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Spiral Dynamics Integral: Learn to Master the Memetic Codes of Human Behavior
From the boardrooms of big business to the streets of the inner city, from the south side of Chicago to apartheid South Africa, Dr. Don Beck has taught people at all levels how to stop clashing and start communicating. His method is called Spiral Dynamics Integral, a revolutionary new way of perceiving human nature that lets us understand, predict, and resolve even the most difficult conflicts. In his effort to map the genome of the mind, Dr. Beck has created a tool he calls the Spiral, which charts the underlying reasons for virtually everything that human beings think, believe, and do. Breaking down the "complexity codes" that lie at the heart of a problem, he explains, is the first step toward coming up with a real, lasting solution.
16 pages, Audio CD
First published March 1, 2006
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August 15, 2024
Spiral Dynamics (SD) is a stage based model of psychosocial development, initially developed by Clare W. Graves and Don Beck, and later expanded upon and popularized by Ken Wilber.
VALUE MEMES
SD proposes that human consciousness evolves through a series dynamic and interacting stages, or Value Memes (vMemes) each characterized by a different value system, perspectival capacity, and ethical orientation.
LIMITING AND DELIMITING FACTORS
SD suggests that people's values and behaviors are (at least in part) responsive to their life conditions, including environmental cultural socioeconomic and political factors.
SD posits that individuals, nested in families, communities subcultures and dominant cultures have a particular vMeme as a center of gravity, which can fluctuate (up and down) depending on bio-psycho-social-systemic (BPSS) factors.
DOMINATION VS GROWTH HIERARCHY
SD’s most contentious claim, is that human psychosocial (and spiritual) development occurs in a stage based hierarchy. With higher stages that trancend/include the lower stages.
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
SD posits the following (color coded) hierarchy of psychosocial growth stage development.
1: Beige (Survival) focus on basic survival, instincts, and biological needs.
2: Purple (Security) emphasis on safety, traditions, and tribal/clan/kinship bonds.
3: Red (Power) driven by power, dominance, and impulsive actions.
4: Blue (Order) prioritizes social order, structure, rules, and authority.
5: Orange (Achievement/Status) focus on achievement, success, and individualism.
6: Green (Communitarian) emphasis on community, equality, and human connections.
7: Yellow (Integral) flexible, fluid Integrative, adaptability, and systemic understanding.
8: Turquoise (Holistic) broadly global/systems consciousness.
SD has been successfully implemented to understand and resolve highly contentious and impacted sociopolitical situations where in very different cultures are in violent conflict, including (perhaps most notably) in construction of the truth and reconciliation process in post apartheid South Africa. SD has also been successfully utilized in corporate and industrial contexts to improve organizational management and to facilitate multilevel conflict resolution.
NONLINEAR DYNAMIC GROWTH
SD suggests that as life conditions change, individuals and societies may move up or down the hierarchy, adopting new and/or previous value systems that better suit their environment.
SD asserts that growth and regression up and down the hierarchy is nonlinear, and responsive to current safety conditions and opportunities.
SD also asserts that stage these growth stage conceptions are not static, but rather people/groups/cultures can express characteristics of multiple stages simultaneously.
Finally, SD posits that psychosocial and sociopolitical development occurs in a cycle process, where in a the stage hierarchy is commonly deprived as a spiral 🌀 from above, or like a tornado 🌪️ in vertical profile.
NOTE: SD is a very visual system. So do a quick google image search and have a Quick Look 👀.
CRITIQUE
While SD has been praised for its comprehensive approach to modeling human development, it has also been criticized for oversimplification. And yes, of course it absolutely does. Out of necessity. SD is a map 🗺️ not a territory 🌍.
This is an old philosophical chestnut. Maps have to simplify, symbolize and miniaturize the geography they represent. Otherwise they would be too complex and too huge to use. More to be said. But this is not a hard criticism to address.
Other criticism asserts that SD lacks of empirical support. That’s only slightly more difficult to address. But basically. SD is a descriptive theoretical framework. It’s a model not a truth claim. It is derived from various lower level empirical findings. It’s an interpretive theoretical framework. It’s grounded in other empirical findings. But it is not easily testable as a descriptive framework. It’s probably more useful to evaluate it’s by its use value (like a map) rather than its truth value (like a soil sample).
