(part of a series of posts introducing E-C Theory and Spiral Dynamics)

E-C theory was developed by a man called Clare Graves. In the early 1950s he was a psychology professor who had an itch to scratch, but he could not quite find the spot. His students kept asking him which of the psychological models that were prevalent at the time actually worked. The problem was, as far as he could tell, none of them did. This inspired him to develop an experiment that he hoped would shed some insight on the matter. It went something like this.

He set an assignment for for one of his new freshman classes. In this assignment he asked his students to write a description of what they considered to be ideal human behaviour. He then passed these papers to another group of freshman students who did not know the first group and asked them to group the papers in categories. The only condition on them being grouped was that the students thought that the papers were similar.

He then repeated, washed and rinsed the same experiment for the next nine years and then spent the next twenty years adding new variables, cross correlating with of other psychological research and performing longitudinal studies.

The end result of all this was a pile of data and a theory with a schizophrenic name. At the time he stopped writing he referred to it as the ‘Emergent, Cyclical, Double-Helix Model of Adult Human Biopsychosocial Systems’, which is a bit shorter than some of his earlier names. Unfortunately, while Graves was writing his magnum opus he had a stroke after which he never managed to finish his book.

Fortunately his work did not completely die with him, several of his students including Christopher Cowan and Don Beck set up in business as consultants using Graves work to help people and in particular businesses. They needed a business name that would help them sell their wares and they came up with the name Spiral Dynamics.

The Spiral Dynamics team carried on where Graves left off, their studies expanding with a more cross cultural perspective and looking at the specific problems that their clients were faced with. Eventually, they wrote a book, published in 1996 called, ‘Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change‘.

A few years later Cowan and Beck parted ways. Both carried on in the same vein of business consultancy, however both also developed in new directions as well. Cowan, along with his new partner Natasha Todorovic managed to unearth a lot of Graves original manuscript and published ‘The Never Ending Quest‘, they also continued their consultancy, training and empirical studies. Meanwhile Don Beck had teamed up with Ken Wilber, a philosipher/psychologist who had used Spiral Dynamics as part of his AQAL theory. Beck and Wilber together renamed the theory ‘Spiral Dymanics Integral’ and this is also used in consultancy and training.

There are differences between Graves original E-C theory, the early Cowan and Beck Spiral Dynamics, the Cowan and Todorovic Spiral Dynamics and the Beck and Wilber Spiral Dynamics Integral. I originally encountered this body of work while reading Wilbers ‘Theory of Everything’ and his other books. However, on reading some criticisms of Wilbers work, which I agreed with, I no longer ascribe to the Spiral Dynamics Integral model (I will go into detail about this in a later post). I later read the original Spiral Dynamics Book and The Never ending Quest, which I then followed up by attending the SD1 and SD2 training with Cowan and Todorovic. I now lean quite strongly towards the Cowan and Todorovic camp, but I do have my criticisms of their work as well. I will explore my criticisms and my own stance in more depth once I have finished fleshing out the main theory as it will make more sense then. I prefer to use the term E-C theory rather than Spiral Dynamics, which is the term used throughout The Never Ending Quest. Another name that is sometimes used is ECLET. Most articles on the web use the term Spiral Dynamics and few people would know what I am talking about if I never mentioned it so I sprinkle the term around here and there and always use it when specifically talking about work done after Graves.

(The source for this information is from the Never Ending Quest, the original Spiral Dynamics book, the SD1 and SD2 courses and the the three main websites to do with Spiral Dynamics: www.spiraldynamics.org, www.spiraldynamics.net and www.clarewgraves.com. This wikipedia article is also pretty good. )

I am at a stage in my life where I am trying to move my career, the purpose in my life, in new directions. For a long time I have been involved in the eco-sector, but usually in a support role and I have been getting frustrated with the need to push things in new directions. I can see so much that needs to be done in the world; so many problems with how we live that are causing the eco system and our social system to break down. I will write more extensively on the problems at a later date, the purpose of this post is to share a little of my vision with you. One of my purposes of attending the Spiral Dynamics training was to help me find some new direction. Marie Faire, one of the support tutors from the Beyond Partnership suggested that I write an idealised version of how I would like to work, without any of the practical constraints. It was a very useful exercise, which allowed me to clarify my ideas. In have re-written the dream several times, and will no doubt do so again, it is an ongoing work. But for the moment, here is a snapshot of where I am.

…………………

To work in a place with people where I can look into their eyes, hold their hands and hug them with an open, peaceful heart and be likewise embraced. To also communicate and interact with a global network of other people for exchange of ideas, methodologies and systems. Where the flow of information between us is intricate and accepted even when difficult, painful and conflicting allowing for ever more accurate and complex modelling and solutions. Yet also a place with the space and time to be alone to develop ideas, to rest in solitude, silence and peace. Time to develop my own identity and creativity. A place where, by being, I flow into people as they flow into me; and then flow out again as we continue onwards, each maintaining our own individuated uniqueness. A local place where we can share ideas and experience with our full perceptive field as well as though formal language and the constructs that form from that. To work with unique individuals, each with their own depth and breadth of flavour and sensation, enjoying that difference, enjoying exploring the boundaries between us that define our individual identities; the boundaries that without which we would have no identity. Our boundaries define us and in exploring the boundaries that we share we can do more than know each other, we in a very real sense become each other for a while, in becoming each other, we are peace with each other, before the flux and flow riddle on in their evolving dance. Our own changing identities ebbing and waning as we grow, evolve and die. There is a lot of flow in this description, yet the flow is structured and at times gritty, it can be organised and hierarchical. The structure has no ultimate form, no perfect form. This sounds idealised, and it is, for that is its intention; in reality it will be grounded and the edges will sometimes be rough and unknown.

Working efficiently and effectively with people towards resolving the major problems facing humanity and the environment from the excessive consumption and waste that we produce. Working with people systems and the institutions they reside within to create more efficient, effective, congruent, reliable, integrated, sustainable, holistic and people friendly environments. Doing so by walking my talk, keeping my resource use under a specific percentile on critical measures by home working and localising, but at them same time being globally networked with other localised groups. To work specifically with E-C and related psychological theories interactively with the support of the E-C knowledge community. To keep my career open ended and expanding into new areas as they interest me and become relevant.

To work in Hebden Bridge, where I am settled into the local community with good friends. To work congruently with the needs of raising a healthy family and be harmonious with the needs of my wife, Nicole.

I have just returned from a training course as part of becoming certified for SD1 & SD2. I’ve been interested in Spiral Dynamics for around five years and have finally decided to take the plunge. I’m glad I did, I picked up a lot of nuances that I hadn’t from the books. There were case studies and updates on the theory due to studies that have been made since the Spiral Dynamics book was published. In particular they gave some good examples of how easy it can be to mistake one vMeme system from another. It would have been nice to have even more examples to take away from the course in a puzzle book format to get more practice in identifying these differences when the content is different from the container. The course had about 25 people on it and the conversation was stimulating, I’m normally quite introverted but I was very chatty on this course.

The course was very thought provoking and has given me lots of ideas for topics on this blog, but before I explore them I expect I have already lost the average reader who has just stumbled here, so to start with I am planning to write a brief introduction to Spiral Dynamics, as I understand it.

In the meantime, if you want to read more then read this overview on Spiral Dynamics (pdf file) .