Clare W. Graves is an American scientist and professor of psychology at Union College, New York. The research, which he began in 1952 and continued for three decades (almost until his death in 1986), was intended to "extract meaning from conflicting concepts in the science of human behavior." Indeed, in this area, many solid theories have been created, supported by numerous studies - which one is "correct"? (Answer: all are correct. The question is, in what sense are they correct and how do they relate to each other?)
Graves decided to pick a very controversial area of human behavior about which there are many different points of view, and see what can be done. For this he chose the concept of a "mentally healthy human being". (A popular topic in the 50s in the United States - here you can recall the concept of a "self-actualized person" according to A. Maslow, "a fully functional person" according to K. Rogers, etc.) It is important to understand that Graves was not so much interested in the content of these concepts, how much is how they interact with each other.
As "experimental" he used the students who studied the course of personality psychology under his supervision. For eight years (with eight different sets of students) he collected data. In the first part of the course, students simply discussed among themselves (and under Graves's supervision) the concept of a "healthy person", formulating their opinions. Then they wrote and gave him a statement of their concept.
Graves randomly formed groups of students, where each had to defend their concept (the researcher himself usually watched this process through a mirror glass, remaining invisible to the group). Then the students again stated their position on paper, explaining how and under the influence of what it changed or why it remained the same.
Then it was repeated once more, but now Graves was introducing the students to the different views on this issue, which belonged to recognized authorities in the field.
Finally, Graves spoke in person with the students, discussing how and what during the course influenced the change in their beliefs. He showed the students' written works to independent experts (different each year), suggesting "to classify these views - on any basis, if possible."
The results were overwhelming.
In the first studies, most of the presented concepts of "healthy personality" behavior fell into two categories, with two subcategories in each:
sacrifice something in order to get something else right now ("I go to the cinema with a friend, but not the one I want to see, but the one he wants to get his appreciation for").
express myself as I want, but not at the expense of other people.
In research in the early 1960s, Graves gained access to a wider range of subjects and was able to distinguish another "expressive" category (traces of which, in fact, were present in the early data), namely: "express yourself impulsively, at any cost." ("The world is a jungle where the fittest survives, and every normal person knows this") and obtain data pointing to a "sacrificial" category, which could be described as "adapting myself to the basic, existential principles of the world."
Analyzing the data, Graves revealed many relationships between subjects' behavior and their beliefs about a "normal personality." For example, members of the “sacrifice now for a reward later” group more easily changed their judgments under the influence of the opinion of authorities. And those who belonged to the group "manifest myself at the expense of others" changed only under the influence of the information that they obtained themselves. Those belonging to the group "express myself, but not at the expense of others" reacted to the information regardless of the source.
However, the most surprising thing was something else.
When the subject's beliefs changed, they did not change randomly, but in a certain sequence.
The category "expressing oneself impulsively, at any cost" became "sacrifice in order to receive a reward later." In turn, this category turned into "I manifest myself deliberately, at the expense of others," she - into "sacrificing one now for the sake of another now", and this one - into "expressing myself, but not at the expense of others."
For several years, Graves continued to research his "test subjects." He conducted them through a variety of psychometric tests, simulated problem situations, etc. The results of behavioral flexibility tests turned out to be especially indicative (the subjects were presented with problem situations, for which there are many possible solutions). The results shown by the subjects directly depended on where in the sequence of categories they were.
Thus, groups made up of people belonging to the last, sixth category ("I express myself, but not at the expense of others"), generated more solutions to the problem than all other groups combined! In addition, the quality of their decisions was better, and they came to them faster. And at the same time, the results of other tests did not show any significant differences either in intelligence, or in temperament, or in anything else.
Decades of further research led Graves to build what he called "an intermittent, cyclical, spiral model of the development of the adult psychobiosocial system." According to Graves, human nature moves along the path of development from one state of equilibrium to another. Each state adds new elements to what came before it, while simultaneously forming the basis for the next state. Each such "level of human existence" defines its own unique set of filters of perception, offering a specific system of views on the world, a specific system of values. Which, in turn, leads to different decision-making processes, principles of organization, ideology, etc.
Here is a brief description of the "levels of existence" that have emerged so far.
1. "Lone Hunters". Expressive type. The goal is biological
survival. Only basic biological instincts work - hunger,
reproduction, etc.
2. "Tribe". Sacrificial type: personality is sacrificed for survival
tribe. The goal is safety, survival of the tribe, family. Peace
perceived as full of spirits, mysterious powers that should be gratified.
3. "Gods and Heroes". Expressive. An attempt to hyperrealize oneself,
impulsively, at any cost. The goal is personal power, expansion of the scope
control. "The world is a jungle, only the fittest survives." Time of the greats
travelers and heroes.
4. "Sacrifice for the sake of an idea." Sacrificial. "Donate something to get
reward later. "Their desires are sacrificed to the idea, the highest
order. Call of Duty. The goal is stability, order, compliance
rituals. Major religions emerge at this level, persecution
heresies, etc.
5. "Big game". Expressive. "I show myself deliberately, including
at the expense of others "Realizing oneself in competition with others, and
the process itself is valued above the result. "To the loser later
return the loss to play again. "
professional sports, beauty contests, etc. The goal is success, influence.
6. "Man is above all". Sacrificial. "Sacrificing one now for the other
now. "Life credo -" there are no free cakes. "
Attention to the needs of others. The concept of ecology appears.
"Let's lose the plant, but there will be clean air." The goal is harmony
mutual growth, cooperation.
7. "Integration". Expressive. "I express myself, but not at the expense of others."
Striving for the integration of conflicts, satisfaction of all needs.
The goal is independence, freedom, dignity, integration into the global
system. Systematic approach, taking into account the context.
8. "Global Consciousness". So far, the nature of this level is not entirely clear.
Sacrificial type. Adapting yourself to the basic principles of the device
the world. Global community, perception of humanity as a whole,
integration at the cultural level.
