Graves Model (often also Spiral Dynamics)

The Graves Model is often also referred to by the term Spiral Dynamics. This new term was introduced by Don Beck, a student of Clare Graves. The term has become established in many fields, especially since it is frequently used by Ken Wilber as well.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs was the most famous model for the ontogenetic development of a person in the 1930s. However, his theory lacked a solid foundation and gave Clare Graves — a contemporary of Maslow — reason for criticism.

In his opinion, Maslow's view of the self-actualizing person was too inflexible. He did not accept the endpoint of Maslow's pyramid as the endpoint of development, because Graves believed that certain value systems (=memes) had developed as a response to specific human existential conditions. Such memes are, on the one hand, psychological attempts to respond appropriately to particular historical existential conditions and, on the other hand, counter-movements to the prevailing value system (antithesis).

Graves Levels

1. About Clare W. Graves

Clare W. Graves (1914–1986) was an American professor of psychology at Union College in New York and, with his meme model, a pioneer of Spiral Dynamics. The development of this model was initiated by central questions from his students: Why are people different? Why do some change? Why do people have such completely different interpretations of the highest human developmental goal of "self-actualization"?

Graves’ answer was: “Briefly summarized, I claim that the psychology of mature human beings is an unfolding, emergent, oscillating, spiral process marked by the subordination of older, lower-order behavior systems to newer, higher-order systems as the existential problems of human beings change.”

By this he meant that human development is continuous and never complete. It changes along with shifts in human existential conditions and thus gives rise to new systems in which older systems are integrated. When a new system or stage unfolds, we also change our psychology and our ways of living in order to adapt to these new conditions. A wide range of life forms are possible within this potentially open value system. There is no final stage that everyone must reach. Individuals, companies, or even entire societies can only respond positively to management principles, motivational incentives, educational values, and permissible or ethical concepts that correspond to their current stage of human existence!

Learn more about Spiral Dynamics in the online seminar recording with Stephan Landsiedel.

Graves Value Model:

The emergent, cyclical double-helix model of mature adult biopsychosocial behavior

Brief Description

Each class of problems or challenges is addressed through the creation of a value system. So far, humanity has developed eight distinct value systems. These value systems are mechanisms that the psyche has developed to adequately cope with specific environmental situations. When the problems and challenges faced by an individual or a society change, their value system also changes. Value systems are therefore appropriate when they enable a congruent problem-solving behavior. However, they must not be compared independently of context.

emergent = arising
Value systems arise repeatedly through changes in the environment.

Cyclical Double Helix

Each value system arises at the intersection of two forces: the problem and the respective approach to solving it.

A value system reflects how people think—that is, their values and belief structures. However, they must not be confused with the subject or content of thought. Value systems are rather a framework or a mode of thinking. Often, value systems that are diametrically opposed in content—such as a fundamentalist religion and so-called "atheistic communism"—are merely different expressions of the same value system.

The Graves Model offers immense explanatory and predictive value and is applicable to all aspects of biological, psychological, and sociological behavior. It explains both individual behavior and international political interactions: differing views regarding religion, the meaning of human existence, economics, politics, family, education, health, and leisure, as well as different patterns in goals, ethics, motivation, lifestyle, and organization. Entry into or exit from a given system is triggered by forces from the environment in which the system exists. The deep structures of the Graves Model correspond to ways of thinking, not types of people. These patterns reflect biopsychosocial systems and are neither a typology of people nor discrete developmental stages of humans. They represent systems within the repertoire of human behavioral possibilities, which is why every person possesses certain mental patterns that can be activated by different contexts and situations.

Characteristics of the Levels

The emergent-cyclical double-helix model for the biopsychosocial development of adults postulates eight levels:

• Beige: reactive, autistic, archaic-instinctive; survival or the struggle for survival is the focus
• Violet: animistic, tribalistic, security-oriented. The person sacrifices their own desires for the tribe, the chief, or the spirits
• Red: egocentric, self-oriented, hedonistic, magical. The self wants to express itself here and now and does not care about others
• Blue: absolutist, conformist, pious. The self sacrifices for a later reward (in heaven, etc.)
• Orange: success-oriented, materialistic, objectivistic. The self calculates its own interests to avoid conflict with others
• Green: personalistic, group-oriented, humanistic. The self is willing to sacrifice for others
• Yellow: systemic, existential, functional. The self is interested in momentary self-expression, but not at the expense of others
• Turquoise: experience-oriented, globally-minded, synergistic. The self is now ready to sacrifice so that life can continue.

