SPIRAL

DYNAMICS:

 

MAPPING PSYCHO-SOCIAL

DEVELOPMENTS FROM

PREHISTORY TO THE FUTURE

 

Friday, June 4, l999

 

 

Don Edward Beck, Ph. D.

National Values Center

www.spiraldynamics.com

Box 797, Denton, Texas 76202

Presented at the International Symposium on Violence

Reduction in Theory & Practice: From Primates to Nations.

The Colloquium on Violence & Religion at Emory University.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

In his book Flatland: A Romance in Multiple Dimensions, Edwin Abbott described a society that existed in only two dimensions. Flatlanders were either point people or line people. Something was either one thing, or it was the other. With Victorian Age tongue firmly in cheek, Abbott described the utter frustrations experienced by inhabitants of a third dimensional world when they attempted to explain their "alien" realities to bi-polar thinkers. Visitors to Flatland would be sliced to a series of line slivers as they were watched by two-dimensional eyes lacking depth perception. They thusly deprived themselves of spectrums of differences, shades of variations in meanings, and a recognition of the inherent changeability in life itself. What is will always be, is the creed of the culture of Flatland.

 

Alas, Flatlanders must have learned how to reincarnate themselves since they flourish even in the Information Society and quickly dawning Molecular Age. You can spot them almost everywhere. They inhabit bi-polar realities, just as their Victorian counterparts. Their worlds are black or white, conservative or liberal, globalist or localist, winners or losers, people of color or people without color, and even boomsters and doomsters. And, they delight in CNN’s Crossfire since everything must be either from "the left" or from "the right." No wonder stereotypes inflame virtually every issue and reduce complex matters to crude bumper stickers, crass T-shirt slogans, and toss-away lines for talking heads..

 

Few issues summon the Flatlanders to battle any more than such sensitive areas as race, religion, violence, conflict, multiculturalism, immigration, and the nature of nationhood, regardless of world orders. High levels of ego involvement tend to produce the "either you are for me, or you are against me" tendency. Flags, quotas, language, redistribution, land title and "who belongs" stir hearts and raise tempers as honest folks shout at each other from opposing redoubts entrenched in bi-polar camps. And, when life becomes too complex, we often find comfort in the simple answers.

 

The essential question raised in this Forum is how levels of interpersonal and group violence are a function

of the deeper level Value Systems. Rather than focus on violence reduction methodologies, the idea

should be to focus on the natural emergence of the vMEME codes, and how to best facilitate

their natural evolutionary upshifts. Violence, then, is a function of vMEME warfare – involving

either competition/conflict BETWEEN vMEMES at the same level of development; and/or the

turbulence created in warfare between conflict vMEMETIC levels.

 

THE NATURE OF CHANGE

 

Most politicians and pundits speak about "change," but change FROM what and TO what? And, should a wealthy, First World "have a lot" society be brought down to lower affluence levels so Third World "have nots" or "have a littles" can be uplifted to healthier life-styles? Or, is there a creative way to mesh and synergize free market "trickle down" and command economy "bubble up" strategies so we can be spared the endless chatter from promoters of each? But, if we have "a liberal," that must mean we will need

a "conservative," thus creating two job spaces in our political niches.

 

Few took Wendell Wilkie seriously when he campaigned against FDR in l940 with the "one world" slogan. But, now, more of us sense that 777s, instant television coverage, e-mails, and ozone holes have made us more globally sensitive. We are now keenly aware that we are "riders together" with 5 billion plus others on that blue ball that hangs in space without a string.

 

My basic thesis is that a deeper and unique sense of nationhood and cultural identity will be required to (1) maintain some level of global stability and responsible citizenship in the near term, and (2) to discover and implement large scale, systemic solutions to many of the problems that confront the entire planet over the longer haul. By understanding how and why cultures, nations, and even corporate states form in the first place, remain vibrant and relevant, or crystallize and dissolve, we may identify a key element in our own survival as a people. And, because we occupy a superpower position among nations, we may discover something to offer others in addition to our sitcoms, fast foods, and M-l Abrams tanks.

 

To paraphrase Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz: "Toto. I’m don’t think we’re in Flatland anymore."

 

Part 1: VALUE SYSTEMS -- THE STUFF BY WHICH CULTURES AND COUNTRIES ARE

MADE.

 

Culture1 isn’t culture2 isn’t culture3 etc. -- they differ in terms of historic expressions and levels of

complexity. America1860 is not Americal960 is not Americal998 etc. -- each generation, epoch, or

age must align its core values and set forth the meaning and requirements of citizenship. Simple

stereotypes, either from the cultural types or the historic periods, are both deceptive and dangerous.

The ability to sense differentiation, shades, sequences and movement is critical if we are to

avoid Flatlander traps.

