4.1 Using Lines for Growth
A Developmental Task List; Getting Specific
When I retired 11 years ago, I had fun with some hobbies that turned out to be short-lived. Except for my attention to gardening during the warmer months and some summer projects like maintenance and modest construction projects, I have wandered through some typical retiree activities: piano lessons, many volunteer activities at church, and running multiple reading groups. The combination of questions raised in the reading groups, an article my wife gave me about adult development, and discovering Ken Wilber’s writing ignited the fire that led to this newsletter about Integral Theory.
When I learned about Integral, and more specifically, adult development theories, it opened up three new doors of awareness and understanding for me:
The models and methods operating in my earlier years, my failings and misjudgments, and those golden moments when I knew in my heart I got it right.
The upgraded versions of the models and methods that help me understand where I am now. I’ve noticed incremental movement since I first encountered Integral six years ago—I’ve learned a thing or two. But in taking stock, I’ve gained new insights about why I’ve been stuck in some areas, especially spirituality and emotional intelligence.
Finally, Integral shows me that much more work is available to me, which I only have an inkling of. It is hard work that takes a lot of time and attention, but it is joyful in the way a vigorous day of gardening can be. The models point the way, but I have to patiently allow my brain to lay down new wiring before the answers make sense.
In my last post, 4.0, I listed three questions and used them to demonstrate how the different Lines of human development can be used to explore questions we all have. I hope my discussion of these questions,
What do I need? Who do I care about? And What Do I Believe?
gave you a sense of how the different Lines of Development can be used to explore our inner reality. More specifically, they can be used to identify our strengths and areas for improvement. Here is a more complete list of questions, the theories that respond to them, and the primary researchers in each field.
The authors of Integral Life Practice1 suggest four categories of these Lines. I like the context these categories add, so I’ve added them to the list. (The following list is adapted from their model.)
1. Cognitive, Awareness, Perspective-taking
What do I know, able to understand, and be aware of? Cognitive Development. Jean Piaget. Developed further, stages of consciousness by Robert Kegan.
2. Self Lines: Ego, Needs, Morals, Self-identity, Values (my inner dialogue)
What do I need? What do I need for survival, and once satisfied, what do I now need? How do crises that lead to deficits affect us? Abraham Maslow
Who am I? What are my developmental tasks at each stage? Psycho-social development. Erik Erikson. Ego Development, Suzanne Cook-Greuter
What are my values? What was, is, and will become most important? Spiral Dynamics. Don Beck, Chris Cowan, Claire Graves
What is the right thing to do? What affects my decisions in real-time? Moral Development. Laurance Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan
3. Self-Expressed: Emotional, Interpersonal, Care, Spiritual (how I show up; the internal processes that can lead to outer, observable behavior)
How do I manage and express my emotions? Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
Who do I care about? How wide is my circle of care? Ethics of Care. Carol Gilligan
What do I believe? Stages of Faith. James Fowler, M. Scott Peck
4. Talent: Art, Music, kinesthetic, verbal, math
These are the “multiple intelligences” first identified by Howard Gardner.
These lines of development…
progress mostly independently from each other, although some of the researchers above cite evidence that cognitive development can boost other lines. Ken Wilber often writes that developmental thinking is “psycho-active,” which supports the notion that understanding a psychological process contributes to the strengthening of the process. That is, learning how we develop leads us to be aware of those activities that support our development, which leads to more focused and intentional practice, which results in more development—a virtuous cycle.
have fuzzy boundaries and have some overlap with each other. Don’t get tangled up in details about whether an issue is related to one line or another.
can be used to set self-development goals and help us understand others.
Next time, we will examine how we use the Lines concept to look inward and outward.
Integral Life Practice: A 21st-Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, Patten, Leonard, Morelli, & Wilber, 2008.