Graves' theory suggests that level 7 is the first level of the "second tier" of systems. If the theory is correct, then there should also be six of them, in a sense reflecting the first.
What is the mechanism of the transition of the biopsychosocial system from one equilibrium state to another? Graves believed that the functioning of each level is associated with specific structures of the human brain. Thus, the behavior of the system at the first level (biological survival) is associated with the structures of the brain that are responsible for the vital physiological needs of the organism, periodic in their nature. (In fact, Graves postulated the existence of such structures as early as 1971). He believed that the structures of the brain that ensure the functioning of the levels are different and are activated by significantly different types of stimuli.
1st level - unconditioned reflexes, instincts.
2nd - conditioned reflexes (I. Pavlov).
3rd - instrumental conditioning (B. Skinner)
4th - punishment and reward, guilt (S. Freud)
5th, 6th - training, social training (A. Bandura)
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When you evaluate your past actions, solutions, and ways in which you have dealt with problems, do your reactions seem consistent and? Have they changed in recent years? Probably yes, because values and motivating factors changed.
Spiral Dynamics is a theory of motivation. It is not as popular as it is, but nevertheless it is quite interesting. The theory was created in 1930 by Dr. Claire Graves, who died before publication. The materials were discovered by his follower Don Beck and published only in 1996. At the same time, he added his vision to the concept, so we will consider the model as a union of two concepts.
Explanation of the theory
The Spiral Dynamics model differs from other theories of human development and motivation in one important way: it does not try to prove that we are moving towards an ultimate goal in order to stay on top. The model indicates that a person moves along a spiral of personal development depending on biological, social and psychological characteristics.
The Spiral Dynamics Model was created to understand:
- How people think (as opposed to theories that try to figure out what a person thinks).
- Why do people make decisions differently.
- Why people are motivated by different things.
- Why and how values arise.
- What is the nature of change based on.
Spiral Dynamics: A Union of Two Concepts
A follower of Graves, Don Beck developed a theory based on two others:
- Graves' original theory
- Dawkins Meme Concepts
Graves argued that values influence behavior. He classified values (a person's point of view on what is important to him and what the world is or should be) into two groups: person-oriented and group-oriented. A person's values affect how and what a person thinks, how he behaves and what he feels. Values also have an impact on aspects such as:
- The senses
- Ethics
- Motivation
- Beliefs
- Job and training preferences
- Political position
Richard Dawkins used the term "memes" to describe cultural information that is circulated among people. These are things like fashion, art techniques, slang, basic beliefs that are passed from person to person. Like genes, which are biological units and are passed from organism to organism, memes are fundamental cultural units that are reproduced in society.
The spiral dynamics model introduces a new concept - vMemes (value memes). These are deeply hidden values that influence human experience. Memes-values are a way of thinking, concepts and paradigms through which a person makes decisions and acts. The Spiral Dynamics model poses an important and old question for us: Why do people do what they do?
Spiral model
The Spiral Dynamics model is a color spiral where each color has a different meme value. There are eight such memes:
- Beige: instinctive... Survival Behavior.
- Magenta: magical / spiritual... Using rituals to identify cause and effect.
- Red: impulsive / egocentric... The use of cunning and the desire to do what you want. The strong rule, the weak serves.
- Blue: purposeful / authoritarian... Desire to streamline existence and enforce principles based on what is "right."
- Orange: strategic / achievement-oriented... Get the edge by exploring all the possibilities and strive for success. Improve approaches and techniques for greater results.
- Green: egalitarian / community-oriented... Desire to achieve equal rights for all and develop a caring society.
- Yellow: integrative... Observing the world as interconnected systems and emphasizing flexibility. Change is okay.
- Turquoise: holistic... Uniting mind and spirit in order to experience life in its entirety and ensure existence with meaning. The world is a fragile substance that can be damaged in human hands.
- Coral: undefined... We are not there yet and do not know anything about this level.
According to the theory, as a person grows and develops, his memes-values grow with him and one can observe a transition from selfishness to a desire to help society. A person does not jump from one stage to another, he rather moves down and up in a spiral (unlike Maslow's pyramid). The higher a person moves in a spiral, the more clearly he understands how complex the world is.
At work, the higher a person's level of development, the more empathic they are. He begins to understand more in management and, knows how to motivate other people and interact with them. Achieves success in the following aspects:
- Team development
- Ability to cope with
- Flexible leadership style
- Ability to promptly encourage team members
- Ability to use motivational strategies
- Effective communication
- Good interpersonal relationships
Determine which level of the spiral dynamics model you are at. Be prepared for the fact that in some life situations you will slide down a spiral, so be philosophical about this. If you have reached the orange level, it is a great success, because you finally stopped seeing people as competitors and began to partner with them for the common good. Don't stop there.
We wish you good luck!
In the second half of the 20th century, many theories appeared describing the individual evolution of consciousness based on observable, empirical data. Piaget oversaw the cognitive line of development, Kohlberg oversees moral development, Loevinger oversees the development of self-awareness, Maslow, the author of the famous Maslow pyramid, oversees the development of needs, Graves oversees development of the value system.
It has been observed that most people in their development go through certain stages, and some go further, and some "get stuck". Studies in cultures other than the culture of the West have shown that people in them are characterized by the same stages, with the only difference that in less developed cultures, most of the population is in earlier stages of development (although this does not exclude the appearance in these cultures of individual thinkers higher order).
What is the higher order criterion? The main criterion is the relative complexity of the system. As evolutionary development progresses, systems tend to become more complex. The history of society itself has been accompanied by an increase in complexity by about a million times. If primitive societies can consist of hundreds or thousands of people, then a modern society cannot exist with less than 100 million members, and in recent years this number is clearly not enough to implement the most complex technologies.
It should be especially noted that it is not arbitrary complexity that accumulates in systems, but complexity that allows the system to function more efficiently within the external system. For an animal it will be the ecosphere, for a person - a society, and for a country - a set of other countries with which cultural ties are established.