Lastly, and this is the BIG one. SD is criticized for being a dominance hierarchy, whereby the world view of the global north is positioned as above more traditional values, and as such is inherently racist, or culturally biased towards the world view of the creators of the hierarchal scale.
This is the quintessential critique of the postmodern world view (level 6 - Green in SD).
This is a much more difficult critique to address. But SD counters in several interesting ways. Most notably, SD posits that postmodernism’s anti hierarchical stance, is in fact a hierarchical ideology, whereby anti-hierarchical ideologies and world views are (implicitly) considered superior and preferable to hierarchical systems.
This is frequently referred to as a Performative Contradiction. Ken Wilber counters these types of anti-hierarchical criticisms as inherently contradictory, and compares it to “ writing a 1000 page argument that writing doesn’t exist”.
Another way of saying this is that, most people operating primarily from the Green postmodern world view, would prefer their postmodern, inclusive, communitarian world view over DJT’s
MAGAVISION - level 3: Red (Power/Domination) level 4: Blue (Order/Authoritarian), and level 5: Orange (Achievement/Status) capitalist fascism.
According to SD, like or not, that’s a hierarchy.
Resolving this debate is beyond the scope of this review (and this reviewer). The brick wall seems to be whether or not you’re willing to view SD as a useful/integrative model of a growth hierarchy. Or an unsupported/unsupportable racist, colonialists, prove domination hierarchy.
This particular title is a Sounds True production.
As such, it’s brief, available in an audiobook format, and primarily focused on spiritual growth, and organizational transformation rather than political or philosophical debate.
It’s a nice introduction to SD.
And a good companion to Ken Wilber’s use of SD and vertical growth hierarchy in his system.
Additionally.
The author, Don Beck, is an old school Texas dad type. Intentionally (but not offensively) down to earth. Kind of an irresistibly likable Tim Walz type archetype. And as such, a decidedly less polarizing figure than Ken Wilber.
Good stuff.
5/5 stars ⭐️
VALUE MEMES
SD proposes that human consciousness evolves through a series dynamic and interacting stages, or Value Memes (vMemes) each characterized by a different value system, perspectival capacity, and ethical orientation.
LIMITING AND DELIMITING FACTORS
SD suggests that people's values and behaviors are (at least in part) responsive to their life conditions, including environmental cultural socioeconomic and political factors.
SD posits that individuals, nested in families, communities subcultures and dominant cultures have a particular vMeme as a center of gravity, which can fluctuate (up and down) depending on bio-psycho-social-systemic (BPSS) factors.
DOMINATION VS GROWTH HIERARCHY
SD’s most contentious claim, is that human psychosocial (and spiritual) development occurs in a stage based hierarchy. With higher stages that trancend/include the lower stages.
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
SD posits the following (color coded) hierarchy of psychosocial growth stage development.
1: Beige (Survival) focus on basic survival, instincts, and biological needs.
2: Purple (Security) emphasis on safety, traditions, and tribal/clan/kinship bonds.
3: Red (Power) driven by power, dominance, and impulsive actions.
4: Blue (Order) prioritizes social order, structure, rules, and authority.
5: Orange (Achievement/Status) focus on achievement, success, and individualism.
6: Green (Communitarian) emphasis on community, equality, and human connections.
7: Yellow (Integral) flexible, fluid Integrative, adaptability, and systemic understanding.
8: Turquoise (Holistic) broadly global/systems consciousness.
SD has been successfully implemented to understand and resolve highly contentious and impacted sociopolitical situations where in very different cultures are in violent conflict, including (perhaps most notably) in construction of the truth and reconciliation process in post apartheid South Africa. SD has also been successfully utilized in corporate and industrial contexts to improve organizational management and to facilitate multilevel conflict resolution.
NONLINEAR DYNAMIC GROWTH
SD suggests that as life conditions change, individuals and societies may move up or down the hierarchy, adopting new and/or previous value systems that better suit their environment.