 

Cultures, as well as countries, are formed by the emergence of Value Systems in the response to life conditions. These complex adaptive systems are the glue that bonds a group together, defines who they are as a people, and reflects the place on the planet they inhabit. These overlapping Value Systems have

formed, over time, into unique mixtures and blends of instructional and survival codes, myths of origin, artistic forms, life styles, and senses of community. While they are all legitimate expressions of the

human experience, they are not "equal" in their capacities to deal with complex problems in society.

 

The detectable patterns within cultures are not Calvinistic scripts that lock us into choices against our will. Nor are they inevitable steps on a predetermined staircase, or magically appearing crop circle-like structures in our collective psyche. And, cultures should not be seen as rigid types, having permanent traits. Instead, they are living systems that ebb and flow, progress and regress, with the capacity to lay on new levels of complexity (Value Systems) when conditions warrant. Much like an onion, they form layers on layers on layers.

 

VALUE SYSTEMS

 

A "value system" is a worldview, an organizing principle, a set of priorities, a mindset, and a specific bottom-line. They serve as magnets around which our cultural "stuff" clusters and aligns itself. They determine how people think rather than what they value. They are the invisible forces that drive human perceptions and social change.

 

While East and West Germans shared many of the same historic cultural norms in terms of gene pools, historic memories and myths of origin, their respective Value System profiles, because of the impact of the Cold War, were significantly different. In short, their developmental Value Systems were different. And, true believers in a militant Jihad, a militant Zionist, and a militant Jesuit all have the same thought structures (the how) even if the content of their beliefs (the what) are epochs apart. They may even engage in a holy war to determine which one controls the world. Conflicts between people and groupings

can be between Value System levels or within Value System domains.

 

At the core of what we call a "Value System" is a vMEME or ValuesMEME (pronounced as Vmeem).

A "meme" is a term coined by English biologist Richard Dawkins, in his l978 edition of The Selfish Gene to represent a unit of cultural information. (He likened "memes" on the cultural plane to genes at the biological level. Both carry coded information and clone or reproduce their respective instructions throughout their own environments. Genes transmit through chemical systems and biological tissue in human bodies; memes spread their messages like viruses, through word-of-mouth, newspapers, advertising, CNN, marketing channels, and cyberspace -- in human minds.)

Once a new Value System ascends in a culture, it will spread its instructional codes and life priority messages throughout that culture’s surface-level expressions: religion, economic and political arrangements, psychological and anthropological theories, and views of human nature, our future destiny, and even architectural patterns and sports preferences. While we all come from a base of one hundred thousand genes, (give or take a few based on the throw of the genetic dice), we have, thus far, only generated eight primary Value Systems (vMEMES)-- or core adaptive intelligences.

 

QUICK SUMMARY STATEMENT OF VALUE SYSTEM CODES

THE LIVING STRATA IN OUR PSYCHO-CULTURAL ARCHEOLOGY

 

LEVEL COLOR CODE POPULAR NAME THINKING CULTURAL MANIFESTATIONS AND PERSONAL DISPLAYS

 

Level 8 Turquoise WholeView Holistic collective individuals; cosmic spirituality; earth changes

Level 7 Yellow FlexFlow Ecological natural systems; self-principle; multiple realities; knowledge

Level 6 Green HumanBond Consensus egalitarian; feelings; authentic; sharing; caring; community

Level 5 Orange StriveDrive Strategic materialistic; consumerism; success; image; status; growth

Level 4 Blue TruthForce Authority meaning; discipline; traditions; morality; rules; lives for later

Level 3 Red PowerGods Egocentric gratification; glitz; conquest; action; impulsive; lives for now

Level 2 Purple KinSpirits Animistic rites; rituals; taboos; superstitions; tribes; folk ways & lore

Level 1 Beige SurvivalSense Instinctive food; water; procreation; warmth; protection; stays alive

 

Here’s the key idea. Different societies, cultures and subcultures, as well as entire nations are

at different levels of psycho-cultural emergence, as displayed within these evolutionary levels of complexity. Yet, and here is a critical concept, the previously awakened levels do not disappear. Rather, they stay active within the Value System stacks, thus impacting the nature and textures of the more complex systems. So, many of the same issues we confront on the West Bank (Red to Blue) can be found in South Central Los Angeles. One can experience the animistic (Purple) worldview on Bourbon Street as well as in Zaire. Matters brought before city council in Minneapolis (Orange to Green to Yellow) are not unlike the debates in front of governing bodies in the Netherlands.

