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Dr.
Clare W. Graves's Emergent, Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory
Applied:
COLORS
of
Thinking
in
Spiral Dynamics®
The
Spiral Dynamics model is derived from the original thinking of Dr.
Clare W. Graves. Here is a brief introduction to the Gravesian
point of view as it has evolved thus far:
Human
nature emerges along a developmental path from one equilibrium
state to the next. These can be viewed as stages wherein each
layer adds new elements to all that came before; in turn, each
stands in preparation for a next phase which may or may not come.
Every "level of human existence" offers a particular
viewing point for the real world as defined by its unique
set of perceptual filters. These diverse reality views lead to
very different decision-making approaches, organizing principles
for business, economic and governance models, and ideas of what
appropriate, effective living means.
Through
decades of research, Dr. Graves built "the emergent,
cyclical, double-helix model of adult biopsychosocial systems
development." (When asked about the ponderous title once
during a conference, he responded with, "Well,
dammit, that's what it is" and a wink.) He used pairs of letters to
designate the interaction of conditions-without and latent systems-within.
His labels for the eight core vMemes take the form of
A-N, B-O, C-P, D-Q, E-R, F-S, A'-N', B'-O', etc. (They are noted
below.) But there are also two transition states between each
pair. For example, the transition stages between smug Yuppie and
communitarian chic are E-R/f-s and e-r/F-S. Between raw idinal
power drives and purposeful orderliness are C-P/d-q (the realm of
many violent zealots) and D-Q/c-p (self-righteous absolutism).
It's very powerful, but also pretty complicated until you become
used to the letter language. There is also a clear sequence to the
alphabetical labels that can erroneously be taken as a
"better-than"/"worse-than" stacking. (The
levels are not qualitative markers of human worth, but
quantitative markers of expansiveness of conceptual space.)
Though
Graves used the term, "double-helix," a Spiral is also a
useful way to visualize this process of emerging systems. (Many of
his original graphics infer that form, but Graves' draftsman could
not execute the drawings.) As a Spiral builds, each whorl
represents the flow from one reality to the next. Individuals,
organizations, and entire societies move along this spiral
trajectory, shifting their priorities, values, and essences as
they go toward their various futures. Since the future
may be almost anywhere along the Spiral, the question is:
What is next for this person or group, sensing the world
in this way, changing from this way of being to
the one that is next. Likewise, rather than asking, "what
kind of person is this?" the Gravesian approach is to ask,
"How is this person thinking about this thing in these
circumstances, and why?" Thus, the model is not a typology
but a flowing process of emerging, nested systems.
Another
tributary of Spiral Dynamics is the burgeoning science of memetics
which describes the notion of memes -- idea/information
packets that transfer virus-like from mind to mind, community to
community. (See the book reviews section
and search the Web for "meme" or "memetics".)
Spiral Dynamics connects memetics with yet deeper forces in human
nature -- the core intelligences of the human spiral which are the
attractors (and repellers) of memes. These are the VMemes
(rhymes with vee-themes) which determine why and how
people process ideas as they do. (Other non-memetic language
includes "value systems" and "levels of
psychological existence." The memetic connection arose with
the 1996 book, Spiral Dynamics, and was not a part of Dr.
Graves' original work which stands quite well without it.)
Movement
and stasis along the developmental Spiral - either up or down -
are reflections of the interaction between Life Conditions (the
conditions-without which combine the historic times,
physical place, psycho-social existence problems, and
socio-economic circumstances) and the VMemes accessible
in the individual or collective mind (the systems-within).
Generally, the evolution is toward more elaborated, more complex
and inclusive ways of being - "higher" levels. However,
life is without guarantees and there can also be regressions to
previous, less complex, "lower" level structures. In
either case, the active VMemes are the containers for
ideas and the essence of value systems, weltanschauuns, and
the many "real" worlds that exist in parallel -
sometimes in conflict, sometimes in confluence - on earth today.
