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In this episode, Joel and Antonia talk about the Graves Model of development created by Clare Graves.

In this podcast you’ll find:

  • Developed by Clare Graves, the Graves Model focuses on Self-Actualization.
  • After studying Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Clare asked himself, what does Self Actualization mean and happens when we self-actualize?
  • He asked a group of people for over 50 years – ‘how would you define a healthy person? He noticed that their responses show a pattern. People were going on different stages of growth and development. He saw a model emerging that both worked on a micro and macro level.
  1. Beige – Survival Level. Everything is about me and my personal survival. Examples – birth to 4 years old, people who are homeless and have little sensitivity to other people, feral children.
  2. Purple Tribal Level. More about our survival as a tribe. Micro – this is where a toddler starts to identify survival as a family/group. Macro – Focused on a group. It’s important not to be kicked out of the tribe. Spiritual development can be observed (how gods impact us as humans, magical thinking).
  3. Red – Warlord. 15,000 – 20,000 years ago. When one or two people stand out from the rest of the group, they begin to get a lot of attention and are regarded as leaders, they move up to level 3. Goes back about getting ‘me’ again. This is where the rebellious years come. Example – Teens get into fights for no reason. They assume that they know everything and everybody else is halfwit. People learn how to stand-up for themselves. They don’t really believe that they have any right.
  4. Blue – Civilization. Started about 5,000 – 8,000 years ago. We learn to identify something bigger than us. When territory boundaries are created. Law and rule are made. If we all live under certain rules, we live in a better society. Civilizations create armies and better force. Because everything is in order, we’re seeing relationships between tribes that create institutions and civilizations. Example – World War II.
  5. Orange – Achievement. Leaders begin to emerge. Developed 150 – 200 years ago. Leaders see resources as limitless, something they can manipulate and master. This is where you find a lot of capitalism. Example – anybody who’s going through any massive achievement. We learn that there’s no reason to limit our selves. Many people keep themselves from going to this level casting limitations on themselves. Science and technology is very important for individuals who are in this level.
  6. Green – Ecology. 20-50 years ago. Starts to take in a much bigger territory.These are individuals who have met their goals. Example – Bill Gates. They have a more ecological perspective.They start to think in terms of community and how they can give back to the world. They’re more concerned about the impact on a holistic manner. They learn how to give back. The idea of tolerance is introduced. Individuals in this level find it very challenging to accomplish their mission because they’re busy listening to everyone’s perspectives.
  7. Yellow – Thought Leader – A person who has realized that not every voices needs to give the exact same honour. They are able to communicate with individuals in different levels in order to get what they want in a faster and more productive way.
  • Every transition from one level to the next (on a macro level) has been bloody.
  • 2 reasons why we go to the next level:
  1. When the problems we’re facing can’t be solved by our current level so we’re forced to go to the next level.
  2. When they have fully explored their current level and are not sure what to do.
  • The more we go up the level, the more we see things get done on the planet, the less warfare we see in a global level.
  • We as individuals have a lot to gain by going up these levels. Even though it causes trauma during transition, our consciousness open up and we see a bigger picture.
  • Growth does lead to happiness. People are happier when they are growing.
  • If you are interested in the Graves model and understanding where you fit and the implications of it in your life, please feel free to check-out our Your Personality: Owner’s Manual Program.

Exercises we recommend in this podcast about the Graves Model:

Take a piece of paper and draw a vertical line going up and down. Draw 7 horizontal lines (to create 8 horizontal sections) going up. Number each box beginning at the bottom (first little box on the left hand corner) on ascending order (1-8) and use the space adjacent to each number to jot down a few notes and learning points discussed on this podcast.

In this episode Joel and Antonia talk about the Graves Model of development created by Clare Graves. #gravesmodel #spiraldynamics

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31 comments

  • Joel Mark Witt
    • Joel Mark Witt
    • October 6, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    Thanks for the comment Julian. I never met him in real life – but from what I can tell I would agree that Stanley Kubrick was “Perspectives/Effectiveness.”

  • Julian Lee
    • Julian Lee
    • October 6, 2014 at 4:20 am

    Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ is a great analogy for the Graves model! On a side note Antonia, and Joel, don’t you think Kubrick was a Perspectives/Effectiveness (INTJ) user?

  • Antonia Dodge
    • Antonia Dodge
    • August 14, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Frederick! I’m sorry – I missed this comment!

    In all honesty, I think almost everything goes through this levels of development, so I think that includes the cognitive functions. You can see Exploration at 3 (The Joker), Perspectives at 2 (Shamans), Accuracy at 5 (Warren Buffet) and Effectiveness at 6 (Charity:Water).

    I think there’s (probably) a correlation to the ‘passengers in our car’ (Driver, Co-Pilot, 10 yr old, 3 yr old) and where each is at on the Graves model, but I don’t think I’m ready to unveil what I’ve been working on there yet. :)

  • Frederick
    • Frederick
    • July 30, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Antonia, it was you that said that the 8 jungian functions are like “multiple intelligences”? I found this definition fascinating because it was used by Ken Wilber to define developmental lines that goes through the 8 levels of the Graves model.

    Have you ever thought that there could be a Graves level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 for exploration, sensation, perspectives, memory, harmony, effectiveness, authenticity and accuracy? :)

  • Scott
    • Scott
    • July 22, 2014 at 4:34 am

    That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for answering my question and thanks for podcasting about this. Some big lightbulbs have gone off as a result. I’ve been binging on the model in the few days since and it’s really helped bring about some clarity and focus for me.

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