How has learning Spiral Dynamics helped your life?

[Mu_]

I'm curious how this model has helped people.  Like has it given you context and understanding about yourself and others and made change in your character of being as result?  Or do you find it has been a distraction and a source of feeling good or bad about yourself and others based on how high or low you think you or others are on the spiral?

Personally when I was learning/using it, I just found this to be a source of distraction from just connecting with people, putting me in a space of trying to see someone in a lens of Spiral ideas.  Plus I'd feel a movements of superiority to others based upon my supposed level or an-others.

Honestly I'm curious about others experiences.  Because I know its been a positive tool for people.

[Zizzero]

I find SD not a useful tool for practical use. I don't see how I could possibly assess myself accurately on the spiral.

To understand someones values, SD alone seems too limited to tell the whole story. Also, there are too many uncertainties or simplifications with the entire model that I don't feel confident in using it too specifically.

Don't get me wrong, I like SD a lot; as a model to understand societies on a macro-level; to predict and understand societal movements and changes. I feel like you can sense a general color that's surrounding a person or societal phenomenon; for that it is useful.

But in general, as soon as you say something like "this person is blue/orange" or "this is something yellow people do", you're starting to get into territory that seems way too simplistic; in fact, it is so simplistic that you can easily use it as a tool to avoid having to listen to what this person or thing is arguing for by dismissing it as "orange bullshit that's just resisting green" or something of that sort. Honestly, that is what this forum often feels like; "can we agree that this thing that I don't like is low on the spiral?" or "this is something that I like. I believe that this is what yellow has to look like".

What I got out of it for my pracitical use is that my worldview, like everybody elses, is not the final destination, but rather a result of where I'm at in my life. And that, instead of activly trying to move to the next stage, I'll just keep an open mind and look into things I don't resonate with from time to time. That way, I assume, I will quite naturally move up from whatever stage I'm in at that point to whatever stage comes next without having to do all the "am I green or yellow?"-stuff.

[Annoynymous]

@Mu_ Confusing map for the territory is a problem that human beings suffered for centuries and still suffering.

SD is a great map. But it never claimed itself as the territory. 

Ego can turn everything into dogma and ideology.

[Leo Gura]

@Mu_ It's extremely helpful for understanding and solving complex social issues.

Don't look at it so selfishly. As if you are the only thing happening in the world.

[Annoynymous]

@Leo Gura can spiral dynamics be used to understand personal phenomena also?

[thehero]

@anonymous  

I've been wondering this.

I can say for sure that the transition from orange to green makes you:

More empathetic for others and more conscious of others' suffering 

Allows me to integrate both feminine and masculine parts of me 

Provides a decent framework for relationships (orange transactional vs green love) 

Shows the illusion of success and money chasing 

Allows the beginning of spirituality and spiritual teachers, moves away from dogmatic science 

Experience love for others more often 

Allows for the beginning of self love 

Find meaning and purpose in service to others 

A more slow, peaceful lifestyle - compared to orange neurotic speed 

More conscious of social issues 

Open to treatments outside of mainstream science (healing, chakras, meditation, yoga) 

More communal (I find this beneficial cuz I find oranges community lacking love) 

Less dogmatic and more openminded to new and other perspectives 

Healthier eating and care for body 

These are some of the benefits. Happy to be corrected 

Edited November 23, 2018 by thehero

[Elisabeth]

More confident with diving deeper into green and leaving stuff behind.

[thehero]

@Elisabeth yes this is a major point for me too 

Because it maps it in stages and levels of development, many things I did not take seriously, I take seriously 

Edited November 23, 2018 by thehero

[Mu_]

2 hours ago, thehero said:

@Elisabeth yes this is a major point for me too 

Because it maps it in stages and levels of development, many things I did not take seriously, I take seriously 

Thats good to hear, this is one thing I imagined it could do for people, to take things serious they once didn't or be open to others and idea's they are not exposed to and see it within a model of "why".  Like when a kid is like I don't like girls, they are icky, and are convinced of this until they go through the "stage" of puberty.  I guess SD is just a model to hopefully help people be open to growth that they are convinced isn't possible and open some area's that the person wouldn't of chosen otherwise or explored/experimented with.

