📖Levels of existence: an open system theory of values

Clare W. Graves, professor, Department of Psychology, Union College, Schenectady, New York

p.132 “In certain respects this work is a revision and extension of Maslow’s views.”

pp.132–133 premise: existence of levels, “quantum jump from one steady state to another”

p.133

When he is in any one level, he has only the behavioral degrees of freedom afforded him at that level.

p.133

The author’s research referred in this article is included in a book now in preparation.

(which exactly book it is? Graves didn’t publish a book during his lifetime and raw research data got lost)

p.135 figure 1. adjustment-of-environment-to-organism and adjustment-of-organism-to-environment (express-self/sacrifice-self) develop in parallel (in lockstep)

p.135

p.135 succession of existential problems. once a problem is solved, an excess energy is released and a system is ready to change and tackle new problems

p.135 excess energy + dissonance → change

• +insight +removal of barriers +the consolidating factors

p.139 C-P (red) established based on agricultural revolution

• (contrary to SDi? where agriculture is associated with blue)

p.140 E-R (orange) achieves materialistic success but that does not make his relationships fulfilling

He has become envied and even respected, but liked he is not.

p.141 F-S (green) becomes concerned with self and other selves, so that the harmony can be achieved. he also becomes concerned with self vs. world, self vs. life

p.141 G-T (yellow) is a threshold of being human (before that, the human is more of an animal)

p.142 regressive-progressive. disorganization as a sign of preparing for growth (not a regression)

p.142 Graves tries to explain value crises, riots, and confrontation (“the problem of ethical and moral decline”)

p.143

Italicized values: primary orientation of each value system.

p.145 C-P (red) is about survival, man is still insecure (as opposed to SD/SDi?)

p.145 heroism as means

p.146 “power ethic” (“might is right”)

p.146 C-P condition produce a fearful insecure world for all

p.147 Romans attack on early Christians is red/blue

p.147 D-Q (blue) explains why there are “have”s and “have-not”s, why people are where they are, and why all have to die

p.147 D-Q thema: “one shall sacrifice earthly desires now in order to come to everlasting peace later.”

(thema–schema is structure–content)

p.147 atheistic Communism is D-Q (blue)

p.149 E-R thema: “express self in a way that rationality says is good for me now, but carefully, calculatedly so as not to bring down the wrath of others upon me”

p.149 E-R end value: materialism; means: rational, objective positivism (scientism)

p.151 F-S (green) returns to religion, but not religious dogma but spirituality

p.151 F-S value are still lower level subsistence values. they think only themselves and their valued others, but not the public interest

p.152 G-T (yellow) develops from resolution of man’s animalistic problems

p.152 G-T ethic is “recognize, truly notice, what life is and you shall know how to behave” (the “recognizant” way)

p.153 six on six. action prone man → intellectually prone man

p.153 G-T thema: “express self so that all others, all beings, can continue to exist”

p.153 G-T means are accepting

p.153 just “continuing to develop” is more valued than strive to become this or that

p.155

The theory presented is of course a sketch; it is not finished. Obviously, it is oversimplified and obviously man does not necessarily move slowly and steadily as described.