The Problems of the Levels

Each level of the Graves model represents a solution strategy and an answer to a class of problems. Therefore, each level can be seen as a connection between a group of problems or challenges that people devise to deal with the corresponding issues.

Symbolism	Meaning
Beige	Maintaining physiological stability and integrity
Violet	Achieving relative security
Red	Living with self-awareness
Blue	Achieving lasting peace of soul
Orange	Conquering the physical universe
Green	Emphasizing interpersonal values
Yellow	Restoring the quality of life in a "sick" world
Turquoise	Acceptance of existential dichotomies

The Levels

Level	State of the World	Promising Reactions
1st Level: Natural State (beige)	Natural state with food scarcity, no protection or security	Behavior is survival-oriented, like in animals
2nd Level: Tribal Life, Magic (violet)	The forces of nature evoke fear and are unpredictable or inexplicable. They are experienced as threatening.	People join together with others to ensure security and appease the evil spirits through magical rituals that reduce fears.
3rd Level: Knight, Hero, Lone Wolf (red)	Only the strongest survive. Aggressions and hostilities are part of everyday life. The world is difficult and harsh, so only the strongest can survive.	Fights for survival at the expense of others, using all means to be the strongest or a hero.
4th Level: System of Loyal Bureaucracy (blue)	Rule by force has brought much suffering. The privileged have totally exploited the poor. The world is controlled and guided by God.	Rules, laws, contracts, and constitutions that everyone must adhere to represent an advancement. People believe in the truth and each follows and obeys the higher authority.
5th Level: Materialist, Capitalist (orange)	Progress brings opportunities for material wealth. The world is full of opportunities for progress and material prosperity.	Different opportunities are pragmatically tested for their likelihood of success. It is worthwhile to become independent or engage in profitable business ventures.
6th Level: Movement, Relationships (green)	The material societal development allows for the questioning of meaning. The hometown of true humanity.	People come together in communities so that everyone can equally participate in growth and experience a sense of purpose in life.
7th Level: Dolphin, Boundary Experiences (yellow)	Prosperity enables completely new thoughts, hopes, and breakthrough experiences.	It is sensible to solve existing problems from new perspectives efficiently and effectively, while experiencing a sense of flow.
8th Level: Transpersonal Perspective (turquoise)	The world is a single, large living organism (Gaia). The Earth is on the brink of collapse. There is a danger that humans will destroy it.	The individual seeks the hidden order behind the apparent chaos. Only a consciousness of a higher order and a transpersonal search for global solutions will avert the danger of destruction.

Level 1: Reactive, Automatic Meme

Small groups and bands focused primarily on biological survival. At this developmental level, all energy is directed toward survival. People at this stage live only in the present. In pre-tribal cultures, this "animal" way of life existed, and today it can be found in children, mentally disabled or senile individuals, and in some cases, drug addicts. However, this state can also be triggered by extreme stress and life-threatening situations.

"Survival at Any Cost"

Start:
100,000 years ago

Maxim:
Self-expression with the goal of survival

Perspective:
The world is uncertain and vague, based on biological imperatives. Life is instinctive and consists of submitting to the will of nature without resistance.

Life Goal:
Immediate satisfaction of periodically occurring physiological needs (food, water, safety) to ensure the survival of the species.

Solution Strategies:
Responds to environmental changes with the goal of survival. Changes and moves quickly and automatically depending on altered resources and life necessities. It depends on life-supporting systems with minimal awareness of itself and others. Small social groups work together to gather food or hunt, fend off dangers, and reproduce. Behavior is primarily based on the stimulus-response model, with instinct as the key to survival.

Forms of Expression

• Low: Helpless, fluctuating between life and death, minimal perception of reality
• High: Self-sufficient at a low level, passively engaging with reality, survival values

Organizational Structure:
Small groups, herd-like behavior. The stronger protect the weaker, and the groups come together for mating, food acquisition, and migration. Movements are guided by weather and food resources.

Learning System:
Genetic programming, habits

Learning Style:
Activation of instinctive memory, observational learning, primary input through touch and taste, no conceptual learning.

Learning Incentives:
Motivated by immediate physiological needs Share of the Adult Population:
Approximately 0.1%

Level 2: Tribalistic, Animistic Meme

The energy in self-sacrifice is directed towards the survival of the tribe, with attention focused on the present and past. People are dependent on the chief or the clan/tribe. This mindset dominated most pre-literate cultures and can still be found in diluted forms today in clubs, close family units, and sports teams. It can also be found in some parts of Africa, South America, Oceania, and the Arctic regions.