What gives grounds to draw an analogy between the stages of individual development and social stages? The fact is that human consciousness is culturally conditioned, the mechanisms of inheritance of the level of thinking, vertical transmission of ideas operate in society. Each next generation inherits the ideas of the previous one, which makes it easier for him to move to the next level of his development. Thus, if today we see how individual individuals develop into what seems to us to be more complex and higher stages, we can assume that the whole society will follow them in the future.
In the 1970s and 90s, American psychologist Claire Graves, and then his followers Chris Cowan, Don Beck and Ken Wilber, developed a new socio-evolutionary theory, later called the theory of spiral dynamics. This evolutionary theory was chosen among many others, because, in my opinion, it most fully describes the possible stages of the evolution of the development of both man and society. Development levels in Graves' theory are described through the paradigms of consciousness (which for convenience are encoded in different colors from beige to yellow). These are paradigms of consciousness, or value complexes, which include spiritual beliefs, cultural ideas, moral principles, learning models, etc. arise as the need for them arises in the process of sociocultural evolution.
Each successive stage of development satisfies needs that were not satisfied (or suppressed) by the previous stage of development of civilization. The fundamental difference from social Darwinism here lies in the holistic approach - each next level of development of society in it is considered as the next level of holarchy, which includes the previous one. As a result, the highest levels of development of society do not deny, but include the previous ones.
According to the theory of spiral dynamics, at the upper level of cultural holarchy, there are so-called value memes of the highest order - in English terminology vMeme (hereinafter referred to as' MEMEs). Each `` MEME is a value system that ultimately evokes certain beliefs, social groupings, patterns of motivation, organizational dynamics, goals. If we artificially try to bring solutions or structures into society that correspond to a `` MEME other than the one on which the society is located, they will be rejected. The model is hierarchical, that is, the `` MEMEs in it are in order of increasing complexity, but at the same time open, that is, the end point is unknown. To date, eight levels of holoarchy are described, which are presented below.
1) Beige - automatic, instinctive thinking.
Stone Age level not particularly common on the planet today. At this level, survival instincts dominate, a person behaves in general like an animal, albeit the most intelligent one. Social organization: small tribal groups.
Ethics: none. It is ethical that which contributes to survival.
Contemporary examples: newborns and very old people.
Prerequisites for the transition to a new level: awareness of oneself as a person, comprehension of cause-and-effect relationships, concern for survival, which requires group interaction.
2) Purple - animistic, tribal.
Animistic, magical, down-to-earth thinking. The individual obeys the interests of the group. Emphasis on group rituals and spirit worship. Blood ties are very strong. Strong power of shamans / chiefs.
Ethics: Everything that benefits the tribe is ethical.
Contemporary examples: the tribes of Africa.
Prerequisites for the transition: the emergence of a dominant ego, a personality that is stronger than the group, limited niches for existence.
3) Red - egocentric, power.
Rigid authoritarianism manifests itself in slavery or similar forms of exploitation of unskilled labor. Power through a leader and several vassals (two-tier model). The belief that people are lazy and need to be made to work. True leaders suppress human emotions. Typical for early states.
Ethics: strong rights.
Contemporary examples: street gangs, African kingdoms.
Prerequisites for the transition: recognition of the power of morality, the search for the meaning and purpose of life, an increase in the planning range.
4) Blue - absolutist, sacred.
Patriotic thinking, the only correct way to think, submission to power, the imposition of a sense of guilt for not conforming to group norms, self-sacrifice in the name of a higher goal. Active protection of "friends" from the encroachments of "aliens". Works well in industrial economies. The emergence of complex hierarchies. "Thinking locally - acting globally."
Ethics: Religious or Quasi-Religious.
Modern examples: Puritan states of the USA, modern Confucian Chinese families, Islamic states.
Prerequisites for the transition: Finding the best choice among many alternatives, seeking happiness in this life, discovering church / leadership mistakes.
5) Orange is materialistic, achievement-oriented.
Rationalism, private entrepreneurship for their own good, economic motivation, competition improves the productivity and quality of goods, promotes growth. Possibly the dominant `` MEME in America today. "Thinking locally - acting locally."
Ethics: Secular Law Above All.
Modern examples: "capitalists" of the USA, Western Europe.
Preconditions for the transition: finding that material well-being does not bring happiness, a renewed sense of collectivism, dissatisfaction with competition and inequality.
6) Green is sociocentric.
Emphasis on shared growth, equality, humanism, tolerance, stability, attention to environmental issues. Motivation - human relationships and learning. Openness and trust are valued, not competition. Leaders become less autocratic, hierarchies are blurred. Efficiency falls, stagnation sets in. "Thinking globally - acting globally."
Ethics: Laws are important, but they should serve the welfare of all.
Contemporary examples: the welfare states of Europe, Greenpeace, the left movement.
Preconditions for the transition: too high cost of collective decisions, the need to compete with systems with fewer social obligations.
7) Yellow - systemic, integrating.
Motivation by learning, emphasis on growth, change, challenges. Systems thinking, ecology fades into the background (but remains), the efficiency of the system comes to the fore. Recognizing the value of chaos and self-organization. "Thinking globally - acting locally."
Ethics: Ethics is the subject of an agreement between people, not a state.
Contemporary examples: companies in the high-tech sector.
Prerequisites for the transition: the search for order in chaos, the search for guiding principles, the combination of spirituality and physics.
Turquoise - globalist, modernizing.
Synergetic, holographic thinking, the ability to fully see the advantages and disadvantages of the previous levels, integrating them into a single whole.
Contemporary examples: Gaia's theory, the "global village", Gandhi's idea of pluralistic harmony.
Discussion
An important feature of this model is that each odd level is oriented mainly towards individual values, and the even one is oriented towards collective values (except for the last one, where collective and individual values are in harmony). Thus, the significance of culture, the collective subjective will be especially great at the "violet", "blue", "green" level. On the contrary, on “red” there will be a clear priority of power, on “orange” - money and individual freedoms, on “yellow” there will be faith in society's ability to self-organize, to resolve the conflict between intersubjective and interobjective nonviolent ways.
