Terri O’Fallon takes us on a guided journey through her STAGES model, an integrally based development model that charts human development from infancy to the highest levels of development that humans are capable of.
Terri’s research is based in the number of perspectives a person can take (1st through 7th) – and she explains how different levels of fluency with these perspectives can often cause us to talk “past” or “over” one another, and how familiarizing ourselves with these perspectives can help us stop doing that.
Terri and Keith start with a brief overview of what exactly adult ego growth is, and why it matters. They also explore why adult developmental psychology — despite being part of the academic culture for more than 100 years — isn’t more understood and used by mainstream therapist and psychologists.
Terri also explores how many of our culture wars are generated from conflicts between these stages — certain perspectives are able to see (and therefore respond to) social challenges that other perspectives simply cannot yet fully perceive.
Finally, Terri spends some time unpacking her data on a 5th person perspective (mature Integral, or Turquoise) what that perspective sees, how it relates to the Wilber-Combs Lattice and to Post-Modernity (and to Integral), and how one might know for themselves what this means.
Caught this one on a lunch break. At first, I found all the stages, numbers, levels, etc. intimidating and was not sure if this framework was for me. But as examples starting flowing, it all started to resonate. The biggest highlight was the idea of 4.0 (green? postmodern?) swimming in complex adaptive systems but not able to visualize the systems themselves. Also, that same type of consciousness acting like a bird in flock. How evocative!
I feel fairly able to get perspectives on getting perspectives on getting perspectives …, so maybe that indicates a whopping score somewhere on this scale. Or, alternatively, it may just reflect my appreciation of Jorge Luis Borges, most of whose stories were pretty much about that sort thing. Anyway - check it out! I’d love to get dirty in the details of the model and especially the examples cited in the presentation.
Danke sehr für dieses wundervolle Geschenk (und die Transsciption, die für mich sehr wichtig ist, weil mein Schulenglisch 50 Jahre alt ist) !
Die Diskussion löst all die Fragen, die ich in der Vorbereitung eines integralen Online-Kurses (im Bereich Erwachsenenbildung für Multiplikatoren im Begegnungsfeld Migration & Integration als Chance für Potentialentiwcklung und Transformation) hatte, da ich mit Menschen auf fast allen Bewusstseinsebenen zu tun habe. Ich liebe es, zu differenzieren, also habe ich in diesem komplexen Feld auch die Perspektiven auf möglichst vielen Ebenen zu berücksichtigen.
LG Johanna Lehmacher
Willkommen, Johanna, und vielen Dank, dass Sie dieses Forum noch mehr internationaler gemacht haben! (Mein Schuldeutsch ist vom gleichen Jahrgang wie sein Englisch, aber Google Translate hilft sehr!)
I also work in adult education with students from all over the world, including many refugees. So the AQAL approach considering many stages, altitudes, lines, etc. makes sense as a comprehensive framework for being able to welcome literally the entire world.