"There is no coincidence."

Start:
50,000 years ago

Maxim:
Sacrifice one's own desires for the tribe, the chief, and the spirits.

Perspective:
The world is mysterious, full of good and evil spirits that control it. The clan and sacred objects must be protected from dangers.

Life Goal:
Maintain safety and protection, adhere to tribal traditions, and be ready to sacrifice for the tribe.

Solution Strategies:
One relies on magic, totems, taboos, or omens to appease the spirits. Safety and protection are found only within the family, clan, or tribe, accepting one's assigned role within the tribe and feeling pride for the tribe and its symbols.

Expressions

• Low: Extremely dependent on the chief and/or a cult; anxiously concerned with following taboos and rituals
• High: Loyal and trustworthy; finds strength and security through a caring chief and/or a supportive family; inspired by heroic role models

Organizational Structure:
Tribe led by a council of elders (shaman, chiefs). Roles are determined by gender, age, physical strength, etc. The norms of the tribe are sacred and are rigidly defended or require absolute obedience.

Learning System:
Classical conditioning through association of different things.

Learning Style:
Reflective, i.e., a paternalistic teacher conditions the desired responses to certain sensory inputs; need-based learning: the learner copies behavior patterns from others; procedural (step-by-step), process-oriented, linear sequential procedures; rituals and rites structure daily life, thus supporting memory as well as automated behaviors. Use of magic/fantasy, symbols, drawings, as most are illiterate. Repetitive music supports long-term memory by using songs and smells as anchors.

Communication:
Information is only passed through the clan chief, printed words are seen as unreliable.

Learning Incentives:
Tangible recognition for learning achievements; interest in anything that increases security and helps satisfy biological drives.

Percentage of the adult population:
Around 10%

Level 3: Egocentric, Exploitative Meme

This level is represented by workers with power-driven behaviors from the American South. Energy is invested in self-expression, with the goal of achieving immediate gratification of sensual needs, with no regard for others. This form can be found primarily in repressive political regimes and dictatorships today. It can also be seen in outbreaks of violence in cities, during wars, and among drug gangs.

"I take whatever I can get, and it's all about not getting caught." "The law of the strongest." "I want it all, and I want it now."

Start:
10,000 years ago

Maxim:
Impulsive expression of one's own self without consideration for others

Perspective:
The world is full of aggression, hostility, selfishness, and is ruled by power.

Life goal:
To gain and exercise power in order to satisfy one's own needs. Power is seen as the only way to satisfy one's needs and defend against imagined or real subjugation. One's own independence is prioritized over the thinking and feelings of others. Respect is sought, while shame and embarrassing situations are avoided.

Solution strategies:
Willing to use all necessary means to exploit others and maintain power and control. These individuals have no guilt, trust only themselves, and are highly concerned with not losing face.

Appearance:
This way of life prevailed in hedonistic empires; today, it can be found in dictatorships, certain reactive stages of child development, gang wars with exaggerated power behavior, and in some rap lyrics.

• Introverted: Cynical, bitter, passive-aggressive, and hostile
• Extroverted: Glorious appearance (clothing, cars), rebellious, risk-taking, want to be the center of attention

Expression Form

• Low: Self-destructive, rebellious, unable to function within societal limits, extremely exploitative, often lawless and cruel
• High: Spontaneous, energetic, demanding, willing to break traditions, innovative, and autonomous

Organizational Structure:
Empire, strong hierarchy (top-down), strength defines the relationships, work is done as long as supervision is in place; everyone is focused on their own benefit.

Communication:
Logical arguments and general behavioral and politeness rules are completely irrelevant, what's important is convincing the other party of personal benefits.

Learning System:
Operant conditioning, where learners are rewarded for their successes.

Learning Style:
Punishment is counterproductive, respect between both parties is crucial; trial and error.

Learning Incentives:
Success must provide immediate confirmation, otherwise it is of no interest.

Share of the adult population:
Around 15%

Level 4: Absolutist, Sacred Meme

In the Graves model, this level is primarily conformist:
For example, the typical American middle class lives within this value system. Present needs are sacrificed to receive future rewards: At this level, the idea of delaying gratification for future rewards first emerges. The highest commandments are obedience, punishment, and system preservation, and they represent a necessary step in the formation of an orderly and progressive society within developing nations. In pure cultures, we can find this type in doctrinal religions, absolutist philosophical and political systems. It is especially prominent in military and religious hierarchies.