As a rule, societies are heterogeneous in terms of memetic composition, and the more developed and complex a society, the greater the variety of levels there is. Levels do not change overnight, and do not represent rungs of a ladder, they behave more like rolling waves, each next wave is more complicated than the previous one.
Beck and Cowan estimate that 10% of the world's population is in the "violet" level, 20% in the "red" and 40% in the "blue". The remaining 30% of the population is scattered over the "orange" and "green", with a rare entry into the "yellow" and above.
The process of moving to a new level is not something irreversible or inevitable. A corporation, for example, may be stuck in blue, while orange economic conditions are pushing it towards a completely different style of business. This usually ends in bankruptcy. For a state stuck at a low level of development, while its neighbors have gone far ahead, this situation is fraught with poverty, falling into colonial dependence or harsh "shock therapy". In transitional phases, when two colors are mixed, the dominant color is written in large letters, and the recessive color in small letters, such as "BLUE / orange" or "orange / GREEN".
Transitional factors, conditions that ensure a smooth transition from one value level to another, are of particular interest within the framework of Graves' theory.
A lot of theories of the evolution of human society have been created, but so far none of them claims to be generally accepted. The reason is that none of them exhaustively (or even close to that) was able to explain the nature of social processes. This is their similarity, and as for the differences, here we are faced with an exceptionally rich choice - there are so many theories and ideas on this score that in this they can compete only with philosophical theories of substantiating the meaning of human existence.
Does all this mean that all theories of social evolution, due to the exceptional diversity of social processes and the presence of many different and unexpected factors influencing them, are a priori doomed to failure? Maybe so, but something else is more obvious here: as long as human society develops and exists, attempts will continue to find common laws of development for all.
In this article, we will tell you about one of these theories, which, compared to others, is distinguished by a fair amount of originality, and also claims to actually grasp the immensity and in a fairly simple way to explain what no one has succeeded in.
So, welcome - The Spiral Dynamics Theory of the development of human societies.
The theory of spiral dynamics is quite exhaustively presented in the 1996 book of the same name by Don Beck and Chris Cowan (already translated into Russian), which we highly recommend reading, and is a creative interpretation of another original theory known as the theory emergent cyclical levels of existence " Clare William Graves, professor of psychology from the USA.
William Graves
The theory saw the light back in the 60s of the last century, and its main idea was that the development of worldview systems in social systems follows a double spiral, where one is the totality of all external conditions of existence - both individuals and society in general, while the other is determined by the psychological state of individuals in a particular society, their ideas about the world around them and the subsequent vision of this world.
Don Beck
The interaction of these two main factors resulted in stable conditions of existence and ways of thinking, which formed the current model of society and the conditions for its further development.
Spiral Dynamics Theory.
The theory of spiral dynamics is based on the following provisions:
- the nature of human consciousness is not something immutable and definite once and for all, people are in constantly changing conditions of existence, to which they are forced to adapt, and this process necessarily goes through the creation of new ideas - concepts that describe the world around them, while new ideas about the world is always superior to the previous ones.
- these conceptual models of the world inherent in individual members of society are always organized around value systems common to many members of society, which were called by the authors of the theory V-Memes.
V-Meme is a kind of collective intelligence, which is based on a combination of values that are fundamental for a given community and are inherent in both individuals and society as a whole.
- in the system of spiral dynamics, V-Memes are social ideas, common customs and traditions, habits, generally accepted models of behavior, cultural manifestations of a given society, etc.
An interesting distinctive feature of V-Memes is their ability to self-organize and self-develop. This property means that they are able to change over time by themselves, albeit in close connection with changing social trends.
- V-Memes are the dominant tendency in the consciousness of both individual members of society and the society itself as a whole. There are two tendencies in the system of spiral dynamics - consciousness of the "I" type and consciousness of the "WE" type.
* The letter V, which is at the beginning of the word, comes from the English word "value", which means "value".
In the variant of consciousness of the “I” type, most members of society perceive themselves as an individual, whose interests are always higher than public ones.
In the variant of consciousness of the "WE" type, the dominant is the awareness of oneself as a member of a group or society, and in this case the interests of the group in the public consciousness are prevailing.
Of course, here it is necessary to clearly understand that we are talking about the dominant social attitudes or tendencies, while individually in any society there are always individuals and even groups adhering to different tendencies of behavior.
The stages of development of societies are the levels of the spiral.
In the system of spiral dynamics, various levels of development of societies are traditionally represented in different colors, and the basis of such a division, as the authors of the theory tell us, is a simple accident. While lecturing, Beck and Cowan, for their own convenience, marked the slides about the dominant levels of social consciousness with different colors, which were subsequently chosen to designate these levels.
Level 1 - Beige.
Human society has existed for a very long time, and in primitive times (about 100,000 years ago), a person was practically no different from an animal. The living conditions were such that physical survival was the main and natural guideline in life.
This is the level of public consciousness of the "I" type, and personal survival comes first here.
The psychology of the individual is completely dependent on difficult conditions of existence, this is the satisfaction of urgent physiological needs through instincts. The psychology of the level is based on the opposition of a person and a hostile surrounding world, in which one must survive at any cost. Killing your own kind for the sake of survival in such a world is a common thing, sometimes this murder is committed only to simply eat another.
As the external conditions of existence change, the orientation of consciousness gradually changes and moves to the next level.
Level 2 - Purple.
This is a level with a collective V-Meme of consciousness of the "WE" type.
The world around in the public consciousness is still extremely dangerous and, in addition to natural enemies - other tribes, diseases, wild animals, it is inhabited by various spirits and creatures, most of which also do not bring anything good to a person.
During this period, the tribe (as a group) carries the main potential for survival and, accordingly, is the prevailing value. The tribe is more important than each of its members in and of itself.
