9 Stages of Adult Worldview Development (Spiral Dynamics)
It is visibly obvious that a child goes through specific stages of development from birth, infancy, and into childhood nursing, crawling, walking, running, cuing, talking, etc. Although Childhood Development is a well established field in psychology, other researchers began focusing on how adults continue to develop from an infant’s self-centered worldview into mature adulthood. Some were curious how some adults’ behaviors and worldview still resembled the impulsivity and egocentrism of teenager development while other people seemed to continue on to develop greater maturity, wisdom and effectiveness while engaging with increasing complexity in the world. Fascinatingly, just like in childhood development, adult development also tends to grow in specific stages, which have been validated by research across cultures, regardless of gender, race or personally since the late 1960’s. Developmental psychology researchers over the past four decades have clarified that adults can continue to mature and develop in terms of stages of ego development which let’s define so as to include a mix of identity, worldview & values. There appear to be specific structure stages of adult ego development; each of which tend to evolve in complexity in the way that we view, interpret & relate to the world, which seem to be organized around our value-systems (what is important) and self-identity (what “I” identify with). So humans tend to develop from birth through adulthood in a progressive sequence of stages, which you might imagine looks like an increasingly widening spiral—indeed on of the most popular Stage Development theory systems is named Spiral Dynamics originally developed by Clare Graves. Although different researchers & theorists including Ken Wilber, Suzanne Cook-Greuter, Jenny Wade, Don Beck & Chris Cowan ((Spiral Dynamics), etc. may have a few subtle nuanced distinctions, overall there is an astonishing matching up these stages.
Spiral Dynamics or stages of adult development is an important quality of presence in that as a person grows from stage to the next stage, he or she develops greater self-awareness (identity), more comprehensive values & a greater span of awareness (worldview) This Stage Development theory of Spiral Dynamics describes the evolution in individuals, groups & cultures towards greater span of identity, worldview perspective-taking, & values of what be we believe are most important—all of which impacts our effectiveness & ability to relate to greater complexity in life. Being aware of the trajectory of our developmental history which we share with all humanity, clarify your current orientation & what is next for you. Furthermore, Spiral Dynamics can help you understand & relate to other people and cultures with greater compassion & effectiveness as well as offer an inspiring view for our collective human evolutionary potential. The less the moment is filtered by the ego, the more something new is free to emerge as opposed to overlaying a copy from past memory or anticipating a future fantasy. The continual relaxation of the seemingly solid conditioned identity allows a deep & spacious aliveness as a natural flow of the present moment referred to in Taosim as Wu Wei, which might be translated as action/non-action or effortless effort or a relaxed elegant engagement in the moment. Engaging in the marketplace of life, as Thomas Hubl calls it, from this deeper presence can transcend and include the ego structures of these stages of development. To be inclusive that there are more parts or in this case structure-lenses that we can be aware of, while in the transcendence less bound by moment to moment, living with more and more clarity.
Please note that this section is about identity so be careful NOT to identify with a stage. Your stage of development is like a lens; it is not you. The totality of YOU is much greater. All systems and models are merely maps designed to help you navigate the terrain of being human. Be open-minded and curious, see what resonates and could be useful. As Bruce Lee once said, “Research your own experience, accept what is useful, reject what is not & express something uniquely your own.”