"I sacrifice myself for the cause/organization" "Sacrifice now, reap later"

Beginning:
5,000 years ago

Maxim:
Do what the higher order demands of you - without any consideration

Perspective:
The world is deterministic and rationally ordered. People and things are classified in rigid categories.

Life goal/incentives:
To adapt to the framework of instructions - good and evil, control; avoid guilt, avoid punishment

Solution strategies:
Follow rules, live a proper existence, support the system through sacrifice and discipline

Organizational structure:
Passive hierarchy, rigid rules for structures and ranks

Learning system/style:
Avoidance learning "away from", indoctrination by more knowledgeable authority

Example:
You believe in God (biblical Christian) and all the rules of Catholics. You are well-versed in the Bible and consider these rules to be the truth. There is only this one right way. You are willing to follow all the rules. You live in stability and orderly conditions.

Proportion of the adult population:
Approximately 30%

Level 5: Multiplistic, Materialistic Meme

The self wants to set and achieve its own goals; it is about material rewards, but in a way that does not provoke envy or resentment from others. At this level, you find the capitalist and materialist. It is about calculated self-expression, without upsetting others, but with the intention to reap the reward immediately to avoid any retaliatory actions later. The materialist believes that success can be achieved through skillful manipulation of the system. This level is the cornerstone of the thinking in modern industrialized nations. It manifests in a highly technical society, as well as in sales, marketing, and advertising.

"I want to maximize my profit"

Start:
300 years ago

Maxim:
Calculated behavior to avoid provoking the anger and resentment of others.

Perspective:
The world is full of wealth, offering unprecedented opportunities for individuals and entire cultures.

Life Goal:

• Individual: Achieve goals, popularity, prestige
• Cultural: Conquering nature, unlocking its secrets, skillful use of resources to ensure a better life for all; the fatalistic dogma is replaced by science and technology, predestination and fate are replaced by human control over destiny

Solution Strategies:

• Individual: Success is the result of competitiveness, investment of time/energy, risk-taking, free market


• Cultural: Progress as the result of pragmatic invention strategies; realpolitik, ideologically and success-oriented; free enterprise, progressive thinking, and competition are promoted

Manifestation:
Materialistic worldview of Western industrial nations; dependent on constant advancement in high-tech fields; the majority of the population is very status-conscious and strives to constantly rise in the social hierarchy.

Expression

• Low: Deceptive, extremely selfish, ruthless; people without "backbone"
• High: High energy level

Organizational Structure:
Hierarchy, bureaucratic - status-oriented, functional authority is an important characteristic for decision-makers

Communication:
Flows from top to bottom and sideways; people are pragmatically only interested in what benefits them in the end (career, money, prestige)

Learning System:
Expectation learning, where the goal of learning satisfies their needs; they need rewards to stay motivated and learn best through their own efforts and varying learning environments.

Learning Style:
Trial and error - experimenting, competitive examples with high-tech; use of technologies is motivating; joy in analyzing and breaking down objects or putting them back together into something better; almost compulsive drive to be the best, which often leads to chronic stress and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, mastering the rules of a game is not experienced as an end in itself, but as a means to win; risk increases the adventure, and when they lose, they see themselves as failures, at the end of their abilities.

Learning Incentives:
Certificates, improved status

Example:
You are a very successful young entrepreneur. You are in the market to win and are very successful. You work hard and earn a lot of money. You are optimistic, take risks. You use the resources that the Earth offers you to live a life of abundance. You have attended many training programs and know many of the laws of success. You seek your autonomy and independence. You enjoy competition (people like J.R. Ewing from Dallas).

Proportion of the adult population:
Approximately 30%

Level 6: Personalistic, Relativistic Meme

One's own needs are subordinated in favor of others, so that everyone benefits together. On this personalistic, humanistic level, energy is directed toward self-sacrifice with the goal of creating well-being for all. It arises as a result of prosperity and as a reaction to a technologized, alienated, and impersonal society; primary concerns include equality, social services, and humanitarian programs.

"Team player"
"Together we are stronger"
"Together we can make it"

Beginning:
150 years ago

Maxim:
Willingness to self-sacrifice in order to improve the living conditions for oneself and others.

Perspective:
Rediscovery of basic human values; the world is experienced as depersonalized and materialistic; humans are dominated by technology, creating a spiritual void that can only be filled by returning to humanistic core values.

Life Goal:
To make peace with oneself and the belief that people need each other; exploitation of humans by other humans should end, as should consumerism and the regulation of human life. Furthermore, global hunger, racism, the oppression of women, and social alienation should be overcome.