SD asserts that growth and regression up and down the hierarchy is nonlinear, and responsive to current safety conditions and opportunities.
SD also asserts that stage these growth stage conceptions are not static, but rather people/groups/cultures can express characteristics of multiple stages simultaneously.
Finally, SD posits that psychosocial and sociopolitical development occurs in a cycle process, where in a the stage hierarchy is commonly deprived as a spiral 🌀 from above, or like a tornado 🌪️ in vertical profile.
NOTE: SD is a very visual system. So do a quick google image search and have a Quick Look 👀.
CRITIQUE
While SD has been praised for its comprehensive approach to modeling human development, it has also been criticized for oversimplification. And yes, of course it absolutely does. Out of necessity. SD is a map 🗺️ not a territory 🌍.
This is an old philosophical chestnut. Maps have to simplify, symbolize and miniaturize the geography they represent. Otherwise they would be too complex and too huge to use. More to be said. But this is not a hard criticism to address.
Other criticism asserts that SD lacks of empirical support. That’s only slightly more difficult to address. But basically. SD is a descriptive theoretical framework. It’s a model not a truth claim. It is derived from various lower level empirical findings. It’s an interpretive theoretical framework. It’s grounded in other empirical findings. But it is not easily testable as a descriptive framework. It’s probably more useful to evaluate it’s by its use value (like a map) rather than its truth value (like a soil sample).
Lastly, and this is the BIG one. SD is criticized for being a dominance hierarchy, whereby the world view of the global north is positioned as above more traditional values, and as such is inherently racist, or culturally biased towards the world view of the creators of the hierarchal scale.
This is the quintessential critique of the postmodern world view (level 6 - Green in SD).
This is a much more difficult critique to address. But SD counters in several interesting ways. Most notably, SD posits that postmodernism’s anti hierarchical stance, is in fact a hierarchical ideology, whereby anti-hierarchical ideologies and world views are (implicitly) considered superior and preferable to hierarchical systems.
This is frequently referred to as a Performative Contradiction. Ken Wilber counters these types of anti-hierarchical criticisms as inherently contradictory, and compares it to “ writing a 1000 page argument that writing doesn’t exist”.
Another way of saying this is that, most people operating primarily from the Green postmodern world view, would prefer their postmodern, inclusive, communitarian world view over DJT’s
MAGAVISION - level 3: Red (Power/Domination) level 4: Blue (Order/Authoritarian), and level 5: Orange (Achievement/Status) capitalist fascism.
According to SD, like or not, that’s a hierarchy.
Resolving this debate is beyond the scope of this review (and this reviewer). The brick wall seems to be whether or not you’re willing to view SD as a useful/integrative model of a growth hierarchy. Or an unsupported/unsupportable racist, colonialists, prove domination hierarchy.
This particular title is a Sounds True production.
As such, it’s brief, available in an audiobook format, and primarily focused on spiritual growth, and organizational transformation rather than political or philosophical debate.
It’s a nice introduction to SD.
And a good companion to Ken Wilber’s use of SD and vertical growth hierarchy in his system.
Additionally.
The author, Don Beck, is an old school Texas dad type. Intentionally (but not offensively) down to earth. Kind of an irresistibly likable Tim Walz type archetype. And as such, a decidedly less polarizing figure than Ken Wilber.
Good stuff.
5/5 stars ⭐️
January 5, 2019
This audiobook is actually a series of lectures by Don Beck. This is essentially a foundational introduction into Spiral Dynamics (a framework for understanding the world and facilitating transformative change and also different kinds of change processes) which also includes elements and insights borrowed from Ken Wilber’s Integral Metatheory—hence, Beck called his approach “Spiral Dynamics Integral.”
At the time of its recording and publication (2006) Beck and Wilber were still very friendly towards each other and each other’s work. Certain theoretical differences apparently led them to part their ways, but I am sure the respect for the Work is still there. One of the crucial reasons for this separation (in addition to certain possible shadow dynamics, which often happens in relationships of grown-up individuals with their personal philosophies, values, and interests) was that, for Wilber, Spiral Dynamics, or SD, represented a singular model which must be incorporated in an overall meta-framework which integrates other models, thus providing a multilinear or multistreaming view of human development, while for Beck SD represented a crystallization of one general intelligence which was needed for his and his colleagues’ pragmatic work in society. Wilber argued that SD is based on research into a single stream or line of development (values—layers-stages of vMEMEs and values systems), while for Beck SD and the work of Clare Graves in general, on which SD was based, is an attempt for a holistic grasp of a human person. Both views, in my opinion, have their merit.
