamic form of dualism—closer in spirit to the Eastern philosophy of yin and yang. This is not a worldview of separation, but of interdependence. In this frame, light doesn’t exist without darkness; joy has no meaning without sorrow; strength reveals itself only in the context of vulnerability. The yin/yang symbol is not a wall between opposites, but a swirling dance, each force containing the seed of the other.
 
 This is the kind of dualistic thinking that the mature mind begins to embrace. Rather than seeking to resolve all contradictions or eliminate cognitive dissonance, the wise mind learns to hold opposites, to live inside the tension, and to find clarity not by reducing complexity but by dwelling within it.
 
 As Alan Watts once said, “The world is not a conflict of opposites, but a polarity. It wiggles.” That wiggle—the creative tension between apparent contradictions—is what gives life its rhythm, its pattern, and its generative energy.
 
 In this sense, dualistic thinking is not a form of binary thinking; it is a form of integrative thinking. It recognizes that life is often “both/and” rather than “either/or.” A relationship can be both joyful and difficult. A moment can be both an ending and a beginning. Aging can involve both decline and growth.
 
 This capacity for paradox is essential to the flourishing mature mind. It allows us to see beauty in imperfection (as in the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi), to accept that grief and gratitude can coexist, and to understand that our limitations are often the soil from which creativity grows.
 
 Dualistic thinking also helps temper absolutism. When we learn to hold two truths at once, we become less rigid, less reactive. We see that many polarities—individual vs. collective, freedom vs. responsibility, security vs. change—are not problems to be solved, but tensions to be wisely managed.
 
 This way of thinking has particular relevance in our polarized world. Political, cultural, and even interpersonal conflicts often result from a binary mindset—us vs. them, right vs. wrong. But dualistic thinking, grounded in interdependence rather than opposition, invites us to transcend these false dichotomies.
 
 It helps us see others not as enemies, but as fellow travelers navigating different sides of the same coin. Dualistic thinking, in this way, becomes not just a cognitive tool but a social ethic. It fosters empathy, reduces tribalism, and opens space for reconciliation. In a culture that tends to oversimplify, categorize, and divide, dualistic thinking offers a much-needed antidote: a mature, integrative mindset that embraces wholeness, complexity, and the deep connections between apparent opposites.

Systematic Thinking

The third component of Gene Cohen’s postformal thinking triad is systematic thinking—a form of cognition that sees wholes, interconnections, and larger patterns rather than isolated parts. If relativistic thinking resists rigid conclusions, and dualistic thinking holds paradox and polarity, systematic thinking seeks to integrate these into a meaningful framework. It’s about stepping back to observe the forest, not just the trees.
 
 Systematic thinking is especially relevant in an age of specialization. In modern science, academia, and even public life, expertise is increasingly siloed. Specialists know more and more about less and less. This narrowing of focus has led to remarkable technical achievements, but it also risks losing sight of the bigger picture. That’s where systematic thinkers come in.
 
 Gene once offered me a perspective on this mode of thought that I’ve never forgotten. After I left AARP and the Staying Sharp brain health program, my colleague Roger Anunsen and I co-founded MINDRAMP, a company dedicated to translating neuroscience into strategies for lifelong cognitive health. Although neither of us were trained neuroscientists, we were avid researchers and synthesizers. We read everything we could find, across subfields and disciplines, and did our best to share those insights with the public.
 
 At one point, we found ourselves in Gene’s office at the National Center for Creative Aging, seeking guidance. We admitted feeling insecure about our lack of formal credentials. Gene, with his usual warmth and generosity, reassured us. “You’re generalists,” he said. “You see the big picture. That’s incredibly valuable.”
 
 He went on to explain that most researchers are necessarily focused on narrow domains of expertise. The sheer volume of information demands it. But as a result, important findings often sit in isolation. What was needed—and what we were doing—was to connect the dots. To create a coherent narrative from fragmented knowledge. That, Gene said, was a form of intelligence in itself.
 
 This is systematic thinking in action: gathering disparate inputs and organizing them into a framework that helps others make sense of complexity. It’s a mode of thought that values breadth as much as depth. It doesn’t just amass facts—it assembles meaning.
 
 In today’s world of fractured attention and overwhelming information, the need for systematic thinking is more urgent than ever. It enables us to make decisions based not only on isolated data points but on an understanding of how things relate. In aging, for example, it allows us to integrate neuroscience, psychology, social science, and personal experience into a rich, contextual understanding of what it means to grow older.
 
 Gene believed that older adults are especially well positioned to engage in this kind of thinking. With age comes a wide field of experience—a life lived across multiple roles, relationships, and realities. When that experience is brought together through reflective synthesis, it becomes wisdom.
 
 Systematic thinking may be the most quietly powerful of the postformal trio. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t seek to win arguments or prove superiority. Instead, it connects, contextualizes, and clarifies. It’s the work of the mature mind weaving its tapestry—thread by thread, pattern by pattern—into something enduring and whole.

Conclusion

Gene Cohen showed us that aging can be a source of insight, creativity, and cultural leadership. The postformal mind is not the exception—it’s the possibility that awaits when we continue growing, integrating, and contributing throughout life.
 
 Thanks for joining me on this episode of *Flourish As You Age*. If today’s conversation resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share the podcast with others who care about cultivating wisdom across the lifespan. And until next time—stay curious, stay connected, and keep flourishing.