Such communities still exist in hard-to-reach places on our planet, for example, in the jungles of the Amazon and Indonesia, and scientists have the opportunity to study them. It is known that one of the most terrible punishments in such a community is expulsion from the tribe.
The main motive of such a culture is physical survival, but at a higher level than the previous one. A higher level means that the chances of survival here are much higher than that of a loner. It is more convenient for people to hunt together, to reflect the onslaught of enemies; at the same level, the first social relations, social rules and collective views on the world around arise.
When considering the levels, it is necessary to clearly understand that their psychology is inherent not only in the communities to which they were originally assigned. Elements of the psychology of primitive communities can be found at any level of development. This is very typical of primitive groups - teenagers, criminals. Remember how teens often perceive a person who is moving to another school - they talk about him as an exile or even as a traitor.
Level 3 - Red.
Approximately 7,000 years ago, with the advent of agriculture, new conditions for existence are gradually emerging - people are moving to a sedentary standard of living. This is truly a revolutionary change, as it dramatically improves the chances for communities to survive.
In accordance with these changes, social consciousness also changes, which again, but on a different level, is transformed into a consciousness of the "I" type.
With the development of agriculture, such a phenomenon appears as the exploitation of man by man, slavery arises, and with it the material well-being of many members of society rises. Large classes of exploiters appear who bring an egocentric value system into society. In full accordance with the circumstances, social ideas about the world also change, a religion appears, where, instead of the spirits of nature, figures of strong deities appear - the masters of certain elements.
This time is characterized by the capture of new territories, since they provide more opportunities for agriculture, and this, in turn, serves as the main source of material values. Value manifestations of the red level - strength, aggression. The motto is - I want everything, immediately and at any cost.
This level of public consciousness in our time is often manifested in the world, especially in developing countries and countries with an authoritarian type of government.
Level 4 - Blue.
In accordance with external changes, public consciousness again changes its sign to the opposite. The primitive thirst for resources and pleasures is replaced by the desire for law and order, based on obedience to the power of the absolute ruler - the monarch. A clear hierarchical division appears in societies.
From now on, law and order are a guarantee of survival and successful existence for many, and this becomes the highest value of society. Polytheism with the cult of strong gods, embodying natural elements or individual human qualities, changes to monotheism, and one God becomes the source of order, law and justice, a kind of analogue of a just ruler, but only in heaven.
This is the level when the value becomes not brute strength, but labor and the opportunities that it gives.
Blue is the level of a religious worldview, although the role of religion here may well be played by any consolidating social idea (communism, nationalism, fascism).
The clearest illustration of the social values of this level is Protestant ethics.
A characteristic feature of the levels of social development is their expediency. They fully meet the current needs of society, and when circumstances change, the levels begin to transform in accordance with the changes. This means that under certain conditions it is possible to move not only up but also down. For example, if a certain threat to its existence or the concept of its existence appears at the blue level of society's development, then social values can very quickly return to the previous level of development.
So, at certain periods of history, the "blue" society easily slides to the red level - wars arise, territories are seized, genocide occurs, etc. The reason for such regression is not always the need to reflect an external threat; social consciousness of this type is quite capable of creating an imaginary enemy, which, in accordance with the accepted system of values, can appear at any time and fulfill its role to consolidate such a society or satisfy its aggressive ambitions. Examples lie in very recent history - this is the creation of the image of the enemy in the person of Jews and other peoples (Nazi Germany), enemies in the person of the fifth column and world imperialism (Stalin's Russia), the enemy in the person of the whole world (North Korea), etc.
Level 5 - Orange.
In the Middle Ages, society again transforms its basic paradigm, and individual consciousness comes to the fore. During this period, great geographical discoveries were made, science and arts were developing.
The orange level for humanity is a time of great achievements, when people begin to understand that it is in their hands that their fate is located, and not at all in the hands of the Lord or the Monarch.
Personal qualities are highly valued, the orange period of history is a time of triumph for leadership, private initiative and business. For example, nowadays the vast majority of business books are written by so-called Orange Authors.
But there is a problem in that the orange level is the same red, which simply moved to a higher stage of development and, nevertheless, remains a level of extreme individualism, with all the ensuing consequences in terms of consumer attitude towards other people and the environment.
The orange level is built on the principle of consumption, raised to an absolute, and its motto is - I want everything and desirably right now. This approach does not take into account the consequences, especially when they concern other people and the surrounding nature. As a result, because of the decisions dictated by the greed of the "orange" leaders, many people and large natural areas suffer, from which useful resources are mercilessly extracted.
Level 6 - Green.
In response to the situation that unfolds at the orange level, the public consciousness re-experiences the transformation and moves to the next level, and the scales once again tilt towards the collective consciousness. According to Beck and Cowan's classification, this is the green level.
V-Mem at number six is characterized by the emergence of social movements for freedom, equality, ecology, spirituality. An important feature of this level, in contrast to the related levels of collectively oriented consciousness of blue and violet, is that the green consciousness is much broader and more flexible, at this level people unite not under the sign of rules or restrictions, but on a more voluntary and often ideological basis.
In such a consciousness, there is much less suspicion of someone else's psychology and way of life, and much more acceptance of the unfamiliar and incomprehensible. This means that people are initially more positively attuned to the world around them than at previous levels, where mistrust and suspicion play an important role.
A person living in a green paradigm often buys things made from recycled materials, despite their exorbitant cost, rides a bicycle to work so as not to harm the environment, often a vegetarian and animal rights activist, he charges his gadgets from solar panels, and He finds work not for the sake of money, but for the sake of the opportunity to do something for the world together with his “green” colleagues.
Today, the culture of "green" consciousness is more characteristic of Western culture. Even in the "orange" area of business, which is usually considered to be profit-only, "green" elements often appear in the form of a desire to do something important for the world or a lofty idea in addition to earning money.
