2.0 Integral Theory Introduction
Posts beginning with 2.x will cover the Levels or Stages element of Integral Theory.
Another thing I like about Integral Theory is that it uses simple clear language as much as possible. For example, the five elements or parts of Integral Theory are
Levels
Quadrants
Lines
Types
States
These terms could be more abstract, esoteric, or academically respectable. Ken Wilber uses these instead. In keeping with this spirit, I will endeavor to use clear English because, for the most part, it is equal to the task.
I will hold you to that!
Good. Integral is challenging in that it is new and different when combined as a whole, but when looking at the parts, it is pretty straightforward. The magic of the “sum of the parts” is often forgotten so people exposed to Integral often overlook the insight they might bring to a discussion.
Hmmm. Do you have to repeat yourself?
I do and sometimes I feel like a nag. Here’s an analogy. Let’s say my family is moving overseas for a year and to prepare we commit to using the language of our new country in our home as much as possible. We are pretty good at it but from time to time we slack off. We know our new language well enough to use it conversationally, but we frequently forget and revert to English. Learning and using an Integral and developmental worldview is similar. We are learning an Integral perspective but our life-long either/or thinking habits are more familiar, which is easier and our brain prefers easy!
To introduce you to stages, the model I will use includes 5 of the most common stages from Spiral Dynamics, one of the better known theories. These are the stages that are most often seen or play a role in modern American society. There are 2 previous stages, but they have mostly played out by adulthood. There are 2 stages that follow these five that I use, but they include very few people.
I have chosen Spiral Dynamics as my developmental theory of choice because it traces the development of human values, which are central to so much in our lives. It is the theory that uses colors to refer to the Levels and you may have seen this reference before. As you will see below, it uses basic terms and when coupled with colors, referencing the levels becomes easy with practice.
I like the idea of MEMEs.
Please explain.
Don Beck and Chris Cowan, the developers of Spiral Dynamics, use the term MEMEs instead of levels or stages. A MEME is to an idea like a Gene is to an organism: it is the Information-rich essence that organizes the parts of a concept into greater-than-the-sum-of-the-parts wholes. So a MEME is a rich, deep, and inclusive term, that in their theory consists of:
A world view: that changes at each level
A valuing system: we value different things at different levels
A level of psychological existence (consciousness): what we can perceive or miss as consciousness matures
A belief structure: how flexible?
An organizing principle: how complex?
A way of thinking: what data is included; what methods are used?
They further explain that a MEME represents:
A core intelligence that forms systems and directs human behavior.
It influences all life choices as a decision-making framework.
It can manifest in both healthy and unhealthy forms.
It is a structure for thinking, not just a set of ideas, values, or causes.
It can “brighten and dim” as the Life Conditions (time, place, problems, and circumstances) change.1
As you can see, this little 4 letter word packs a big punch. Throughout my posts I will continue to use Stages and Levels, but I wanted to mention MEMEs to give you a taste for the range of factors that make up Levels or Stages.
That’s a lot. How do you remember it?
Remember I’ve said that Integral Theory requires a lot of repetitions. Because there are lots of moving parts, I will remind you occasionally. You will integrate this with time.
As I suggested in post 1.5, the first element, Levels or Stages is the driving force of Integral Theory. This is based on the recognition that nature, individuals, groups, and societies, and the internal lives and consciousness of humans all exhibit a natural progression of simple to complex and static to dynamic. This “pathway” model of growth, development, evolution, or emergence seems simple at face level. But lying there, right in front of us, lies the key to a new paradigm, a new worldview that reframes my life, our lives, and the lives of whole societies in a way that works so much better than the “box” or categorization model we lump people and ideas into. More important, it reduces much of the emotional content that clouds our thinking and blocks our ability to work together as we try to solve current problems.
1 Beck and Cowan, Sprial Dynamics: Mastering values, leadership and change. 2006