Solution Strategies

• Individual: "I + You" relationships are central; the goal is a society based on equality and humanity. Emotional and spiritual needs take precedence over material ones.
• Cultural: Society should become egalitarian to give every person the opportunity to develop their full human potential. The needs of all people must be treated equally (moral imperative). To achieve this, persuasion, legal measures where necessary, consensual decisions, group effort, harmony, and the maintenance of peace are essential.

Manifestation:
In the late 60s and early 70s (anti-Vietnam movement, hippie movement), the civil rights movement and the human potential movement emerged. Such an attitude is particularly found in helping professions (social workers, teachers), especially in Scandinavia, and is gaining increasing importance in Japan, Germany, and Switzerland. The civil rights movement is a reaction to the growing alienation and technologization in highly industrialized societies, aiming for a welfare state, equality before the law, and humanitarian progress.

Expression

• Low: Overly compliant and unrealistic, idealistic; sensations and emotions are overemphasized, while material outcomes and productivity lose importance.
• High: Congruent orientation toward the interests of fellow human beings; individuals radiate inner peace and are well-grounded in material reality; emphasis on warm, responsible interpersonal relationships and social responsibility.

Organizational Structure:
A social network where all participants are involved with equal rights and responsibilities for mutual benefit; little interest in status and privileges, with a focus on the human factor for progress.

Communication:
Frequent communication in all directions; striving for consensus, along with consideration of what each employee/participant gains from the interaction, are central topics.

Learning System:
Learning through empathetic experience.

Learning Style:
Exploring, observing, and considering emotions are the first steps in teaching these individuals. Modeling, feedback sessions, and the teaching of experiential truths should also be included. Authority figures—unless they integrate themselves—are rejected. Cooperation and acceptance are key to productive learning, while incongruence and competition block motivation. A potential risk is excessive tolerance.

Learning Incentives:
Mutual encouragement and support within the group.

Example:
You seek your inner peace. Your emotions and communication with others are much more important to you than cold rationality. You care about others and build deep relationships with them. You are a good listener and bring harmony into the lives of many people (Carl Rogers).

Share of Adult Population:
Approximately 15%

Level 7: Systemic, Existential Meme

The self expresses itself to be free, but not at the expense of others or the environment. Improving things without being overly ambitious is a goal of this meme. It responds to competence, reasons, and necessities, but not to status, age, group, or subservient duties. Free from internal constraints, the focus is on flexibility, individual competence, self-motivation, and understanding of inner conflicts. People work within systemic, freely flowing, and adaptable organizational forms that can handle both complex processes and uncertainty as well as rapid change.

"Flexibility, spontaneity, and functionality have the highest priority"
"There are many possibilities."

Beginning:
50 years ago

Self-expression:
but not at the expense of others

Perspective:
The world is in danger of collapse due to the exploitation of nature and humans. This society sees life as multifaceted, paradoxical, ambiguous, and polycontextual, in which the balance between humans and nature must be rediscovered.

Life goal:
Humans should reconnect with nature and address global issues. Despite living in a rapidly changing world, life and actions should be as functional as possible.

Solution strategies:
The relationship between humans and the world must be questioned in order to ensure survival. The theory of autopoietic systems, self-regulation, etc., forms the theoretical basis for solution strategies.

Characteristic features:
People at this developmental level seek to improve their capabilities without being overly ambitious. They compare themselves to their past or ideal future selves (ideal self). Competence, reasoning, logic, and necessity matter to such individuals, while authority, age, status, dogma, or group belonging are rejected.
They are satisfied with the results of their work but dislike excessive praise or being singled out. They fight for their rights without constantly seeking conflict. These people are free from inner compulsions and can enjoy life, focusing on flexibility, individual competence, self-motivation, and tolerance for paradoxes. Traditional values and responsibilities are not accepted.

Organizational structure:
Systemic flow: For every task, there is a suitable structure within organizations that can deal with complexity, uncertainty, and rapid change.

Manifestation:
Gradually appearing in Western cultures in the form of an intellectual attitude or system of thought (theory of autopoietic systems, second-order cybernetics).

Learning style:
Informative learning – Self-directed access to knowledge and materials.

Expressions

• Low: The primary goal is securing one's own living conditions. Solving secondary problems is avoided.
• High: Acceptance of a wide variety of experiences and the emphasis on functionality and the quality of "being" are paramount.

