Questions about Spiral Dynamics

[zoey101]

@Leo Gura

 

Lately I have seen a lot of discussion about Spiral Dynamics and I have tried to look it up and read the topics on here, but there is so much to keep up with and I can't seem to make any sense of it. 

I want to understand, but I don't really get how a "level system" is supposed to be connected to "self-actualization".

Everything I have read so far makes me think of a "Community" reference:

In the show, Pierce Hawthorn is a member of  a cult called "Reformed Neo Buddhism" and the main clue-in that it is in fact a cult is the "levels system" they use. Pierce himself is a "Level 7 Laser Lotis"

I am just having trouble understanding the point...

So my questions are:

What is Spiral Dynamics?

What is the point?

How do you know what "level" you are?

and what does it have to do with "self-actualization"?

 

I apologize if I come of ignorant in any way, I just really don't understand.

[martin_malin]

Leo answers all your questions in this video. You'll see, everything will click
 

 

[zoey101]

2 minutes ago, martin_malin said:

Leo answers all your questions in this video. You'll see, everything will click
 

 

That's my main problem  I don't have a chance to watch videos of any kind really... At work I'm not aloud to have earbuds in so I can't even listen to it.. And when I try at home, my little one seems to know and needs my full attention... I have been trying for months to watch just one video of Leo's but can never seem to get through it..

That's why I am asking for a written out response. 

Could you maybe summarize the key points?

I'm sorry..

[d0ornokey]

Just a tip, but you can download them as mp3 and play them off your phone

So when you're in the bathroom or on your commute, it will be useful 

[Guest Quanty]

Get in touch with all the levels and you will see through the veil while meditating. 

[Elisabeth]

I wrote a very short summary for another forum two years ago after I watched the first video:

Spiral dynamics is a theory of psychological development, especially concerned with VALUES, of both individual human beings and societies. Some of the research is originally due to Clare Graves . Have a look at this image.

According to this theory, individuals and societies pass through stages which itself are not good or bad, but they occur in a successive order and are necessary. You can't skip any of these. Different aspects of a psyche can be in different phases, and you but probably you will be "mostly" somewhere. You also don't completelly abandon the prior stages as you move up, but you get aware of their limitations. 

At our time, 3-4 stages are important:

• Blue: Conformist. Tradition, law, family, obedience, a belief in good and evil and one right way to do things. Organized religion. Focused on others, sacrificing self. An extremely successful stage in societal context - civilization started in this stage, and it's no more than a few hundred years since a part of western society has surpassed this kind of thinking.
• Orange: Individualism, success, rationality. Leading to consumentarism, business, scientific progress. Sometimes at all costs. Focus on self, not that much other. This is where a lot of our culture is at.
• Green: Relativism, care, community. Developing deep empathy. Return to spirituality. Focus on others, less self, less materialism. Tends to be overly idealistic, may fail to take real action.
• Yellow: Systemic thinking. Can reconsile complexity and paradox. Relativistic, no absolute truths. More focused on self again, however responsible. This is the first level that is accepting of people in all prior stages. Still very rare in people today. 

14 hours ago, zoey101 said:

What is the point?

How do you know what "level" you are?

and what does it have to do with "self-actualization"?

The point is, it's a comprehensive (though some will argue that comprehensive means oversimplified) model of evolution. You use it as a guideline to guess where you're at and what your next developmental step is. 

You'll be at different levels regarding different areas of your psyche, it's in no way a rigid hierarchy. 

For self-actualization it's especially useful to know that you can't skip levels and there are barriers to reaching the next level. Green seems very inefficient to orange, also its focus on society will threaten oranges individualism, therefore orange will not want to become green. But unless developping these green traits of empathy and understanding relativity of persepectives, orange can't move on from where it is. 

I'm yet unclear on a lot of things too. Of course it's just a model and well... as far as I understand the notion of developmental stages vs. continuous development is an ongoing debate among developmental psychologists. (Though I can remember my very fast blue-orange transition regarding relationships, that's why it makes sense to me.) Just use it for inspiration.