However, there are also some nuances here. The green type of consciousness often suffers from a collision with the realities of an imperfect world, represented by more primitive social paradigms, within which people often do not take green consciousness seriously at all, because safe consumption is always in the first place for them.
On the other hand, in the very orientation of the green paradigm on trust in the world, which does not always deserve such trust, there is a danger that these ideas will be transformed for the needs of other types of consciousness and reduced to the level where their original meaning will be lost.
An example of this is the notorious Western tolerance, the manifestations of which are so fond of criticizing representatives of more primitive levels. Unfortunately, this remarkable tendency towards tolerance for manifestations of dissent and dissent has largely profaned precisely the encounter with earlier forms of consciousness.
Let's see what can become with the tolerance that representatives of other levels of consciousness have adopted.
In many cases, it turns into its opposite, because the rules of tolerant behavior, introduced not at the state level, very quickly come down to a set of strict rules and often meaningless social restrictions.
In general, history knows many examples when a violent attempt to transfer society to a higher level of development led to the collapse of the idea itself, or even to a tragedy, because a natural change in social development paradigms always occurs under the influence of an urgent need, that is, it is expedient. As for artificial attempts to do this, at best they can lead to the fact that a society at a lower stage of development simply transforms an excellent idea to suit its interests in such a way that this idea will completely lose its original meaning.
This often happens with democracy and liberalism, when they, having fallen into the conditions of an archaic social model, are transformed from really working and useful methods for society into a simple imitation, and often into a scarecrow used to manipulate the broad masses (a vivid example is modern Russia).
In our time, the conditions for a total transition to a green paradigm of consciousness have not yet been fully formed, and therefore its manifestations are fragmented even in Western liberal communities, not to mention those countries where traditionalism and violence reign supreme. Interestingly, in such societies, rare manifestations of green consciousness often cause much greater rejection and hatred than outright aggression, murder and injustice.
7 Level - Yellow.
According to the theory, starting from this level, the transition to the next stage in the evolution of the spiral begins, because the "yellow" stage is the first stage at which awareness of the previous levels as necessary and necessary stages of human development appears in society.
Each type of consciousness is recognized as expedient and necessary under certain external conditions. In the "yellow" consciousness there is no idea about eradicating the previous levels for further development and progress.
Harmonious manifestations of all types of consciousness are often a prerequisite for survival. How to be a "green" person when he needs to earn his own food and clothing? The answer is obvious - temporarily "return" to the orange level.
What if a person with a yellow level of consciousness is attacked? Naturally, in order to effectively protect himself, he will have to temporarily go to the red level or use the help of people who are specialists in such a transition (the police).
What are the manifestations of the "yellow" consciousness in our life? These manifestations are primarily associated with the organic integration of the previously incompatible. So, carriers of different types of consciousness are most often in an explicit or latent contradiction with each other, however, it is the “yellow” who are able to link these contradictions, reconcile them and ensure that people of different levels can work in a single team.
Often this approach means the transformation of the levels of consciousness of all participants in the process. This is the very emergence that we mentioned at the very beginning of the article and which implies that the qualities of a correctly created system at a certain moment begin to exceed the sum of their constituent parts, and these components themselves, under the influence of the system, begin to evolve.
The principles on which the "yellow" consciousness works are very pragmatic and expedient. And they are much more expedient due to the fact that one of the main paradigms of the “yellow” level is cooperation and harmonious interaction. There is a hope that it is with the help of psychology based on similar principles that it will finally be possible to solve the most difficult problems of modern society, especially those based on the opposition of various types of consciousness.
The “yellow” V-Meme is another round of consciousness, when the “I” type comes to the fore, but it is precisely in this feature that the limitation of its capabilities lies. In large and complex systems of social relations, towards which the world is inexorably moving, joint activity, which becomes more effective than individualism, acquires a much greater need.
Level 8 - Turquoise.
The turquoise level, according to the authors of the theory, is not unambiguously the level of "I" or "WE", although to a greater extent it is focused on collective activity. This level is called holistic, or the level of integrity, when the difference between the collective and individual characteristics of consciousness is blurred, and in the limit between them there is no difference at all. This is what the thousand-year-old Buddhist doctrine tells us, as well as the research of modern quantum physics.
It is a big mistake of modern ways of thinking to see everything separately, while in fact the world around us is one, and all the individual things in it are connected and in fact inseparable. Understanding this unity and acting on this understanding is an essential feature of the "turquoise" way of thinking.
Of course, today the turquoise level looks like a distant and ephemeral utopia. Indeed, in fact, this is the level of religious consciousness, but not the one to which we are accustomed and which is an expression of the social stereotype "religion". We are talking about religion, which is built on the inner experience of a person and the subsequent transformation of his consciousness.
At the turquoise level, as the authors of the theory describe it, there are many parallels with the type of consciousness that in the religions of experience is spoken of as enlightened. Perhaps that is what Beck and Cowan mean.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that little is known about turquoise consciousness, the authors go a little further and, looking into the future, mention the next level, which in their terminology is called "coral".
The idea of the next level has not yet been formalized, because nothing is known about it, except for the assumption that it should exist, because the development of human consciousness, according to the authors of the theory, should continue.
Perhaps this is where the summary of the theory of spiral dynamics should be completed, and if you are interested in this theory, you can continue your acquaintance with it by reading the book by Don Beck and Chris Cowan, which is currently the only book on this topic. The book is called Spiral Dynamics and is available in numerous online bookstores.
Many people will probably want to know what type of consciousness our society belongs to, as well as themselves. As you probably understood from the article, they are not the same thing at all.
The answer here cannot be unambiguous, since both society and the individual can operate with different types of consciousness. Moreover, one type will be dominant.
As you might guess, most of the modern world, according to the stated theory, lives within the orange paradigm of consciousness. The society, which is built in many countries, both democratic and not so, is based on similar principles - everywhere the principle of material and spiritual consumption and extreme individualism is proclaimed.