[Joseph Maynor]

It’s provided me with a robust language from which to talk about Personal Development.  

Edited November 23, 2018 by Joseph Maynor

[brugluiz]

It's useful to understand some principles, but, you know, it's nothing compared to realizing that every person, no matter which level of consciousness she's in, has value. I can learn with any kind of people, no matter their level in the Spiral.

I learned a lot with a girl who people would call her a Blue girl and I admire and appreciate what she does. She's Catholic and knows God better than some Yellow and Turquoise people.

David Deida talks about it, telling that you can be a Yoga Master, but still can't find God. You surely can be Turquoise, but you can still not find God.

I remember when I learned about SD for the first time and I would judge people by giving them colors. It was the most idiotic thing I did. It was not grounded. It was pies in the sky. But it's just my path and I learned with it.

[Mu_]

13 minutes ago, brugluiz said:

It's useful to understand some principles, but, you know, it's nothing compared to realizing that every person, no matter which level of consciousness she's in, has value. I can learn with any kind of people, no matter their level in the Spiral.

I learned a lot with a girl who people would call her a Blue girl and I admire and appreciate what she does. She's Catholic and knows God better than some Yellow and Turquoise people.

David Deida talks about it, telling that you can be a Yoga Master, but still can't find God. You surely can be Turquoise, but you can still not find God.

I remember when I learned about SD for the first time and I would judge people by giving them colors. It was the most idiotic thing I did. It was not grounded. It was pies in the sky. But it's just my path and I learned with it.

Thats beautiful, thanks for sharing and putting into those words.  I've had similar experiences as well.

[Wyze]

I find SD to be one of the most comprehensive models out there. However being what it is; just a model, I can't say that it is fail-proof. I tend to see SD as a "theory" and use that to explain behaviours and motivations in individuals is rather helpful. When you remove yourself from the equation to understand behaviours; you start to see things as it is, and also help create more empathy.

Knowing yourself and where you are on the model, helps you develop your own personal developmental path; it gives you a map when you are feeling lost - and I think this is particularly useful when you reach in between stages of development.

[Emerald]

10 hours ago, Mu_ said:

I'm curious how this model has helped people.  Like has it given you context and understanding about yourself and others and made change in your character of being as result?  Or do you find it has been a distraction and a source of feeling good or bad about yourself and others based on how high or low you think you or others are on the spiral?

Personally when I was learning/using it, I just found this to be a source of distraction from just connecting with people, putting me in a space of trying to see someone in a lens of Spiral ideas.  Plus I'd feel a movements of superiority to others based upon my supposed level or an-others.

Honestly I'm curious about others experiences.  Because I know its been a positive tool for people.

I personally find Spiral Dynamics to not be too compelling or helpful as a tool for self-growth and self-diagnosis. There's too much potential for ego to come in and want to label itself this and that. So, I honestly couldn't tell you where I am on the Spiral.

But I find it to be an EXTREMELY compelling model for understanding how complex societal issues tick and to give more context for the events of present day and how they will likely lead into certain other predictable patterns. 

So, it's a great tool for understanding humanity on the systems level. And it illuminates many viable solutions to the issues of present day and what we should encourage and advocate for in the near and distant future.

[zambize]

I find that people have a hard time reconciling information too far above where they are on the spiral.  For example, I have a grandmother who told me she would join the KKK if they had a local chapter.  In this case I use spiral dynamics to ask myself what is the next stage for her.  What are some things that I could tell her that she might digest or agree with, remain open-minded to, etc.  

Don't worry about where you are on the spiral in my opinion.  Listen to the most intellectually stimulating material that you can understand, there are mega threads with people at each stage for you to study.  I really don't think there is much value to diagnosing yourself,  I mean whatever level you are at, it's not like you are here because you planned on staying at that level or regressing (if that's possible), just keep marching forward and having a good time

[Imtiyaz Ahmed]

It helps you understand human nature. After learning this model, I easily identify who is stage orange( materialist), stage purple/blue easily (tribalism/nationalism/religious fanatics). 

And the interesting part is all of them follow the same pattern. You can even improve yourself through this model

[XYZ]

Really helps me to see my own bullshit.