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INFRARED Archaic – Survival Instinctive
Worldview:
MOTTO: survive my own way
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: survival & satisfying instinctive biological urges & drives
THEME: life is a struggle, I do what I have to stay alive
THINKING: instinctual 5 senses
TIME CONCEPT: present (simple)
Identity:
IDENTITY: no distinct self differentiated for others or environment
Values:
Survival: staying alive, fed & warm
Instinctual: animated by natural instincts, 5 senses and survival impulses P
Physiological Needs (water, food, shelter, warmth, sex)
Safety Needs (protect myself & my stuff)
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: Semi-Stone Age 250,000 years ago (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: infants; mentally ill homeless & institutionalized, late-stage Alzheimer’s, dependent elderly
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MAGENTA Magic – Tribal Animistic
Worldview:
MOTTO: follow & appease the way of the ancestors
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: staying safe, warm & fed as a tribe by honoring the way & rituals of the ancestors & staying in
good favor with the spirits
THEME: honor, obey & appease the elders, parents, ancestors & spirits
THINKING: magical
TIME CONCEPT: (present) simple day to day, past alive in present****
Identity:
ego-centric impulsive with focus on safety & gratification of basic needs
Values:
Tribal Magic: interpreting magical signs & desires of spirit beings
Stay Safe & Secure: the world is dangerous & alive with mystery
Tradition: following the rituals & way of ancestors
Honoring the ancestors, traditions as well as sacred objects, places, things
Respect & Obey: allegiance to chief, elders, ancestors, parents and the clan
Tribe/Family Loyalty & Bonds
Animistic: everything has a spirit (rocks, water, plants, animals, people, etc.),
Spirits Must be Appeased: good spirits make good things happen / bad spirits can curse
Tribal Rituals: rites of passage, cycles of nature, superstitions, luck charms & curses/vengeance
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: 50,000 years ago (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: very young children; some adults in gangs, indigenous tribes & less developed countries
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RED Power Gangs – Impulsive Exploitative
Worldview:
MOTTO: me & my gang has to be most powerful way
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: self-serving power-oriented focus on own needs, interests & protection
THEME: world is a wild jungle where the strong dominate while the weak serve
THINKING: concrete short-term
TIME CONCEPT: present simple day to day predominates with very short view of past & future, low impulse control &
ability to foresee consequences of actions****
Identity:
ego-centric impulsive with focus gratification of desires, power, self-protection & personal advantage
Values:
Protection: need for self-protection to cover sense of vulnerability
Power & Dominance: being powerful or aligning with those in power for protection & provision
Impulsive Action: do want I want & feel like, I react by the impulse I feel, if I want something I want it now
Reactive: strong fight/flight/freeze response, quick to fight or attack,
Belonging & Loyalty to my Gang: aligned subservience to those in power who will provide & keep me safe
Immediate Gratification & Sensory Pleasure: do what feels good & enjoy as much as you can while avoiding shame
No Guilt or Remorse: do what you want, no matter; only inhibition is avoid punishment & even if I can’t be strong & take it
Self-Serving Exploitation: dominance & exploitation of others, slavery & exploitation of unskilled labor
Respect: proving myself using courage, cunning & aggression for respect & my belongingness to the gang
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: 15,000 years ago (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: young children terrible 2’s thru teenagers, gangs, feudal kingdoms, wild rock stars
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AMBER Mythic – Fundamentalist Member
Worldview:
MOTTO: obey the one right way with us
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: stability, belonging, righteousness & future reward
THEME: life is controlled by a Higher Power that punishes evil & rewards good deeds & righteousness; be a good person
& member by following the rules of the one right way to gain future reward
THINKING: mythic literal absolute (black & white)
TIME CONCEPT: past, present, future; past & future extend in imagination beyond personal experience but hypothetical
futures bound by historical past****
Identity:
group/nation-centric oriented to righteousness & group belonging through conformity & value adoption, self
sense is defined by relation to group (us vs. them), sacrificing self for a larger nationalistic or religious cause
Values:
Fundamentalist: one right way
Absolute Thinking: right/wrong, good/bad, white/black, us/them, speak from memory & generality
Us vs. Them: either you are a member of our group or against us, differing values are vilified or avoided
Righteous Living: morality, duty, faith, integrity, self-control, stability, order, family, righteousness
Missionary: attend to social welfare of own group & convert others to the one right way
Conforming: group defines righteous living & socially acceptable behavior, maintain rules & stability
Obedience to higher authority & rules, conformity & duty now to earn future reward
Controlling Impulsivity & not following the rules through guilt
Belonging: desire to be accepted & patriotic membership to group or country
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: 5,000 years ago (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: can begin in teens, religious fundamentalists, totalitarianism, national patriotism