And these conditions sometimes become a tendency not only to progress (transition to the green level), but also to the desire to return to the previous level, which many people who are jealous of traditionalism and spiritual bonds tend to consider progress. But, of course, the return to the blue level, when the collective consciousness was dominant, is not.
And although such a temporary return under certain conditions is quite possible, it will in no way lead to a rejection of the principle of consumption, but only translate it into a somewhat different plane.
In order to be convinced of this, it is enough to look at the countries where the tendency of “blue consciousness” is clearly expressed, there are many such countries in the world, but there are no happy and harmonious societies in them.
This can also be applied to individual consciousness, which is capable of changing much faster than the consciousness of society. Of course, no individual consciousness can be considered completely orange, green or blue, it always comes down to one dominant level. But there is one important feature here: the higher the level, the less the likelihood of regression and the higher the progress.
And one more thing: in the context of personality development, it is not what her consciousness is today that matters more, but her desire for progress, regression or stability.
Summary.
In the theory of spiral dynamics, the authors managed to link the psychological tendencies of individual consciousness, the events of the external world and the result of their interaction - public consciousness (V-Mem). Perhaps today this is the only idea of its kind that claims to be able to explain many of the trends in the development of modern society with its help. An important question remains the area of its practical application, which nowadays lies mainly in the sphere of planning business development in the context of relations between its participants, that is, in the plane of the orange paradigm of consciousness. Whether this theory will find application in the field of politics, practical psychology, whether it will be useful in the development of society is still a big question.
Today I propose to get acquainted with a very interesting theory of spiral dynamics, built on the research of the American psychologist Clare Graves.
The main ideas of the theory of spiral dynamics
- The development of each individual person and of all humanity proceeds along a spiral trajectory, passing through a successive series of levels.
- The six levels of the first order are “survival,” “mysticism,” “desire for order,” “serving a higher purpose,” “materialism,” and “striving for the common good.”
- At the levels of the second order, personal potential is revealed and people unite with each other.
- The levels, each of which has its own socio-cultural “meme” and conventional color, characterize not the types of people, but the ways of thinking.
- Harmonious development presupposes a forward movement up the spiral; levels partially overlap.
- Each level goes through the stages of "inception", "culmination" and "extinction".
- People and collectives can only be influenced by those forces that correspond to the current circumstances of their lives and their level of development.
Spiral model
Spiral dynamics theory describes eight interrelated levels of maturity of the individual and society. Each level corresponds to a certain set of cultural values, its own color, its priorities, beliefs and peculiarities of the worldview. While developing, people and peoples move from level to level under the influence of living conditions and experience in solving problems. When the living conditions of a person, organization or society change, this transformation forces a re-examination of basic values and beliefs. Problems that cannot be solved within the existing system of values force us to climb the next round of the spiral. The levels partially overlap each other, going through the phases of "inception", "culmination" and "extinction". This evolution takes place over a long time: a person or society leaves the previous level and slowly moves to the next level that appears on the horizon. Problems arise when something interferes with such a forward movement.
The Spiral Model is a tool for managing the transformation process. But in order to use it, first of all, it is necessary to understand at what level of development a person or a team is, and then you can appropriately choose the methods of introducing changes. These levels characterize not the personality type, but the way of thinking.
As a rule, we are under the influence of several layers of values, or ideological complexes, called "memes". Any major transformation must be carried out taking into account the specifics of the level at which the
person or society. Thus, attempts to quickly create a free market economy in a country that has been ruled by an authoritarian regime for decades are doomed to failure in advance. Such a country must go through a stage of gradual liberalization and fostering respect for individual freedom, so that a desire for independence and an entrepreneurial spirit can develop in society.
Learning to determine at what level an individual or group is located is not easy, just as it is not easy to cope with the desire to accelerate change. The spiral dynamics model has tremendous potential for managing transformations in
in a wide variety of contexts, including in organizations. The scope of its application is almost limitless. Colors: levels and value systems
The levels of development, each of which corresponds to a certain value “meme”, reflect the psycho-cultural maturity of an individual or society. The first six levels (levels of the first order) correspond to the following colors:
- Beige. This is a "stone age" in which instincts rule people, and their main concern is survival. They gather in groups not for socializing, but for joint procurement of food and protection from threats. Children quickly leave this spiral, like most primitive cultures. Older adults may fall to the “beige” level if they have Alzheimer's. It is necessary to work with collectives at the “beige” level by appealing to the senses (sight, taste, touch). Less than 0.1% of the world's inhabitants are at this level of development, with only 0.01% of political power in their hands.
- Purple. Driven by the desire to improve their living conditions, people enter into more complex social associations, moving from families and clans to tribes. The life of the tribes is governed by rituals, mysticism, belief in spirits and worship of ancestors. Their members dutifully obey common rituals, abide by prohibitions, and respect blood ties. To influence a person or a group with this level of consciousness, show its members that you respect their mores and customs. For example, a sports team may exhibit traits of the “purple” level. Criticism of the superstitions prevalent in such a collective evokes a negative reaction in it. About 10% of people still live in clans and tribes, concentrating in their hands about 1% of political power.
- Red. The color purple is replaced by red when people realize the failure of superstitions and the meaninglessness of rituals. When members of the group begin to challenge the power of the rulers who exploit them, the latter become even more oppressive, which accelerates change. As soon as agreement between the members of the group disappears, anarchy arises, after which power is in the hands of dictators. In the cruel "red" world, the law of the jungle reigns, tyrants rule over empires, and power has the highest value. Everyone strives to grab their share of the benefits and believe that the strongest will survive. The society is dominated by a rigid hierarchy, authoritarianism, inert thinking, cruelty. People have no empathy for each other. To bring about change at the “red” level, teach people to show respect for others and protect their reputation. Any attempts to bring the team closer will be perceived by its members with hostility. Explain in red what their “benefit” is: instead of anarchy, offer them order and service to a higher purpose. This level holds about 20% of the people, who account for about 5% of political power.
