CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY AND THE ART OF LIFE - SOME THOUGHTS ON THE WORK OF BOESCH,ERNST,E

The goal of this commentary is to explore what Ernst Boesch's thinking has to offer to succeeding generations of psychologists and to ask wh ere current psychological theory building suggests potentially fruitfu l complementation. To reach these two goals first some of the central features of Boesch's approach to psychology are highlighted. Second, r esearch examples from current psychological research are presented whi ch can be related to Boesch's thinking. Third, it is argued that psych ological research is still very hesitant to approach psychological phe nomena rich in connotation and with immediate relevance to our lives. Two examples from my own work are presented that try to tackle complex phenomena such as wisdom and a psychological attempt at an art of lif e. Finally, the aesthetic aspect of Boesch's work is presented and dis cussed with regard to its epistemological relevance for psychological theory building.