At any rate, Spiral Dynamics Integral: Learn to Master the Memetic Codes of Human Behavior is a great general introduction into the framework of Spiral Dynamics as it is, as well as into the personality and works of Clare W. Graves, as well as into the personality and work of Don Beck. A significant portion of the audio course is also devoted to Beck’s discussing Ken Wilber’s contribution to this developmental and comprehensive understanding of evolutionary spiral dynamics. All of these gentlemen appear to be charismatic leaders in the field of thinking about destinies of our humanity.
I think of Spiral Dynamics Integral (and specifically Spiral Dynamics) as a certain pragmatic description of the world (“description” almost in the sense of the term as it was proposed by Carlos Castaneda—a web of world conceptualization that is also a way of world co-enactment). It has its unique semantic worldspace, a charismatic way of speaking and thinking of the world’s issues which is so effective in terms of spotting certain vertical dimensions of change and immunities to change which are overlooked in 99,9% of the world’s activities. This system of thinking about the world, the system that is based on caring for the entire evolutionary spiral (rather than for a specific value system within this spiral), is definitely worthy of our attention and study both in its unique standalone form and in the ways it meshes with other frameworks and especially with the overal Integral Meta-Framework as proposed by Wilber and his colleagues.
At the time of its recording and publication (2006) Beck and Wilber were still very friendly towards each other and each other’s work. Certain theoretical differences apparently led them to part their ways, but I am sure the respect for the Work is still there. One of the crucial reasons for this separation (in addition to certain possible shadow dynamics, which often happens in relationships of grown-up individuals with their personal philosophies, values, and interests) was that, for Wilber, Spiral Dynamics, or SD, represented a singular model which must be incorporated in an overall meta-framework which integrates other models, thus providing a multilinear or multistreaming view of human development, while for Beck SD represented a crystallization of one general intelligence which was needed for his and his colleagues’ pragmatic work in society. Wilber argued that SD is based on research into a single stream or line of development (values—layers-stages of vMEMEs and values systems), while for Beck SD and the work of Clare Graves in general, on which SD was based, is an attempt for a holistic grasp of a human person. Both views, in my opinion, have their merit.
At any rate, Spiral Dynamics Integral: Learn to Master the Memetic Codes of Human Behavior is a great general introduction into the framework of Spiral Dynamics as it is, as well as into the personality and works of Clare W. Graves, as well as into the personality and work of Don Beck. A significant portion of the audio course is also devoted to Beck’s discussing Ken Wilber’s contribution to this developmental and comprehensive understanding of evolutionary spiral dynamics. All of these gentlemen appear to be charismatic leaders in the field of thinking about destinies of our humanity.
I think of Spiral Dynamics Integral (and specifically Spiral Dynamics) as a certain pragmatic description of the world (“description” almost in the sense of the term as it was proposed by Carlos Castaneda—a web of world conceptualization that is also a way of world co-enactment). It has its unique semantic worldspace, a charismatic way of speaking and thinking of the world’s issues which is so effective in terms of spotting certain vertical dimensions of change and immunities to change which are overlooked in 99,9% of the world’s activities. This system of thinking about the world, the system that is based on caring for the entire evolutionary spiral (rather than for a specific value system within this spiral), is definitely worthy of our attention and study both in its unique standalone form and in the ways it meshes with other frameworks and especially with the overal Integral Meta-Framework as proposed by Wilber and his colleagues.
May 4, 2022
I borrowed this audio book from the library after completing an "Enterprise Coach Master Camp" that was organized around an integral framework. I enjoyed hearing Don Beck's descriptions of Clare Graves' research -- and I like the idea of using the integral model as a lens to view value of different groups (or "holons") such as families, organization, countries, etc.