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ORANGE Rational – Achieving Individual
Worldview:
MOTTO: the most successful way
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: self-reliance to achieve material progress, success & freedom
THEME: If I learn the rules of the game, strive to be my best, I can achieve my goals & be successful
THINKING: rational more interested in reasons & causes, capable of self-reflection & longer-term planning
TIME CONCEPT: past, present, future; present is a composite of the past but it may or may not determine the future;
future orientation is for setting goals & working towards achieving them****
Identity:
World-centric externally oriented toward self-esteem & autonomy: personal freedom, achievement, success, & material progress through the use of science & individual effort yet with a more mature sense of responsibility
Values:
Achievement: striving, professional development, optimism, prosperity, success
Self-Reliance: individualism, financial Independence & personal freedom
Consumption: use of the earth’s resources for material progress, status, “the good life”
Goal-driven & Action-Oriented: demonstrated results & efficiency, effective use of time
Competition: strategy, improvement & growth
Practical: competitive & opportunistic to achieve results, improve & get ahead
Rational Objectivity: cause & effect, laws of science can explain life
Science & Technology: interested to understand reasons & causes to conquering nature & prosper
Genetic Engineering: manipulation of the genome & the environment
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: Scientific Revolution 300 years ago (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: Capitalism, Corporate America, materialism, fashion industry, sales, marketing, Scientific Revolution
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GREEN Relative – Authentic Connective
Worldview:
MOTTO: all ways are relative yet equal
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: be authentic & create peace, connection, community & sustainability the world
THEME: everything is relative but everyone authentic expression deserves to be honored & together we can co-create a
more connected, sustainable & harmonious world
THINKING: relative connective, inclusive, shift toward inner experience (previous stages exterior focused)
TIME CONCEPT: greater awareness of past, present, future; present is a composite of the past but it may or may not
determine the future
Identity:
world-centric self seeking authentic expression & connection in holistic relation to others in a relative world
Values:
Peace, Love, & Harmony
Connection: inclusive, community, bonding, dialoguing, collaboration & sharing resources
Humanitarian: caring, helping & responding to human needs & equal distribution of resources
Relativism: everything is relative depending on perspective, multiple perspective aware, pluralism
Authenticity: self-expression, vulnerability, emotional awareness, examines previous self-identities
Ecological Sustainability: sensitivity to the environment
Diversity Celebration: multicultural worldview, human rights, equality, tolerance, individual differences
Sensitivity: honoring everyone’s feelings, perspective & voice; feeling heard & acknowledged
Consensus Decisions: we are all equal everyone so everyone’s voice deserved to be included in decisions
Alternative: holistic health, questioning assumptions & conventions, anti-hierarchy, anti-capitalism
Spirituality: spiritual but not religious
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: 1960’s years ago (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: universities & academia, sustainability, holistic health, yoga communities, hippies, environmental &
diversity/human rights advocates
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TEAL Integral – Functional Self-Actualizing
Worldview:
MOTTO: the best option for now with all things considered
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: to be integrated, living fully & functionally in the world, developing & actualizing our unique potentials as we increasingly participate in & create systems that contribute to the collective evolution
THEME: I & you & We & It are all evolving
THINKING: evolutionary integrative & systemic, functional interdependent & prioritizing
TIME CONCEPT: infinite past & future; present is a composite of the past & orientation to self-author desired future****
Identity:
integrating multiple sub-personalities into a complex yet coherent enduring core sense of self identity which is a culmination of all previous development***
Values:
Integration
Self-Actualization: life-long learner, seeks feedback for growth & meaning-making, greatest fear is unfulfilled potential,
Skillfulness & Competence: dynamic functional competence, best action for now with all things considered, excellence
Best Practices: hacking, recognizes underlying principles, prioritization, integrating theory/principles/application
Systemic Strategic Thinking: aware of dynamic systems interactions, systemic change agents,
Complexity: understanding systemic interconnectivity & processes, creative problem solving,
Autonomous: agency/self-authoring, appreciate need for autonomy amidst interdependent systems
Paradox Aware: aware of internal & systemic paradoxes, more effectively navigate complexity & multi-variables
Evolving hierarchy: acknowledge natural interdependent nested hierarchies within a system in any context
Evolutionary developmental view: able to see & appreciate that people span a continuum of development with each
stationed at different levels of capacity
Everything is True but Partial: integration of differences into interdependent prioritized tapestry: all perspectives are
“true” but some more comprehensive & others more partial