[zoey101]

22 minutes ago, Elisabeth said:

I wrote a very short summary for another forum two years ago after I watched the first video:

Spiral dynamics is a theory of psychological development, especially concerned with VALUES, of both individual human beings and societies. Some of the research is originally due to Clare Graves . Have a look at this image.

According to this theory, individuals and societies pass through stages which itself are not good or bad, but they occur in a successive order and are necessary. You can't skip any of these. Different aspects of a psyche can be in different phases, and you but probably you will be "mostly" somewhere. You also don't completelly abandon the prior stages as you move up, but you get aware of their limitations. 

At our time, 3-4 stages are important:

• Blue: Conformist. Tradition, law, family, obedience, a belief in good and evil and one right way to do things. Organized religion. Focused on others, sacrificing self. An extremely successful stage in societal context - civilization started in this stage, and it's no more than a few hundred years since a part of western society has surpassed this kind of thinking.
• Orange: Individualism, success, rationality. Leading to consumentarism, business, scientific progress. Sometimes at all costs. Focus on self, not that much other. This is where a lot of our culture is at.
• Green: Relativism, care, community. Developing deep empathy. Return to spirituality. Focus on others, less self, less materialism. Tends to be overly idealistic, may fail to take real action.
• Yellow: Systemic thinking. Can reconsile complexity and paradox. Relativistic, no absolute truths. More focused on self again, however responsible. This is the first level that is accepting of people in all prior stages. Still very rare in people today. 

The point is, it's a comprehensive (though some will argue that comprehensive means oversimplified) model of evolution. You use it as a guideline to guess where you're at and what your next developmental step is. 

You'll be at different levels regarding different areas of your psyche, it's in no way a rigid hierarchy. 

For self-actualization it's especially useful to know that you can't skip levels and there are barriers to reaching the next level. Green seems very inefficient to orange, also its focus on society will threaten oranges individualism, therefore orange will not want to become green. But unless developping these green traits of empathy and understanding relativity of persepectives, orange can't move on from where it is. 

I'm yet unclear on a lot of things too. Of course it's just a model and well... as far as I understand the notion of developmental stages vs. continuous development is an ongoing debate among developmental psychologists. (Though I can remember my very fast blue-orange transition regarding relationships, that's why it makes sense to me.) Just use it for inspiration.

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain that. I guess I can see how it's useful

What about turquoise and coral? Are those supposed to be closer to full enlightenment?

[Elisabeth]

17 minutes ago, zoey101 said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain that. I guess I can see how it's useful

What about turquoise and coral? Are those supposed to be closer to full enlightenment?

Yes, turquise is supposed to be above yellow and... basically transcending concepts? Not sure. Leo didn't speak about coral. There are different systems due to different people taking the original research further, some have more stage and different color labels or names, I didn't go any deep into it.  

[ValiantSalvatore]

Someone posted these here a while ago. First one is development of self and the second one is the development of the culture it's from a course from ken wilber that is way to expensive. A description of all stages.

 

 

[smd]

There aren't any levels really, like Level 5 Laser Lotus (hilarious btw).  Spiral Dynamics is a sociological construct used to define a collective age or society (like the US being majority blue), but if you can't watch a video why not search Amazon for books in Kindle or physical form to read about it?

Spiral Dynamics is an interesting beast.  It also has applications in Futures Studies.  That's how I learned about it 10 years ago when I took a few grad courses on it.

[zoey101]

9 hours ago, smd said:

There aren't any levels really, like Level 5 Laser Lotus (hilarious btw).  Spiral Dynamics is a sociological construct used to define a collective age or society (like the US being majority blue), but if you can't watch a video why not search Amazon for books in Kindle or physical form to read about it?

Spiral Dynamics is an interesting beast.  It also has applications in Futures Studies.  That's how I learned about it 10 years ago when I took a few grad courses on it.

I just wasn't understanding the point lol but now I can see how important it can be. The stuff I'm reading makes a little more sense now lol

 

Thank you guys.