The integral model - explained here as a double helix spiral - provides a rich framework for thinking about how people organize in groups around sets of values and how that drives certain behaviors, resulting in establishing types of frameworks and expectations.
I don't see this as an "explain everything" model - but just another tool to use to help understand the world. There are plenty of other tools out there that can be utilized -- such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs -- a contemporary of Graves.
While Beck credits Graves with extensive research as the basis for the memetic codes he identified as the integral paradigm, I'd be curious to know more about more contemporary research into these memetic codes and how that may impact this model.
Beck also toots his own horn quite a bit - seeing himself as a bit of a shaman, describing his 63 trips to South Africa between 1981 and 2004 and his "Zulu name" throughout -- comes off as a bit of a white savior complex. I'd love to see an update that discusses the impact that his work in South Africa may have had -- and how things have progressed in the 18 years since the book was published.
It's definitely worth your time to listen to these lectures, they provide a solid overview of the history and the basic concepts of integral methodology.
The integral model - explained here as a double helix spiral - provides a rich framework for thinking about how people organize in groups around sets of values and how that drives certain behaviors, resulting in establishing types of frameworks and expectations.
I don't see this as an "explain everything" model - but just another tool to use to help understand the world. There are plenty of other tools out there that can be utilized -- such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs -- a contemporary of Graves.
While Beck credits Graves with extensive research as the basis for the memetic codes he identified as the integral paradigm, I'd be curious to know more about more contemporary research into these memetic codes and how that may impact this model.
Beck also toots his own horn quite a bit - seeing himself as a bit of a shaman, describing his 63 trips to South Africa between 1981 and 2004 and his "Zulu name" throughout -- comes off as a bit of a white savior complex. I'd love to see an update that discusses the impact that his work in South Africa may have had -- and how things have progressed in the 18 years since the book was published.
It's definitely worth your time to listen to these lectures, they provide a solid overview of the history and the basic concepts of integral methodology.
April 4, 2011
This books was written to explain everything: how you and your company and the world function and why. It looked like some strange pseudo-science in the beginning, with all the vague terminology and bizarre schemes and unmotivated switches between lower- and upper case, and this impression had not changed by the time I finished. The terms never get precise definitions, the schemes are at best metaphors drawn, it would go without them, many scientific-looking sentences are weird wrappings around quite obvious statements. All around the book you find sentences like "The New ALPHA reflects the consolidation of the ideas and insights from BETA and GAMMA through DELTA Surge. The Change Variations that stream from the BETA Condition are softer and more pliable than the hard, anger-driven upsurges out of the GAMMA Trap". You will not find definitions of ALPHA or DELTA Surge or whatever. Instead, there are page-long descriptions of what might indicate that there is the ALPHA (BETA, DELTA) time in your company. And what the two sentences mean is basically that there are times when no changes are needed, but once there is some need for changes then first changes are kind of needed and then really needed and then they happen and then things are kind of stable again. And when changes are really-really needed but have not happened yet then some people get agitated and things may go wrong. Would you be interested in a book written like that? I guess not. But the pseudo-scientific sugar does not add more essence.
February 24, 2009
I know I love a lot of good reads, but I must say that this audiobook explains a great way of understanding people. People and their level of awareness. I can't even really go into how powerful this book is, and how informative it is about how people operate, and why they do what they do. But the audio does a great job of that. A must read or listen to, if you interested in knowing how people work.
March 24, 2020
3 stars because of how much was over my head but it’s a really cool concept and seems prophetic.
October 7, 2024
I love Spiral Dynamics
September 30, 2010
Extremely powerful model of the evolution of human world views. I am especially impressed that the model was created from empirical data and it is not another arbitrary labeling system.
One of the powerful aspects of this model is it allows anyone to actually get into another world view and understand it. Understanding why people act a certain way opens the door for us to create structures that work for everyone.
The model also shows how we naturally evolve new ways of thinking and dealing with the world as our circumstances shift and/or we see what does not work about our current view. We can use the model to accelerate our own personal evolution and the evolution of societies.
It also explains why we have so much trouble interacting with some cultures that are in a different stage of development than we are.