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: 50,000 years ago (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: systems theories, Integral Institute, Peter Senge’s organi’s organizations*; eco-industrial parks*
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TOURQUOISE Experiential – Construct Aware
Worldview:
MOTTO: the way of the Tao
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: devotion to living from immediacy, awakening & service
THEME: embracing inherent life paradoxes & awareness that language, meaning & even the self are constructed, transitory & limited
THINKING: “unitive concepts perceived; cross-paradigmatic***; being more aware of constructed nature of meaning making: all sensory sources of knowing including thoughts, emotions, body states, intuition, dreams, etc. “can become as important as rational deliberation for making sense of experience & for finding meaning in life”** \
TIME CONCEPT: time is constructed simultaneously infinite & historical****, global-historical perspective beyond own
lifetime**
Identity:
ego-self is seen as transparent, a construction, a “’central processing unit’ that actively creates a sense of identity”, makes meaning & tells a story with about itself & the world. In its increasingly felt transparency, this continuous “re-storying”* of “me” which is now realized to actually be an impetus to further development. The existential process is embracing the felt sense of self in both its uniqueness and as “a blended part of a larger, compassionate whole…while rarely feeling understood in their complexity by others.”*
Values:
Construct Aware: increasingly aware of constructed nature of mind, conceptualization, meaning, language & self
Ego-Transparency: awareness of self-construction, ego-dismantling process, Causal Body Aware
Awakening & Service: inspired & devoted to awakening while being an instrument of service in support of others
Habits of Mind: desire to unlearn automatic, conditioned responses & habits based on memory & cultural reinforcement
Paradox & Polarity polar opposites appearing as two sides of same coin, mutually necessitating & defining each other
Accepting: more comfortable & accepting of existential realities, uncertainty & mystery
Spontaneous & Experiential Functioning: living more in Immediacy & peak states / flow-states are common
Integrated & Experiential Knowing: continually attend to interaction of sensations, thought, emotions, speech, action
energetics, intuition, & perception (ordinary & extrasensory) internally & in relation to others, group, culture & time
Deep Evolutionary Perspective: tend to have developmental understanding, treat time & events as symbolic, analogical,
metaphorical (not merely linear, digital, literal)*
Universal Order & Global Renewal recognition that everything connects to everything else in ecological alignments
& dynamic living universal order; the possibility & actuality of a “grand unification”;
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: emerging now (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: systems theories, Integral Institute, Peter Senge’s organizations*; eco-industrial parks*
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TOURQUOISE Experiential – Construct Aware
Worldview:
MOTTO: the way of the Tao
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: devotion to living from immediacy, awakening & service
THEME: embracing inherent life paradoxes & awareness that language, meaning & even the self are constructed, transitory & limited
THINKING: “unitive concepts perceived; cross-paradigmatic***; being more aware of constructed nature of meaning making: all sensory sources of knowing including thoughts, emotions, body states, intuition, dreams, etc. “can become as important as rational deliberation for making sense of experience & for finding meaning in life”** \
TIME CONCEPT: time is constructed simultaneously infinite & historical****, global-historical perspective beyond own
lifetime**
Identity:
ego-self is seen as transparent, a construction, a “’central processing unit’ that actively creates a sense of identity”, makes meaning & tells a story with about itself & the world. In its increasingly felt transparency, this continuous “re-storying”* of “me” which is now realized to actually be an impetus to further development. The existential process is embracing the felt sense of self in both its uniqueness and as “a blended part of a larger, compassionate whole…while rarely feeling understood in their complexity by others.”*
Values:
Construct Aware: increasingly aware of constructed nature of mind, conceptualization, meaning, language & self
Ego-Transparency: awareness of self-construction, ego-dismantling process, Causal Body Aware
Awakening & Service: inspired & devoted to awakening while being an instrument of service in support of others
Habits of Mind: desire to unlearn automatic, conditioned responses & habits based on memory & cultural reinforcement
Paradox & Polarity polar opposites appearing as two sides of same coin, mutually necessitating & defining each other
Accepting: more comfortable & accepting of existential realities, uncertainty & mystery
Spontaneous & Experiential Functioning: living more in Immediacy & peak states / flow-states are common
Integrated & Experiential Knowing: continually attend to interaction of sensations, thought, emotions, speech, action
energetics, intuition, & perception (ordinary & extrasensory) internally & in relation to others, group, culture & time
Deep Evolutionary Perspective: tend to have developmental understanding, treat time & events as symbolic, analogical,
metaphorical (not merely linear, digital, literal)*
Universal Order & Global Renewal recognition that everything connects to everything else in ecological alignments
& dynamic living universal order; the possibility & actuality of a “grand unification”;
EMERGENCE in HUMAN HISTORY: emerging now (Spiral Dynamics)
