Clare Graves levels of existence
One of Maslow’s students, Clare Graves, attempted
to create a pencil and paper instrument to identify what needs were
currently pursued. Graves later concluded that a person's needs
change with his or her values; and that a person's values change in
a predictable way. Graves later did much research into individual’s
values and how they impact not just the individuals, but
organisations and society as well. He put forward the "Emergent
Cyclic Levels of Existence Theory" which laid out different levels
of human existence.
Spiral Dynamics
Grave’s work was used by Chris Cowan and Don Beck
as the basis for their book ‘Spiral Dynamics’ which in turn is
referenced by the American philosopher and psychologist Ken Wilber
in his ‘Theory of Everything’. The concepts behind Spiral Dynamics
were used by the authors to great effect in rebuilding South Africa
in its post apartheid era. The term ‘meme’ is used and was first
coined by Richard Dawkins in his book ‘The Selfish Gene’, to indicate
cultural change and evolution in the same way as gene’s do for
physical evolution. A ‘v’ is added to meme to indicate that it is
referring to ‘values’. The ideas behind Spiral Dynamics are shown in
the following two diagrams;
|