This is a must read (listen) for anyone who is concerned with personal development, social issues, evolution of consciousness, international relations, well, actually, anyone who is interested in understanding human beings for any reason.
One of the powerful aspects of this model is it allows anyone to actually get into another world view and understand it. Understanding why people act a certain way opens the door for us to create structures that work for everyone.
The model also shows how we naturally evolve new ways of thinking and dealing with the world as our circumstances shift and/or we see what does not work about our current view. We can use the model to accelerate our own personal evolution and the evolution of societies.
It also explains why we have so much trouble interacting with some cultures that are in a different stage of development than we are.
This is a must read (listen) for anyone who is concerned with personal development, social issues, evolution of consciousness, international relations, well, actually, anyone who is interested in understanding human beings for any reason.
October 31, 2011
I read Spiral Dynamics in college for a senior thesis on ethics and it changed my life. recently i reviewed this audobook - it does not disappoint. It represents the work of some of our best minds on where we've come from as a species, and where we might be going.
June 2, 2008
Book is good but the audio is better
Read
March 26, 2021An interesting lens. It served me as a great entry point into comprehending the 3-dimensional nature of people and relationships holistically.
October 14, 2018
This Sounds True production comprises a series of six long lectures, covering the basics of spiral dynamics as well as some challenging questions about its application in the twenty-first century. Don Beck is an expert in the field, having worked closely with Clare W Graves on the development of the model. His delivery of the complex subject matter is clear and compelling.
As a student of spiral dynamics, I found the lectures relatively easy to follow, and enjoyed the frequent inclusion of stories illustrating how the model had been applied. Although politics and economics have changed somewhat since the series was produced, the principles are as sound as ever. I recommend this format to anyone who is interested in an in-depth understanding of spiral dynamics without the clutter of academic references.
As a student of spiral dynamics, I found the lectures relatively easy to follow, and enjoyed the frequent inclusion of stories illustrating how the model had been applied. Although politics and economics have changed somewhat since the series was produced, the principles are as sound as ever. I recommend this format to anyone who is interested in an in-depth understanding of spiral dynamics without the clutter of academic references.
September 13, 2025
It's hard to believe this was published in 2006; what's explained here is still relevant today, maybe even more relevant than when it was published. A great read for anyone who is interested in memetics, human bio-psycho-social development and evolution, or someone looking for [theoretical] answers to some of the world's conflicts or conflict in general. For example, why intervention from one meme code into the issues of another rarely leads to a long-term, symbiotically positive solution. Beck's really excellent example was on the HIV epidemic in Africa. His take on the Arabic Middle East, and "Casino" of the West, were also very well discussed without demonizing any group of people.
I appreciated that Beck regularly reminds the reader that the characteristics of these codes are not synonymous to any specific class, color, religion or nationality of people. They are systems of belief, value systems, they are each just one of many ways of thinking which people adopt, release, return to, and acquire as they move through the conditions and environments of life.
I appreciated that Beck regularly reminds the reader that the characteristics of these codes are not synonymous to any specific class, color, religion or nationality of people. They are systems of belief, value systems, they are each just one of many ways of thinking which people adopt, release, return to, and acquire as they move through the conditions and environments of life.
October 8, 2019
I really, really like the ideas of spiral dynamics. I find them super helpful for thinking about the development of societies, people, nations, etc. BUT you shouldn't have to keep repeating that it isn't eugenics and isn't racist. It may be more the flaw of the human (white dudes) authors of these theories. I still highly recommend reading this and understanding spiral dynamics, because it is a tool that is helpful beyond the flaws of its creators.
November 8, 2024
silly af 🤣 very interesting ideas, very outdated harmful framework, not well written. Also yes it may critique memetics collectively implicitly, yet explicitly chose to be islamaphobic. This may be useful for case by case individuals within a specific community, but culture wide disgnoses in this book read of white-supermacisty. I think this is more a bias of how these ideas were packaged rather than the ideas themselves.
October 10, 2019
The Spiral Dynamics is by far one of the most mindblowing psychological models I've ever encountered. I've never been able to look at the world the same way after learning about it. These lectures provide real-world examples of how each level manifests and how they interact with each other. I only wish there was even more information that could be implemented in a practical way.
