How does one self-assess their own spiral level of development

[julienw]

I feel that I am not sure what spiral stage I'm in. I notice features of green and orange, but also some bits of maybe blue and/or yellow at the fringes? How can I definitively determine what stage I am at, or is this even possible? Is it the case that we are all necessarily a blend of various stages, and how useful is this exercise in self-assessment?

[aurum]

2 hours ago, julienw said:

Is it the case that we are all necessarily a blend of various stages

Yes.

Don't expect yourself to embody just one stage.

You likely have a center of gravity of around 2-3 stages. And of course you can also embody all the stages to a certain degree as you hit tier 2.

2 hours ago, julienw said:

I notice features of green and orange, but also some bits of maybe blue and/or yellow at the fringes?

Probably an accurate self-assessment.

2 hours ago, julienw said:

how useful is this exercise in self-assessment?

Extremely.

Just understanding the spiral and where you are at can help you identify your blindspots and what you need to do to get to the next color.

If you're going to focus on developing yourself, it's useful to have a map. And that's exactly what spiral dynamics is: a map of cognitive development.

And just like a map, you can sit down and ask yourself "okay, where am I? Where is the 'You are here' marker? And where is my destination? And what's the path to get there?"

Without a map, you can still grow yourself. People will usually move up the spiral whether they know about it at all. A map is just a practical tool that can help speed up the process. You're going to get to your destination quicker with a map than without one.