Learning style:
Informational learning in all representational systems is possible. Access to learning materials and knowledge should be self-determined and adapted to one's own learning pace. Learning objectives are often non-specific, and individual development occurs without compulsion or fear. Competition and the need for approval are absent; learners instead use what is available and work in non-prestructured environments with as much control over their own time as possible.

Learning incentives:
Learning goals are self-set, and rewards are self-generated rather than externally imposed.

Example:
You see that the world is in danger of ecological or military collapse. The reason for this is the misuse of human and natural resources. You want to help reconnect people with nature. You strive to constantly improve your own performance. Knowledge and competence should surpass rank, power, and status. The magnificence of existence is more important to you than material possessions. You are flexible and capable of accepting different experiences simultaneously. Only internal motivators matter to you. You write books to help save the world from collapse. You recognize systemic interconnections and point them out.

Proportion of the adult population:
approx. 1%

Level 8: Transpersonal, Global Meme

The self is willing to sacrifice itself and others, if necessary, for global survival. This level of the Graves model is the response to the increasing challenges of global coordination and survival. At its core is the survival of life on the planet. The self, as well as others, must subordinate themselves to this goal.

"Everything is interconnected and must be viewed as a whole."

Beginning:
30 years ago

Maxim:
Willingness to sacrifice oneself and others if necessary for global survival.

Perspective:
A world heading toward geopolitical collapse, where short-sighted solutions threaten the entire ecosphere.

Life Goal:
Meta-solutions are to be implemented beyond geopolitical and economic boundaries. War should be avoided, and hunger, disease, and political oppression should be overcome.

Solution Strategies:
Overcoming traditional human boundaries and building global networks. New ways of life are being discovered that allow each individual to flourish without questioning the interests of the whole. Therefore, human needs must be brought into harmony with the planet’s limited resources. However, one may sacrifice oneself or others to restore or preserve the quality of life as a whole or the natural order of things.

Manifestation:
The ideology of post-New-Age spirituality serves as a foundation for this meme.

Forms of Expression

• Low: "The space cadet."
• High: Prophet

Organizational Structure:
A holistic organism in which each part contains the whole. Meta-management should connect competence and consensus in personal and collective interests in such a way that the well-being of the overarching whole is never lost from view. Complex models are developed in which physics and metaphysics collaborate in a global information process (theory of the holistic universe, theory of morphogenetic fields). Information from all corners of the earth is integrated to enable a geopolitical and ecological understanding and influence of the world as a whole.

Communication:
Available information is used, as long as it is not perceived as imposed.

Learning Style:
Experiential learning. This form of learning can take place in any way, but instead of introducing new “learning toys,” other important aspects of the learning system are improved—for example, the relative resolution of fear in the learning process, which enables faster and more effective learning. Exchange with people living in different states of consciousness is sought. Learning is mainly an interaction with global networks through which perception and consciousness can expand. Various thinking methods and approaches are explored; learning becomes a new form of being in connection with a collegial group of fellow thinkers, who may be spread across the world. Thinking is intuitive and transrational, made possible through holistically-synergetic processing of sensory input, affective feedback, and meta-processing.

Learning Incentives:
Life is learning.

Example:
You are one of the leading minds on this planet in the development of consciousness. You experience the wholeness of all existence. The world appears to you as a single, dynamic organism with its own collective spirit. Everything is connected to everything else. Energy and information determine what happens on Earth. You think holistically and intuitively. You are willing to sacrifice yourself and others if necessary for global survival. You are a visionary who finds and implements meta-solutions to ensure the survival of the species beyond conventional geopolitical and economic boundaries. Moreover, the goal is to avoid war and to overcome poverty, hunger, disease as such, and political oppression (e.g., Dalai Lama, Ken Wilber, Rupert Sheldrake).

Proportion of the adult population:
approximately 0.1%

The Memes in the Spiral Dynamics Model

Introduction

Clare Graves’ students expanded his model to create Spiral Dynamics – one of the most precise models of cultural development. However, Spiral Dynamics is not a one-dimensional perspective and does not view humans with cold analytical distance. Rather, it offers clear and profound insights into the flowing patterns of the human psyche. Beliefs and values often unconsciously guide our decisions and shape our identity.

Personal experiences are placed within the broader historical context of human development, which leads to a liberating sense of objectivity. This development is part of every human being and spans from the most primitive survival instincts (Beige) to spiritual aspirations (Turquoise). Spiral Dynamics is designed as a spiral because it expresses natural and cosmic forces, which can be found everywhere: the spiral form appears in our DNA, in galaxies, and more...
The spiral, with its upward-expanding structure, best describes the evolution of human consciousness because it reflects an unfolding way of thinking and ever-growing complexity. This development begins around 100,000 years ago as the "First-Tier level" (Memes 1–6) with the basic need for survival. The "Second-Tier level" (Memes 7–8) represents the “being level.”