September 13, 2020
This book is critical for anyone who is curious about society and how it works. Spiral Dynamics not only explains why the world has the conflicts it does but also the hope looming on the horizon of how to make the world better. I am asking all my friends to read this book so we can have the terminology to find solutions today.
October 6, 2021
Mind blowing book regarding evolution of our collective thinking as mankind.
The backbone of this research comes from years and years of studies, and it's read by one of the co authors. If you can get past the slow pace of the book, the topic is fascinating!
The backbone of this research comes from years and years of studies, and it's read by one of the co authors. If you can get past the slow pace of the book, the topic is fascinating!
December 14, 2023
Fascinating topic and theory wrapped into a series of step by step explanations and real world applications by the author regarding collective human evolution. I need to take a deeper dive into the subject to understand more fully. Very intellectual read.
March 5, 2018
My first intro to spiral dynamics. It meshes very well with integral theory.
January 20, 2019
I thought that was an audio version of the book, but that's more like an addendum. Now I'm going to read the book. The idea just blew me away.
July 17, 2019
A must read. Phenomenal.
September 23, 2019
Interesting ideas, want to read the original research. Maybe should read the original
September 7, 2020
Really liked the concept but an explanation of the colors at the begining would of helped. But I guess that was in the original research.
September 15, 2021
I can't believe it has taken me so long to find this model. I've not yet seen a better tool of making sense of the world.
October 10, 2022
Very good and clear walk through from the key promoter.
I can't give 5 stars because there were a few times it became a little blurring and challenging to apply.
I can't give 5 stars because there were a few times it became a little blurring and challenging to apply.
June 1, 2019
was intrigued by this macro-psychology theory ever since I first heard about it on “The Liturgist” podcast. 1/4 of the book lays out the theory, and the rest is spent analyzing real life examples of the theory in practice. The spiral dynamics theory of human nature essentially argues that value-systems and behavioral patterns emerge from the human mind’s attempt at dealing with the complexity of life, hence as the world becomes more complex, different kinds of people (identified by colors) emerge from the new realities created by their predecessors. A core principle is that the best way for societies to reach harmony and stability is to design social structures in ways that are compatible with different value systems, and mediate conversations between groups who would otherwise perceive each other as threats given the beliefs they have had to develop to survive the selection forces of their world.
April 10, 2021
Spiral dynamics is the best system I know of to understand why people and societies are the way they are. This book is particularly powerful for leaders and managers to understand what motivates different people.
Lesson: Don't judge people, but meet them where they are and help them to grow.
Lesson: Don't judge people, but meet them where they are and help them to grow.
May 3, 2020
This book helped me understand others and myself better. It gave me tips on how to approach people and situations more effectively. It also raised interesting questions and issues. I'm intrigued by the concept and will keep on exploring it.
January 4, 2024
This was very confusing
I must admit perhaps reading the original "Spiral Dynamics" book before digging into this integral audio program may have helped...however I doubt it...
At the times I feel I am following the audio program it does get interesting and gives some good for thought , but as soon as it starts talking about the different colour coding groups like Yellow.. Red.. Orange ... Blue then Jet Blue etc? It completely loses me and am not sure you have to make it that confusing to get the same point across
So in the end my interest and attention started to switch off ...
To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
Waseem.tv/Blog
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I must admit perhaps reading the original "Spiral Dynamics" book before digging into this integral audio program may have helped...however I doubt it...
At the times I feel I am following the audio program it does get interesting and gives some good for thought , but as soon as it starts talking about the different colour coding groups like Yellow.. Red.. Orange ... Blue then Jet Blue etc? It completely loses me and am not sure you have to make it that confusing to get the same point across
So in the end my interest and attention started to switch off ...
To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
Waseem.tv/Blog
👆🏼 P.S -
If you found this review helpful - I’d like to invite you to discover more on our blog. Where the community share some of our most important insights to level up each others knowledge 💡- from experience in studying books like this, training programs, podcasts and much more - visit the blog link above to find out more.
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