 

Third World societies are dealing, for the most part, with issues within the Level 1 through Level 3 zone, thus higher rates of violence and poverty. Staying alive, finding safety, and dealing with feudal age

conditions matter most. Second World societies are characterized by authoritarian (Blue) one-party states, whether from the right or the left. Makes no difference. So called First World nations and groupings have achieved high levels of affluence, with lower birth rates, and more expansive use of technology. While centered in the strategic, free-market driven, and individual liberty focused perspective -- all traits of the Level 5 (Orange) worldview -- new Value Systems (Green, Yellow, and Turquoise) are emerging in the "post-modern" age. Yet, we have no language for anything beyond First World, believing that is the final state, the "end of history." Further, there is a serious question as to whether the billions of people who are now exiting Second and Third World life styles can anticipate the same level of affluence as they see on First World television screens. Now that expectations have been raised by visiting "Paree," how do we expect to "keep them down on the farm."

 

 

LAND MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO VARIOUS VALUE SYSTEMS

 

HOW EACH VALUE SYSTEM RESOLVES THE "WHO BELONGS" ISSUE

Level Eight

*TURQUOISE: The functional needs of all life on the Planet Earth.

What life needs supersedes any special, natural, ethnic or parochial groupings. Man-made boundaries

as such, will fade. Such criteria as land and resources utilization and natural geological forms and structures

will establish human limits and habitation patterns along with other forms of life sharing the Planet. The

decisions will be made by a collective intelligence carefully tuned into long-term survival needs.

 

Level Seven

*YELLOW: Which ever level(s) on the Spiral is active in a given situation to keep Spiral healthy.

Different needs are legitimized as long as boundary conflicts, border disputes, and proprietary clashes

do not endanger the health of the Spiral itself. Some conflict between and among the different levels

is inherent and inevitable. Dynamic tension keeps the Spiral turning, generating new Value Systems.

Who owns which piece of farm land is not as important as whether the land is producing good food.

 

Level Six

*GREEN: Open space that should be used for all the people who come together in a greater sense

of community and mutual caring.

Nationalistic divisions and private ownership of resources are viewed as artificial contrivances to keep

people apart. Immigration should be open to all who have needs. The whole human race is seen as a single

family living together on "the commons" which should be shared for the good of all. This "open borders"

concept is reflected in immigration debates in a number of different societies, especially the Netherlands,

the United States, and Australia.

 

Level Five

 

*ORANGE: Spheres of economic influence and individual ownership.

Limits are set and adjusted by mercantile and imperialistic interests, negotiated contracts, economic/

political alliances, diplomatic compromise, commodity-based cartels, and trade agreements. Boundary

lines are drawn and redrawn to suit contemporary financial needs and political expedience. Land is

seen as an asset to be leveraged and turned into a revenue stream. Those who can produce greater

wealth are welcomed; those who will be a tax burden, need not apply for citizenship.

 

Level Four

*Blue: the Higher Power and Rightful Authority assign different people to different lands

The rightful places for habitation are properly surveyed, documented for history, picket-fenced,

or barbed-wired, and then defended as holy and permanent. May become national borders

protected by treaties, compacts, markers and armies. "God gave this land to us" is often the

claim. Some ideologies have a strong sense of charity and will share resources as long as there

is plenty thus the "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free. . ."

This incentive to make territories open for settlement may also come from Level Five motives.

 

Level Three

*RED: where the big "me" leaves his or her personal mark, thus claiming everything for self.

These are the areas of conquest over which the PowerGod, Chieftain, King, Queen, or feudal lord

or even slum lord reigns. The limits are set by how far the elites can extend fear and wield control.

Boundaries endure in direct relation to the strength to enforce them. Dangers exist beyond those

boundaries -- murderous warlords, fierce dragons, and rival ranchers with shotguns. Many of

the range wars in US western history were between RED cattle kingdoms and Blue farmers with

fences, sheep, and church buildings in the town square. While the land may be distributed on a

99 year lease hold, it still belongs to the Red Queen or the Blue order.

 

*PURPLE: where the spirits and the ancestors walked.

Defined by myth and legend, this is the "sacred ground" where the ancient ones lived, died, and

are buried. The limits are of sight-lines and walking distance. Marked by symbols and defined in

oral traditions and walking distance, the boundaries exist in the collective memories of

"the people" -- this tree, that river, over the next mountain peak, and up and down the valley.

The land beyond is fearful and foreboding since evil spirits and competing tribes threaten

harm. The land is distributed by "the elders" as a "commons" but it is not owned by anybody.

Many of the aborigines land title claims in Australia are of a Purple nature, supported now

by Green, against the mining industry (Red and Orange) and concepts of British law (Blue.)

The Australian Labour party has Green motives while the Liberals are seen as Orange,

and the growing One Nation movement as Blue, with possibly some Red undertones.

 

*BEIGE: the current place occupied by the band to simply survive.

The people migrate throughout the world as they know it. The space is available to all,

owned by none. This condition would return as an aftermath to nuclear war, major

environmental or geological catastrophes, or massive population loss through biological

agents.

(Note: This material is from Don Edward Beck & Christopher C. Cowan Spiral Dynamics:

Mastering Values, Leadership & Change (Blackwell, l996), pp 302-303.)

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