Don Beck and His Theory

The “spiral wizard” Don Beck uses his model to bring about change in large systems within and between the various sectors and cultures of the global community. For such large-scale interventions and transformations, he created a new initiative called "Spiral Dynamics Integral" (SDi). Its goal is to enable human transformation and global reconciliation. However, there is still a long way to go, because according to the concept of Spiral Dynamics, human nature is not unchangeable:

Humans can create new worlds, i.e., they can adapt to situations by developing a more complex way of thinking in order to solve problems. This requires adaptive, context-dependent intelligence that can respond to different life conditions. For Don Beck and others, the primary focus is always on the underlying dynamic forces generated by life conditions, as well as on coping mechanisms and collective intelligences.

In the concept of Spiral Dynamics, these collective intelligences are called memes: Memes (value systems) respond like genes, viruses, and bacteria to the same fundamental principle of the universe – the concept of regenerative capacity. Each subsequent meme adopts a more complex organizational principle with its own calibrated priorities, mentalities, and specific baselines. This is a method of problem-solving that emphasizes what is most important, depending on the response to life conditions.

Similar to the replicating DNA code, a meme code is a bio-psycho-social and spiritual blueprint that spreads throughout an entire culture and manifests in all areas of cultural expression. It shapes survival codes, origin myths, artistic expressions, lifestyles, and a sense of community. Crises and conflicts trigger the shift to the next higher level of human development, but the spiral will never reach a final stage—instead, it continues to spiral upward dynamically and expansively. According to Ken Wilber, each new social stage transcends all previous ones but also includes them. Therefore, more complex systems of thought also show a higher degree of freedom.

However, it will take a long time before the Yellow and Turquoise codes are fully reached, because memes are not types of people but adaptive intelligences within people. Nevertheless, various fragments or components already exist today, which is why exchange and the formation of a "syndicate of creative minds" are important.

Don Beck: Graphic Representation

Level 1 Survival, food gathering, reproduction, instinct, street-vendor mentality
Level 2 Formation of tribes (tribalism), magic, family rituals	Occurrence Ancestors (spirits), tribe members, medicine men
Level 3 Power, egocentrism, mythic, impulses, emotions, revenge	Occurrence Heroes, power gods, Oktoberfest, mafia, cowboy, Lucky Luke
Level 4 Herd mentality, all-powerful order, law, rules	Occurrence Boy Scouts, fundamentalists, civil service, socio-/ethnocentric
Level 5 Rational, scientific profit, achievement, world-centric, market economy, introspection	Occurrence Materialists, capitalists, winners
Level 6 Human connection, ecology, equality, mediation, relativistic, multicultural	Occurrence Humanistic psychologists, constructivists, 1968 movement, anti-authoritarian
Level 7 Integral, aperspectival, holarchical, growth of the entire spiral, integration of systems in systems, win-win relationship	Occurrence Chaos theorists
Level 8 Holonic, self-sacrifice for the world	Occurrence Prophets, ecologists, Greenpeace activists
Level 9 astral-psychic, transpersonal 10 subtle 11 causal 12 non-dual	Occurrence Nature mystics

The Development of NLP According to Graves

Within 30 years, NLP has evolved from Graves Level 4 to Level 7. The first generation of NLP (1972) was entirely focused on the development of simple step-by-step sequences and techniques.

The blue value system "creating order" (Level 4 in the Graves model) best describes this phase. Since 1980, the orange meme evolved, whose idea of success led to massive seminars featuring firewalking, strong media presence, and persuasion. Parallel to the 5th meme, the 6th Graves level (green) emerged in the form of a sensitive community with seminars emphasizing group feeling, group dynamics, and play.

In the early 1990s, the fourth generation then evolved on the yellow 7th value system "Integral and Being Motivation": Professional NLP training programs with new seriousness, ethics, and transformative themes. These include visionary leadership, Tools of the Spirit, and Core Transformation. The goal of this stage is to integrate all the previous stages well, increase individuals' freedom of choice and flexibility, unfold personal potential on the level of being motivation, and create space for questions about the meaning of life and the development of wisdom.

The developmental stages of humanity are therefore also reflected in different stages of development among NLP providers:

Level 5:

Progress brings opportunities for material prosperity.

"Success is everything!"

