January 2010

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Ken Wilber – a (very brief) introduction

11 Jan 10 in Stages, Wilber's Stages | Add your comment

Ken Wilber is arguably the greatest integral thinker of our day, and possibly of all time (so far). He integrates wisdom from many ages, cultures, religions and philosophical systems to distill the commonalities or similarities. His books can be a bit of a  slog, filled with multi-syllabic words such as ontology and epistemology (and he doesn’t define these terms for you, rather assumes you are literate) but they brought new light into unexplored corners of my thinking.

From his lifetime of studies of the work of many others, he has developed an integral psychology, which recognises developmental stages (relatively enduring worldviews and ways of making meaning), states (temporary, often fleeting tastes of levels beyond where we commonly dwell), and lines (independent areas of development, such as morality, aesthetics, cognitive capacity).

He sees personal development as being inseparable from the cultural or environmental development. Another post will look at the four quadrants of devlopment:

  • individual objective (exterior: my body, my actions)
  • individual subjective (interior: my beliefs, values, worldview)
  • social interobjective (group exterior: our group behaviours, physical environment)
  • cultural intersubjective (group interior: our group norms, relationships, culture)

His integral work tracks the development of the individual from matter to living body to mind to soul to spirit. In the world today, we have manifested the first 3 levels in the general world, so that is where most models stop. Leading edge personal development is transitioning us from the 3rd level (Mind) to the 4th and 5th levels (Soul and Spirit).

The developmental stages are based on earlier works of well-respected thinkers and researchers, but continue on where the older models stop, beyond the world of the rational, conventional stages to the post-conventional unitive stages that few human beings reach. That these stages are potentially achievable by human beings is demonstrated by the sages, mystics and saints who regularly experience them. For most of us, in this day and age, they are aspirational, but achievable through deliberate practices that promote consciousness development.

I’ll cover his stage definitions in another post.

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Developmental Stages

07 Jan 10 in Stages | Add your comment

The idea that people continue to develop throughout their adult lives is the leading edge of psychology today.You might hear it called ‘developmental psychology’ or ‘integral psychology’ or ‘ego development theory’ .

The notion of ‘development’ is that people can gain broader and deeper perspectives as they mature. This is different from gaining new skills such as learning a better way to communicate, or how to manage your anger constructively. It has to do with changing the underlying structure that you use to make meaning of your world — your values and beliefs. For example, we see how teenagers or young adults are driven by their need to belong to their group, to identify with the group norms and blend in. But at a certain point, the young person realises that they want to be recognised for their unique qualities, or would  like to be known for their particular expertise. Blending in is no longer the most important thing; now they want to be differentiated. This transition from Diplomat to Expert is a major developmental step. The values and beliefs that fuel our meaning-making have changed.

As opposed to models of Types, where you are considered pretty much born with a certain tendency, trait or preference, the developmental models consider the human journey to be a progression through known stages, in a fixed order (i.e., you don’t skip a stage).

There are things you can do that will help or retard your development. Stressors can cause regression to an earlier stage. Occasional ‘peak experiences’ can give a temporary glimpse of a later stage. But you have a ground of being in your life, a general way of making sense of your experiences and understanding your world. Your development pace is rather slow; you can be years in a particular stage of development.

Some of the thought leaders in this developmental world are Ken Wilber, Robert Kegan, Bill Torbert and Don Beck. All of these will be explored in more detail in other postings.

The important thing to understand is this: there are several ways to look at and to understand individual differences. Type afficionados find sufficiency in explaining these differences by some sort of Typing scheme, such as Myers Briggs Type, Enneagram number, Belben Role, etc. The Stage modelers see people as fundamentally changing throughout their lives. I think each view has merit. I believe that exploring individual differences in terms of Type can open our eyes to accepting that other people are different from us, and that the differences don’t mean others are better than or worse than us. But I also believe that if we consider only Type, our perspective is limited. Developmental models hold out more hope: what we may find limiting today can (and will be) outgrown as we develop to the next stage of our lives.

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Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

06 Jan 10 in Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Types, Uncategorized | Add your comment

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is probably the most widely known inventory or model of personality type. It describes a person’s preferences in 4 life areas:

  • Extraverting (E) vs Introverting (I) – a continuum that refers to how we focus our attention and how we renew our energy.
  • Sensing (S) vs iNtuiting (N) – how we prefer to take in information
  • Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F) – how we generally evaluate situations and make decisions
  • Judging (J) vs Perceiving (P) - our lifestyle preferences

I’ll cover each of these pairs in detail in later posts.

Your ‘MBTI Type’ will be a four letter code: I’m an INTJ. (Well, mostly I’m an INTJ. I score reliably right in the middle between the T and F. In any given situation I might be INTJ or INFJ.)

Think of these pairs as preferences, sort of like handedness. If you try to use your toothbrush in your non-preferred hand, it’s awkward and difficult, but you can do it. And you can get better with practice.

The MBTI indicates your preference in much the same way. I am highly Introverting, but I definitely can go out to noisy, exciting places with lots of rowdy people and have a good time! But reading a good book is preferable to going clubbing. For me. You might have a different preference.

The MBTI is a registered trademark of Consulting Psychologist Press, Inc. There are many books on MBTI, and one that I really like is What Type Am I? by Renee Baron (ISBN 014026941X).

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Stages and Types – First Post

04 Jan 10 in Stages, Types, Uncategorized | Add your comment

I believe that people grow throughout their lives, on the inside. We develop more complexity in how we see the world and how we make meaning out of what we experience. I believe that the better we are at understanding how that development happens, the better we are at understanding ourselves and others. And I believe that understanding ourselves and others makes our lives happier.

People also tend to have some pretty stable characteristics. There are many schemes for identifying personality types, but the one thing they have in common is that they describe essentially enduring traits. Understanding the various models of personality types gives us tools to use to improve our relations with each other, to work better together, have more harmonious families, friendships and social networks.

This blog is about developmental stages and personality types — models, assessments, examples, and how you can use this knowledge to live more effectively or more peacefully. I’m pitching it to the beginner or intermediate reader, because I believe that there are always new people becoming interested in these subjects, and it can be difficult to find simple explanations. I’m aiming for an informative and useful resource, where you can get information and ideas for practical applications of what you learn.

I’m interested in your feedback about how well I achieve my intention.