So, for
simplicity, we introduced a color-code system back in the late
1970's to label the Gravesian levels ( vMemes) in their
peak conditions. The color choices were based on convenience for
making title slides and training aids - there is no deep
significance intended. However, these metaphors may help in
remembering the sequence:
Beige
- savannah grasslands and survival
Purple
- color of royalty and the first common dye
Red
- blood and hot emotional energy
Blue
- sky and heavens
Orange
- steel taking form at the furnace
Green
- plants and ecology
Yellow
- solar energy and life force (correlates to Beige as survival in
complexity)
Turquoise
- earth's color viewed as a whole from afar (correlates with
Purple as a global village)
Coral -
life beneath the seas' surface (correlates with Red - a new
collective energy core)
Teal -
spirit and life connecting (correlates with Blue)
etc.
Although
Dr. Graves never used colors himself -- he used his letter-pairs
and sometimes even numbers for the levels -- he expressed no
objection to this simplified set of labels except that it
mixes the two double-helix forces into one term, just as numbers
do, thus suggesting a simplicity which is not there. For those
unfamiliar with the model, here's a quick summary of the landmark
zones along the Spiral. Remember that these are ways of thinking
about a thing, not types of people, so several can coexist in
admixtures and clusters. There are shadings, mixtures, and blends
within individuals and ranges in organizations and communities.
Eight Value
Systems / vMemes that have emerged to date and
still exist side-by-side on earth . . .
1 BEIGE (A-N)
based on
biological urges/drives; physical senses dictate the state of
being
2 PURPLE (B-O)
threatening and
full of mysterious powers, spirit beings which must be placated
and appeased
3 RED (C-P)
l like a jungle where
the tough and strong prevail while the weak serve; nature is an
adversary
4 BLUE (D-Q)
controlled by a Higher Power that punishes evil and eventually
rewards good works and Right living
5 ORANGE (E-R) full
of resources to develop and opportunities to make things better
and bring prosperity
6 GREEN (F-S) the
habitat wherein humanity can find love and purposes through
affiliation and sharing
7 YELLOW (A'-N' or G-T)
a chaotic organism where change is the norm and uncertainty a
usual state of being
8 TURQUOISE (B'-O' or
H-U) a
delicately balanced system of interlocking forces in jeopardy in
human hands
9 CORAL (C'-P' or I-V)
should tend to be I-oriented, controlling, consolidating - if the
pattern to date holds
What
people in each world seek out in life . . .
(Goals of "Successful" Living)
1 BEIGE (A-N)
survival;
biogenic needs satisfaction; reproduction
2 PURPLE (B-O)
safety/security;
protection from harm; family bonds
3 RED (C-P)
power/action;
asserting self to dominate others; control
4 BLUE (D-Q)
stability/order;
obedience to earn later reward; meaning
5 ORANGE (E-R)
opportunity/success;
competing to achieve results; influence
6 GREEN (F-S)
harmony/love;
joining together for mutual growth; awareness
7 YELLOW (A'-N' or G-T)
independence/self-worth;
fitting a living system; knowing
8 TURQUOISE (B'-O' or
H-U) global
community/life force; survival of Earth; consciousness
How
"rational" people might deal with such a world . . .
(Coping Systems)
1 BEIGE (A-N)
as natural
instincts and reflexes direct; automatic existence
2 PURPLE (B-O)
according to
tradition and ritual ways of group; tribal; animistic
3 RED (C-P)
asserting self
for dominance, conquest, and power; exploitive; egocentric
4 BLUE (D-Q)
obediently as
higher authority and rules direct; absolutist; conforming
5 ORANGE (E-R)
pragmatically to
achieve results and get ahead; multiplistic; achievist
6 GREEN (F-S)
responds to
human needs; affiliative; relativistic; situational
7 YELLOW (A'-N' or G-T)
build functional
niche to do what one chooses; existential; systemic
8 TURQUOISE (B'-O' or
H-U) experiential
to join with other like thinkers; holistic; transpersonal
Dr. Graves'
model is open-ended, so new letters, numbers, or colors will need
to be added as new levels of psychological existence are
identified in human nature. His use of primes (A'-N' as an
alternative to G-T, for example) suggests the notion that the
process may be one of six-on-six systems rather than a simple
series. Thus, the seventh is an echo of the first, the eighth an
echo of the second, etc. This is where the "First Tier"
and "Second Tier" notion presented in Spiral Dynamics
comes from. There could theoretically be a third, fourth, and more
Tiers as and if human nature continues to emerge. For more on Dr.
Graves' original thinking, go to our http://www.clarewgraves.com
site.
Spiral
Dynamics® Colors
and Transitions between Dr. Graves' Nodal States
from the
Emergent, Cyclical Double-Helix Model of Adult BioPsychoSocial
Systems Development
(Reproduced
from a handout prepared by Chris Cowan)
AN
BEIGE
(World1)..............Survival/meeting biological
needs/instinctive drives & urges
BEIGE
/ PURPLE
Awakening
of a sense of dependent self in a mysterious and frightening world
where being with others means
safety
BO
PURPLE
(World2)............Safety/tribal needs/adherence to
ritual/obeying chief(s)/harmony/reciprocity
PURPLE
/ RED
Awakening of an egocentric self determined to break the shackles
of the family or tribe and become a powerful
individual
CP
RED
(World3)...............….Power/action/excitement/proving
individual prowess/shame/cunning dominance
RED
/ BLUE
Awakening of a purposeful self with guilt in search of meaning in
a purposeful existence and reasons why we live
and die
DQ
BLUE
(World4)........…......Purpose/obedience to
authority/stability/rules/meaning/guilt/duty
BLUE
/
ORANGE
Awakening of a pragmatic, independence-seeking self who challenges
higher authority and scientifically tests
possibilities
ER
ORANGE
(World5)...........Competition/success/making things
better/autonomy/adroit control/growth
ORANGE
/ GREEN
Awakening
of a sociocentric self who strives for belonging and acceptance
and needs to
discover spirit,
inner harmony, peace
FS
GREEN
(World6)...........….Affiliation/sustainability/collaboration/consciousness/fulfillment/sharing/connections
GREEN
/
YELLOW
Awakening of an inquiring, interdependent self who no longer needs
approval yet can collaborate when
appropriate with diminishing compulsions or fears
Shift
from First Tier SUBSISTENCE SYSTEMS to Second TIER BEING levels
(see FAQ for comments)
A'N'*
YELLOW
(World7)..........Being/functionality/discovery/integralism/responsibilities
of living/connections
YELLOW
/
TURQUOISE
Awakening of experiential self who seeks ways of being that use
knowledge to restore natural harmony
and balance
B'O'*
TURQUOISE
(World8 )...Experience of holism/accept existential
realities/integration of life energies
TURQUOISE
/
CORAL . . . the
open-ended Graves theory continues as new thinking systems awaken
and coping with life's
existential dichotomies activates new neuronal systems * A'N' = GT;
B'O' = HU. For those unfamiliar with Dr. Clare W. Graves's
original model, the letter pairs represent the emergent
double-helix as Life Conditions (times, place, problems,
circumstances plus the conditions for existence) interact
with the neurobiological Coping Systems activated in the
mind/brain. Thus, the model describes the awakening and
submergence of deep values as conditions outside interact with
systems inside persons, organizations, and our species. Changes of
mind can can lead to actions that change the world. Shifts in the
world can alter the perceptions in the mind. This is the preferred
terminology, although the color-code, originally designed as a
decorative element, has become something of a 'meme' for those
unfamiliar with the depth of the model.
There are
presently eight landmark systems with two transitional stages
(entering and exiting) between each pair, along with blends and
combinations. One view of the theory is as an emergent hierarchy
of systems that build up in sequence, a progression through levels
of psychological existence. Another is to look at the mixtures of vMEMEs
active in a situation and to take a reading of the energies at
work and the products of those interactions. Both are useful. (See
FAQ for more.) |