It is worthwhile for self-employed individuals to run profitable businesses: capitalism, control, ownership, manipulation, acquiring knowledge, acting independently. Huge seminars with firewalking and media hype.

Level 6:

Material societal development makes it possible to ask questions about meaning.

"Sensitive Community"

Communities provide a sense of life’s meaning and the experience of personal growth: sensitive, consensual, harmonious, equality, team development. Playful seminars with group dynamics.

Paradigm Shift from Deficiency Motivation to Being Motivation

Level 7:

Prosperity enables entirely new thoughts, hopes, and breakthrough experiences. Internet age.

"integral, wisdom, ethics, being motivation"

It makes sense to solve existing problems efficiently and effectively from new perspectives while experiencing a sense of flow: dolphin-like, integration of professional NLP trainings with transformative topics.

Level 8:

The Earth is on the brink of collapse. There is a danger that humanity will destroy it.

Only a consciousness of a higher order and a transpersonal search for global solutions can avert this danger of destruction: Transpersonal

Application of the Graves Value Model

1. In Conflict Resolution (quoted from O.p.a.l.)

Since large companies typically exhibit a mixture of the blue, orange, and green levels, conflicts are inevitable.

Example:
The "Oranges" reject the "Blues" because they see them as blocking change, and they reject the "Greens" for always trying to integrate all opinions, leading to endless discussions. The "Greens" dislike the heartless, money-driven "Oranges" and distrust the "Blues" with their hierarchies and fixed structures.

Let's add a bit more life to the example:

HR departments are often "green" and advocate for employee well-being (e.g., through personnel development and employee incentives). Management is often "orange". For them, employee performance is the top priority. Therefore, some leaders see personnel development as a waste of time. The "Greens" devalue the "Oranges", and the "Oranges" don't understand the "Greens" at all.

Can conflicts in your company also be explained this way?
What are your hypotheses?
The problem is that every person and every organization believes their current level is the only correct one and attacks the others. On our current level, we also tend to devalue our previous developmental stages that we have already outgrown. We have evolved and now feel superior to people on lower levels. We are not yet capable of understanding the thinking of people on higher developmental levels.
Only from level yellow (7 in the Graves model) do we adopt an integral perspective. From this level onward, we value people at all stages.

2. In Employee Leadership

2.1 Challenges in Companies

An individual, a company, or even an entire nation can only respond positively to management principles, motivational incentives, educational foundations, and ethical values that align with their own stage of development.
This means that each developmental stage requires different leadership and communication styles, as well as approaches. For example, "blue" employees can be effectively motivated by a title or status symbol. Meanwhile, "orange" employees are more enthusiastic about performance-based bonuses. These incentives, however, would be ineffective for "green" employees. Here, teamwork on a "meaningful" project is more promising.

However, our developmental stage is not static—it changes. Every person or system develops upward over time as the complexity of their environment increases. When we reach a new stage of development, we change our worldview, our way of thinking, and our habits to adapt to the new conditions. We then continue to carry the developmental stages we've passed through within us. The same is true for a developing system.

However, a person or system can regress to a lower stage during a crisis. For example, in times of recession and unemployment, social thinking (green stage) may decline first, leading to intense competition (orange or red stage). Once the crisis is successfully overcome, we typically return quickly to our "previous" developmental stage.
What consequences can we draw from this understanding of different developmental stages for our professional everyday life?

Exercises on the Graves Model

Try to recall a situation with an employee, a colleague, or a supervisor that felt somewhat tense and conflict-laden. Choose a person whom you suspect is operating from a different stage of development.

Pay attention to the following points:

• Every person evaluates things differently because they think differently. People think differently because they have different brains!
• Different organizations occupy different positions on the "psychological map," and it is therefore important for them to develop diverse management strategies that match their employees and areas of activity. Managers should maintain a consistent and systematic approach so that all parts "connect" with each other.
• This way, personnel recruitment starts off correctly, and selection as well as placement and training of employees — all the way to personnel management and marketing — form a cohesive unit. Furthermore, organizations should organize their management systems from the bottom up in order to respond appropriately to employees. However, these employees are evolving and moving further along the "psychological map"!
• Marketing strategies often fail because they are a reflection of the designer. While they align with their own value system, they may not match that of the audience they aim to reach.
• Therefore, the key question is not how I can motivate people, but rather how I can align my actions with their natural motivational flow.
• The current productivity issue is a sign of growth and cultural evolution, not of decline. Thus, we must find new ways to work with people — based on what we have now become. Learners, trainers, and their teaching strategies must be aligned with one another.