OCCURRENCE: David Bohm’s theories*; Rupert Sheldrake’s morphic fields*; Gandhi’s ideas of pluralistic harmony*; Mandela’s pluralistic integration*; integral-holistic systems thinking*
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UNITIVE Unified – Emergent Elegance (& beyond)
Insufficient research available
Worldview:
MOTTO: Wu-Wei action/non-action
PRIMARY MOTIVATION: none merely living as the Ground of all Being****
TIME CONCEPT: grounded in the timeless infinity of Eternal Now AND existing in historical time****
Identity:
witness or Non-dual Awareness itself
Values:
Wu Wei: action/non-action without attachment to outcome
Compassion for evolution as well as the joy & suffering of individuation & existence***
Love:
Elegance: ******
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Stages of Worldview Development Key Principles (Spiral Dynamics)
– stages are like a set of mental lenses that filter our worldview & span of awareness, guiding principles for how to live & what is important (values) & organize our sense of self (identity)
– the lens of each stage effects the way our view of the world is interpreted, what we can be aware of & influence, how decisions are made, & how we should behave
– the overall stages of development is likened to a spiral (Spiral Dynamics****) as each stage evolves from lesser to greater complexity
– each stage of Spiral Dynamics is more like a wave-like structure than rigid stair steps
– while we take various perspectives each day, the most complex worldview stage of Spiral Dynamics we have integrated & tend to most often spontaneously respond with is referred to as our “center of gravity” **
– each stage of Spiral Dynamics provides important values & guiding principles for humanity yet each stage has both healthy and unhealthy expressions
– more complex stages of Spiral Dynamics are not better or higher, all stages are offer important virtues to be integrated & hopefully utilized in healthy ways
– previous stages of Spiral Dynamics that we have not healthfully integrated become shadows that we judge in others; commonly we tend to judge the values of the previous stage we lived from which can be a natural process of disidentifiying from the values we were previously subject to, but eventually even those can be healthfully integrated
– each person has a baseline stage of Spiral Dynamics, referred to as center of gravity but also ideally has access to all previous developmental stages like a set of Russian Nesting Dolls
– research shows stages of Spiral Dynamics are like structures of the human mind & we can’t skip stages but we can have regressive moments & phases
– although we can’t skip stages & each stage of Spiral Dynamics is said to transcend AND include previous as all previous stages remain part of your potential way of viewing, interpreting & relating to the world. Just as in childhood development, we first learn to sit-up, then crawl, then stand, then walk & then run. However we still are able to crawl even after we have learned to walk.
– each wavelike stage has three phases of Spiral Dynamics: a Wobbly entrance, Solid center, Disintegrating exit; the transition from one stage to the next can be unsettling process—a time of uncertainty, questioning, and doubt—as we realize our previous worldview is limited & we are learning new ways of being in the world
– research shows the same Spiral Dynamics stages have evolved over human history & develop in the same consistent pattern across cultures regardless of gender, race or culture
– research shows the center of gravity of Spiral Dynamics based upon surrounding friends, community, culture, etc. & conditions of living (historical times, cultural norms, geographical location, resources, & life circumstances) can all be limiting or growth-stimulating factors that most influence developmental progression through stages
– stages vs. states vs. vantage: although we can experience any state in any moment, your current center of gravity stage of Spiral Dynamics is like the structural lenses of identity & worldview while your current baseline vantage is like your span of felt awareness
– Spiral Wizards refer to people who are more consciously aware of the stages within themselves & able to meet & relate other people, situations, and cultures with compassion, rapport & skillfulness wherever they are
– some researchers encourage that change agents be Spiral Wizards in the world who respect current Spiral Dynamics stages of development & create organizational and political interventions that area ½ stage ahead of those involved to avoid alienation and rebellion *****
– though our developmental stage lenses of Spiral Dynamics can expand in span of complexity & awareness, our ego mean-making system will always inherently be limited by human perception. **
– Vantage or Bodyview is the other developmental process that allows transcending & including these stages of ego development or Spiral Dynamics
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REFERENCES
* Barret Brown, B. (2006). An Overview of Developmental Stages of. Consciousness. Compiled by Barrett C. Brown, Integral Institute. Retrieved from https://integralwithoutborders.net/sites/default/files/resources/Overview%20of%20Developmental%20Levels.pdf
** Cook–Greuter, S. (2005). Ego Development: Nine levels of increasing embrace. Retrieved from http://www.cook-greuter.com/CookGreuter%209%20levels%20paper%20new%201.1’14%2097p%5B1%5D.pd
*** Wilber, K. (2006). A Brief History of Everything, Shambhala, Boulder, Colorado
***** Beck, D. and Cowan, C. (2005). Spiral Dynamics, Mastering Values, Leadership and Change. UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
****** McNamara, R. (2013). The Elegant Self, a Radical Approach to Personal Evolution for Greater Influence in Life. Performance Integral.
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