- Blue. The pursuit of order heralds the approach to the "blue" level, which is characterized by predictability, patriotism and self-sacrifice for the sake of a higher goal. In the "blue" world, tight control and authoritarianism still reign, but the leaders are distinguished by a "fatherly" attitude towards the people, rather than a desire for self-aggrandizement. To transform this society, teach people to value personal merit and be rewarded for success. Respect their traditions. Do not encourage wasteful, ostentatious consumption and social dependency. The "blue" level is the largest segment of the world's population, these 40% of people concentrate in their hands 30% of political power.
- Orange. This level is replaced by “blue” when people question the authority of the government. If leaders abuse their position, it accelerates change. As soon as people understand that they know better than the authorities how to live, they cease to be loyal. They begin to think more freely, and the beginnings of entrepreneurship and careerism appear in society. Wanting more, people see the path to a better life in science and technology. Disregard of personal interests for the sake of a higher goal gives way to the pursuit of material wealth. The society is dominated by "meritocracy", the power of the worthy. To influence the Orange community, focus members on professionalism, the needs of the community, and the benefits of living in the community. Comprising 30% of the population, this group has 50% of the political power.
- Green. The “orange” level is replaced by the “green” level, when people begin to strive for mutual understanding and the development of spirituality. Material wealth and personal achievement no longer bring them joy, and lack of relationships makes them feel lonely. The spirit of competition is weakened, and collective well-being and concern for the world around them come to the fore. Decisions are not taken by a minority, but by consensus. People begin to be guided by the principle of reasonable necessity, and not by greed; they strive for a simple life, not burdened by unrestrained consumption. To help them move to the next level, let them know that the “whole world” movement is ineffective and self-limiting. Advise you to take all the good from other levels. This segment covers 10% of the population and accounts for 15% of political power.
The two levels of the second order correspond to the following two colors:
- Yellow. Moving to second order levels is a much more important step than moving between first order levels. Thoughts and actions acquire special flexibility and multidimensionality here. People and communities find themselves at this level when they become disillusioned with collectivism and begin to realize its limitations, but still feel the need to devote themselves to activities for the common good. Repressed individualism is revived, devoid of, however, the desire for luxury and the demonstration of high status, characteristic of the "orange" level. Those at this level skillfully unite individuals and groups at different levels of development into a single organism for solving a specific problem. However, they do not feel the need for recognition of their merits. These people have outgrown the desire to compete and assert themselves, and in the search for their “I” try not to harm others. The “yellow” level begins to recede as soon as people realize the limitations of the individual's capabilities and unite to solve global problems of human existence. 1% of the population who has reached this level controls about 5% of political power.
- Turquoise. As people, having thoroughly studied the possibilities and limitations of individualism, return to balanced collectivism, they begin to show again the self-sacrifice lost after leaving the "blue" level. If the “yellow” level is creation and solution of problems, then “turquoise” is the unification of humanity into a single spiritual whole with an orientation towards such priorities as caring for the world around us, simplicity of life and respect for people at any level. Those who are at this level strive to become part of a single system of interconnections that all forms of life form. They are able to combine the strengths of all other levels without harming their own self. In the hands of 0.1% of representatives of this level, 1% of political power is concentrated.
Six conditions for change
In order for people and teams to go through the described development process, certain conditions must be met. The scale of changes and their sustainability depend on this.
- Potential assessment. Is the person, organization, or culture receptive to the changes you intend to bring about? Are they in “open” (you can act), “shackled” (remove all barriers first and do not expect quick success) or “closed” (it is useless to even try to change something)?
- Searching of decisions. Find solutions to problems at this level before stimulating the upward spiral. When starting a change, first make sure you have a solid foundation for it.
- Creating dissonance. Give evidence that the traditional way of thinking does not meet the new requirements and conditions of life. Describe the dangers that will inevitably arise from this. Get people out of their complacency to make them want to change.
- Breaking down barriers. People and teams strive to build barriers around themselves that protect against change. Identify these barriers and break them down.
- Awakening understanding. Explain why the person or organization needs to change. Point out what needs to be corrected and help people imagine how it will change their lives for the better.
- Consolidation. Making change is a long process, in which breakthroughs alternate with setbacks. It must be constantly maintained. If transformation takes place in the organization, its leader must be at the center of the change process, providing all possible support to subordinates.
If these conditions are met, the transformation process will take place in five stages:
- Alpha Stability. Everything is in order, people are happy, the system is working.
- Beta conditioning. Small problems turn into large ones, traditional solutions do not work in new conditions. Doubts about the system's viability are growing. Attempts to remedy the situation by making better use of old working methods only exacerbate the problems.
- "Gamma trap". The problems are becoming more evident. Denying them is not the best way out of the situation. It seems to you that it is better to wait and see how events develop before acting. But we need to act now. If you delay, you may be trapped, which will lead to personal, organizational and social collapse. Recovery from such a crash will be long-term, if at all possible.
- Delta Burst. By avoiding the gamma trap, you will experience a feeling of euphoria. But other pitfalls await you as well. Changes can make the situation even worse, or be superficial, and you begin to slide back into the "trap."
- "New alpha stability". If the transformations are successful and you have avoided the gamma trap, you are at a new stage of development. Ensure stable system operation before the cycle starts over.
Use accurate assessments of the five conditions for successful change and monitoring the five stages of the process as the tools you can use to help people and teams achieve sustainable change. Act at all levels at once, consider the benefits of each level, and design solutions that are appropriate for each level. Follow the principles of “courtesy” (show respect for others), “openness” (listen to others), and “autocracy” (use a firm hand and boldly take responsibility).
Before embarking on the path of transformation, figure out what level you are now and where you want to be. Conduct an audit of the resources and means available to implement the change. Formulate your vision for the future and share it with your group members. Develop a work plan that covers all actions that affect the change process. Form a management team to support the program throughout its implementation. Supervise the process and coordinate the work of the people making the change. Move steadily forward, looking for the best solutions to problems as they arise.