Principles of the Evolutionary Process

* earlier vs. later Note: We use "earlier and later" vs. "lower and higher" to avoid the bias found in the latter. * rather than higher vs. lower * implicit assumptions * no one is entirely at one stage or another * it's more like a probability * all stages are idealizations * every human being is a unique idiosyncratic representation of these mental models and never fits the model perfectly * if you're stressed then you'll be at the lower stage and if your life is going well then you'll probably peak experience one of the higher levels * this is a scientific model * so it has it's limits * it can't handle every instance of life and the world * not every situation in the world can fit into this model * all growth happens in separate lines of development * different lines of development can be at different stages of growth * There's no "stage development" without a particular line. * the levels of development never occur on their own, they are always levels of some line * later stages aren't necessarily happier * shadows develop at every stage * later stages can understand earlier — but earlier can't understand later * it's pointless to try to get someone at an earlier stage to understand a later stage concept or way of viewing the world * growth can't be forced * these stages are the map NOT the territory * the later the stage, the lesser the need for defending our perspective * none of these stages are good are bad * they're all a necessary part of human development * the hard part of this work is: * being humble enough to admit that there are stages that are higher and more developed as you * to a 1st grader who sees calculus on a chalkboard will seem like new-age woo woo that means nothing. * so not judging the higher stages is crucial * each stage has the capabilities of the stages beneath it * transcend and include * key word INCLUDE * each stage builds on top of the previous stages * even advanced stages can still conform, to use the rational mind, they don't lose these abilities * the higher stages can understand the lower stages, but the lower can't understand the higher * when you're stressed and in survival-mode you will regress stages * mystical experiences can happen at any stages but the mind will interpret the experience in terms of whatever stage you're at * Greuters model consists of mostly the cognitive line * what's being measured is your capacity to take perspectives * it's how you mind make sense of reality * this model relates to meaning making * And Spiral Dynamics relates to what we value * what we deem as important and what we're driven by * These aren't the only psychological models of development * horizontal vs. vertical * horizontal could mean * getter better and better at business and expert skills * self-help is most often done on the horizontal level * vertical movement * much more difficult * requires more depth, effort and a longer vision * The levels alternate between differentiation and integration * from impulsive differentiation of self - separate from everything else * to integration into a conformist mindset * to differentiation into a individualistic (expert/achiever) * Note that each stage is it's own reality * why conservatives and liberals can't understand each other * every structural stage of belief systems are their own realities Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe