Spiral Dynamics, Leadership and Yijing

This paper explores Clare Grave’s work in spiral dynamics along with the classic Book of Changes – the Yijing.

Meme repertoire

The Spiral Dynamics is a neoevolutionary schema that captures changes in dimensions and values in collectives and individuals over time. The Yijing is a classic book of changes that has historical roots approximately 4500 years ago in the Shang and Zhou Dynastys. The Yijing discusses change and transformation throughout the strata of life. It is based upon the interplay of opposites through mutual generation, transformation, opposition and consumption. When the two fold nature of dialectics is folded into a three fold set of characteristics, there are eight possibilities that occur. These possibilities match with the Spiral Dynamics of Claire Graves as well as the Stages of the world in terms of Gene Gebser (Beck & Cowan, 1966; Wilber, 1999). These possibilities correlate with the Spiral Dynamics of Claire Graves as well as the Stages of the world in terms of Gene Gebser (Beck & Cowan, 1966; Gebser, 1949/1986).

Humanity’s temporal sensibilities have evolved from the archaic period to the agrarian period, onto the industrial period, and finally information period; each bringing about transformations in the experience of time. The archaic period could be characterized as a pre-time soup that evolves into an egoless and magical timeless continuum of being. With the Cro-Magnon comes the emergence of pre-agrarian hunter gatherer when time was connected to lunar and solar cycles. ‘Temporicity’ existed in the sense of Gebser (1949/1986) where mythic time was once and long ago, shrouded in the 'mysts’. This can be described as a feeling of being ‘in’ a certain period (Combs, 2002, pp38).   

This idea of consciousness interweaving into reality in the context of a social container is similar to the term that Dawkin’s coined a ‘meme’ in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. Dawkins defined the meme as "a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation." The term and concept of meme was coined in the 1976 book by Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene. Dawkins defined the meme as "a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation." However, the lack of a consistent, rigorous definition of ‘meme’ remains a problem. Here are a few examples of definitions:

A meme is:

• An idea that, like a gene, can replicate and evolve (Csikszentmihalyi, 1994).
• A unit of cultural information that represents a basic idea that can be transferred from one individual to another, and subjected to mutation, crossover and adaptation.
• A cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one generation to another by nongenetic means (as by imitation); "memes are the cultural counterpart of genes."

Further, a memetic structure is similar to Marx’s concept of “ideologies as a class’s false conceptions or a false consciousness of itself,” thus knowledge and consciousness are woven into “material activity.” This relationship between the conceptual worlds of ideology and the material action world where people are engaged is transformed by the social and productive forces of the social world they inhabit (McCarthy, 1996 pp34). This is the terrain of the meme and can be said in short, memes are the ideologies and material actions of a culture that occur within the social and productive forces of the world they inhabit. This distinction between  ideology and material activity which for Marx was correspondingly a distinction between the illusory and the real,  For most people, including Americans, the distinguishing mark of cross-cultural interaction is the disappearance of the familiar guideposts that allow them to act without thinking in their own culture (Stewart & Bennett, 1991 pg2). This easily generalizes to men operating within female organizations and groups and vice versa.

A tighter and more workable definition of the term ‘meme’ may be possible through a discussion of  Marx’s concept of “ideologies as a class’s false conceptions or a false consciousness of itself,” thus knowledge and consciousness are woven into “material activity.” This relationship between the conceptual worlds of ideology and the material action world where people are engaged is transformed by the social and productive forces of the social world they inhabit (McCarthy, 1996 pp34). This is the terrain of the meme and can be said in short, memes are the ideologies and material actions of a culture that occur within the social and productive forces of the world they inhabit.

Graves held the world view that:

• Human nature is not static, nor is it finite. Human nature changes as the conditions of existence change, thus forging new systems. Yet, the older systems stay with us.
• When a new system or level is activated, we change our psychology and rules for living to adapt to those new conditions.
• We live in a potentially open system of values with an infinite number of modes of living available to us. There is no final state to which we must all aspire.
• An individual, a company, or an entire society can respond positively only to these magerial principles, motivational appeals, educational formulas, and legal or ethical codes that are appropriate to the current level of human existence.

This idea of consciousness interweaving into reality in the context of a social container is similar to Grave’s conception of a ‘meme.’ This distinction between  ideology and material activity which for Marx was correspondingly a distinction between the illusory and the real,  For most people, including Americans, the distinguishing mark of cross-cultural interaction is the disappearance of the familiar guideposts that allow them to act without thinking in their own culture (Stewart & Bennett, 1991 pg2). This easily generalizes to men operating within female organizations and groups and vice versa.         

The entirety of the social network and operations where individuals operate is classified as totality. Reality is that membrane where context and subject interact; it is composed of both praxis and agency. Praxis is the actuality and the manifestation of the social fabric. It occurs at a place between the individual and the context, it is the confluence of operating structures and action. “It is a dialectical synthesis of what is going on in society and what people are doing” (Sztompka, 1994 pp217) Agency is actualized in practice, it is the membrane between social structures and the agent. Transitions and transformations between memes or between gender hierarchical, holarchical and heterarchical states may be analyzed structurally and functionally. The structural components occur as language, organization and physical spatial relations. Agents operate through agency on behalf of the interests of the social culture to generate a cultural transformation. These are some of the components that operate as catalysts in the movement from one meme state to another. Within praxis, the perinatal birth matrices of Stanislov Grof may be applied where there is a calm fallow period followed by individual and collective feelings of frustration. This is followed by upheavals and cataclysmic shifts and revolutions which are then followed by a breakthrough into the new paradigm or meme. 

At the membrane between memetic structures, there are patterns that emerge:

• Flashpoints – crises caused by collisions between different memes
• Hotspots – areas bubbling beneath the surface that could erupt
• Diasporas – the spread of peoples with shared memes (and the spread of memes)
• Regressions – a spiral downshift into worsening conditions (Rome after the conquest)
• Harmonics – simultaneous movement of two meme systems
• Gridlock – two memes oscillating back and forth in conflict
• Cutting edges – the first flashes of new memes awakening
• (Beck & Cowan, 1966 pp12)

When disparate cultures in terms of socioeconomics, power and ideology attempt to collaborate, they are often engaged within different mimetic structures. For example one could be a green alternative medicine movement while the other could be the blue meme of conventional medical world. How do these distinct cultural experiences come together in a way that is harmonious? One assumption is that a common language can be a basis for synthesized and generative community.                                                                                                

These borderlands between praxis and agency, between action related to the whole and agency which is the authorization of the action. and where both praxis and agency modulate between the container and the contained are affected by temporal factors. So also, the semi-permeable membrane structures between meme states. These are organized as follows: awareness, depth, shape, emphasis, conception mode and temporicity. Each of these features may dominate the perceptual horizon for the individual and the group. They are also implicit within the power structures that play out hierarchically and heterarchically.

Ideologies are often articulated and asserted in situations involving conflict and interest, struggles over rights and power (McCarthy, 1996 pp30). This could lead to a question, what are the ideologies that are put forth which promote disparities in hierarchy?

Structuralism in the sense of Levi Strauss is an important consideration. Semiotics can provide the signs of how culture is structured and every social form is a potential sign. This structuralism disregards "things-in-themselves". In a sense it is a form of phenomenalism where the underlying common structures are identified for the purposes of work (p. 61).  These structures are the container in which the cultural and sociological assumptions occur. The artifacts of such structures include the language, the documents and the conventions of behavior which include dress and possessions.

Evolutionary Development of the Discipline

Communities often build along with a charismatic and visionary leader who establishes along with the group, the essential totemic emblems of the emergent values. There is a yielding receptive state that occurs when caught in the wheel of time with no perceived way out and the needs of survival are present. The spirit of inspiration pushes from the historical roots that provided the basis for the new community. This ‘push off’ may take place as a new build upon a previous set of values and cultures, or it may occur as a push away from a previous set of values and cultures. In essence a new way of operating emerges; with this, flexibility is an essential ingredient for success. There is an allegiance to the early leaders and motivators of the movement where agency is located.

Once the group has firmly identified itself and the stories that construct its early history there is a need to stand within a larger community of interest. But it is vulnerable to the winds of change. This flexing may pose a risk to the status quo.  Excitation, a sense of challenge and division may occur as the surrounding cultures identify what could become a revolutionary influence.  There can be great energy welling up within the group at this stage. This stage is where some of the complimentary and alternative healthcare models are emerging. One of the risks of communities at this stage of development can be ‘guild’ like mentalities where there are turf battles. This is often seen in the legislative environment. These changes can be thunderous and cataclysmic, there is excitation and revolution. The potential for acrimonious division is extensive as various individual wills push certain agendas.

As the energy begins to level out, the foundations that will remain over time are realized, convention and order, meaning and purpose emerge. These become the immovable mountain. Unwavering bureaucratic values and processes emerge. There is sacrifice to the newly established order. There is deferred reward and controlled impulses. However at this stage of development, there is risk of fundamentalism. This is where biomedical approaches to health care are. The moral authority of the positivism and scientism are driving a quantitative and evidence based system of medicine. There is a distinction between knowing how long it takes for a sprain/strain to heal as opposed to evidence for a particular medication that has had tremendous market and economic influences behind its development. Far too often such practices lead to unnecessary losses of life.                                                                                                                                                

The needs of humanity are emerging in an ecological context. The underlying anxieties that are emerging with the urgency of peak oil and global warming are glossed over in the medical world. Positivistic approaches to managing information are often used to control resources. The consensus needs of the public in post modern world require different solutions. Participatory action and medical models that encourage the exploration of the inner being of self and others are emerging. The benefits of promoting a sense of community and unity are emerging. The benefits of collaboration in medical education are being realized. The emerging value systems of shared resources create possibilities for liberating humans from greed and drama, generating spirituality and feelings of togetherness, harmony and acceptance.                                                                     

Change is continuous and intermittent, smooth and rough, measured and continuous, active and passive, cyclical and linear, fast and slow, focused and diffuse. The opposites transform each other, create each other, conflict with each other, and consume each other. These qualities are present in the temporal and the being.  This process quickens necessarily for the collective to move into the next domain.                     

In the new framework, the ideals and values become transcharacteristic, there is an acceptance of the inevitability of natures flows. It is functional, competent, flexible and spontaneous with a natural mix of conflicting truths and uncertainties. This capacity for ambiguity generates personal freedom. In this domain, values emerge such as the protection of others without concern for self-serving needs and behaviors. In this context the demands are for integral open systems with appreciation for diverse and multiple dimensions.                                                                                                                                       

Organization and personal transformation at this level is able to contain the other processes.  Totality absolutely occurs, individuality relatively occurs and a moveable sense of being happens as an identity that experiences. Reality occurs as a limited field within the totality that individuals can identify. Operations may occur quickly or slowly and the totality of the systems that are under change respond. Action through being may also be quick or slow and similarly so for praxis. Structure tends to limit and filter the field of experience but can be changed quickly or slowly just as agents and agency.

Humanity’s temporal sensibilities have evolved from the archaic period to the agrarian period, onto the industrial period, and finally information period; each bringing about transformations in the experience of time. The archaic period could be characterized as a pre-time soup that evolves into an egoless and magical timeless continuum of being. With the Cro-Magnon comes the emergence of pre-agrarian hunter gatherer when time was connected to lunar and solar cycles. ‘Temporicity’ existed in the sense of Gebser (1949/1986) where mythic time was once and long ago, shrouded in the 'mysts’. This can be described as a feeling of being ‘in’ a certain period (Combs, 2002, pp38).                 

Evolution of a Profession

The emergence of a community forms in conjunction with its leadership which is in turn based upon receptivity to the needs of the collective. Early development often requires a protective and tribal sense of agency to ensure its continued existence. This infant stage of organizational development is fragile and close attention is necessary in order to ensure its survival. This is where professional associations and guilds arise in order to protect the interests of a fledgling profession. Chinese medicine in America is past this stage with twenty-five years of professional association, accreditation and certification activities.

Medical communities often build through charismatic and visionary leaders who establish along with the group, the essential totemic emblems of the emergent values. The spirit of inspiration pushes from the historical roots that provided the basis for the new community. This ‘push off’ may take place as a new build upon a previous set of values and cultures, or it may occur as a push away from a previous set of values and cultures. In essence a new way of operating emerges; with this, flexibility is an essential ingredient for success. There is an allegiance to the early leaders and motivators of the movement where agency is located.  

Once the profession has firmly identified itself and the stories that construct its early history there is a need to stand within a larger community of interest. This may pose a risk to the status quo.  Excitation, a sense of challenge and division may occur as the surrounding cultures identify what could become a revolutionary influence.  There can be great energy welling up within the group at this stage. This stage is where some of the complimentary and alternative healthcare models are emerging. One of the risks of communities at this stage of development can be ‘guild’ like mentalities where there are turf battles. This is often seen in the legislative environment. For the acupuncture and Oriental medicine community, this stage occurred in 1993 when the professional association split along ideological lines.  

As the energy begins to level out, the foundations that will remain over time are realized, convention and order, meaning and purpose emerge. Bureaucratic values and processes emerge. There is sacrifice to the newly established order. There is deferred reward and controlled impulses. However at this stage of development, there is risk of fundamentalism. This is where biomedical approaches to health care are. The moral authority of the positivism and scientism are driving a quantitative and evidence based system of medicine. There is a distinction between knowing how long it takes for a sprain/strain to heal as opposed to evidence for a particular medication that has had tremendous market and economic influences behind its development. Far too often such practices lead to unnecessary losses of life.  

The needs of humanity are emerging in an ecological context. The underlying anxieties that are emerging with the urgency of peak oil and global warming are glossed over in the medical world. Positivistic approaches to managing information are often used to control resources. The consensus needs of the public in post modern world require different solutions. Participatory action and medical models that encourage the exploration of the inner being of self and others are emerging. The benefits of promoting a sense of community and unity are emerging. The benefits of collaboration in medical education are being realized. The emerging value systems of shared resources create possibilities for liberating humans from greed and drama, generating spirituality and feelings of togetherness, harmony and acceptance. How does a medicine rooted in agrarian China and synthetic of emergent medical models since that time occur in such a climate?

In Closing

This paper explored some theories of Clare Graves. There are transformations and developemtns in humanity that can be viewed from this perspective as an essential evolutionary set of transformations.

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