What emerges by looking through the ‘Integral Theory’ lenses to PM and RD?
Possibility Management (PM) has a box. Regenerative Development (RD) has a box. To look to these gameworlds outside of their boxes we need…
Possibility Management (PM) has a box. Regenerative Development (RD) has a box. To look to these gameworlds outside of their boxes we need a different map, a different box. In this case it will use the box of Integral Theory. This article is part of the research gameworld PM+RD (where you can find more about PM, RD and PM+RD).
Integral Theory is a meta-model (meta-theory), developed by Ken Wilber since 1970’s. For an introduction to the theory, please see the Integral Approach in the Integral Life Practice website.
The approach has 5 fundamental elements, the AQAL map: Quadrants, Levels, Lines, States and Types. That are present in our awareness in each moment with each subject.
Quadrants are the 4 ways that reality manifests: individual interior (I), individual exterior (IT), collective interior (WE) and collective exterior (ITS).
Levels of Consciousness are stages of consciousness development like pre-modern, modern, pos-modern and integral — all humans go through these stages of development.
Lines of Development are facets of consciousness (‘intelligences’) that follow a development pattern, like cognition, music, movement, language/ mathematics, emotional, will, values and many more.
States of Consciousness are temporary states of being like waking, dreaming, deep sleep and meditation states — i’m guessing that you are in waking state now.
Types are classifications, taxonomies like the gender (e.g. male, female, non-binary) or personality types to give 2 examples, that stay the same in each Levels and States.
1. Possibility Management (PM)
1.1. Quadrants
PM started in upper right quadrant (IT, exterior, individual) and rapidly extended to upper left quadrant (I, interior, individual) and to lower left quadrant (WE, interior collective). In the last years started to develop research to go to the lower right quadrant — the table presente some examples. We could say that today PM is more a circle with a strong I, IT and WE and a ‘in development’ ITS and there are much more possibilities to expand like sexuality, body and movement, food and nutrition, gameworlds and regenerative development (the focus of our research).
1.2. Levels
PM don’t have this distinction. At the collective level distinguish Pre-Modern Cultures (Matriarchal cultures), Modern Culture (Patriarchal Culture) and Next Culture or Pos-Modern Culture (Archiarchy) — Integral Theory has 8 levels:
Pre-Modern Cultures integrate the first 4 levels (infrared, magenta, red and amber)
Modern Culture: the next 2 (orange and green)
Next Culture: second tier (teal and turquoise)
In the 18 types of boxes we can see boxes from this different ‘ego state development stages’ like ‘new age’ is posmodern.
The individual level recognizes 2 levels: child (before 18 years) and adult (after 18 years) in the context of box strategy (child: defensive, adult: expansive) and the initiations for adulthood (after 18 years old).
PM is an integral approach (teal, second tier approach) in the sense that connects different maps/ theories and put together in a coherent ‘whole’. Recognizes the individual agency (“there is no ‘we’ in responsibility, only ‘I’”) in the context of the collective (“if it is not in teams is not PM” — and teams are circles between peers). The internal organizations follow this pattern. There is also an element of Turquoise (second tier has 2 levels, teal and turquoise) in the sense of systems of systems — in Archearchy, gaian gameworlds are interconnected and interrelated.
In our experience is a gameworld that resonates with second tier values memes. For people with first tier values memes, particular on modern rational and pluralistic post-true could create some resistance — modern rational say it’s a ‘sect’ (what they experience in amber) and the pluralistic ‘it’s a way of limiting my individual freedom with this models’ (what they experience in orange). For the ones that are opened to transformation and aiming for something to support them in their evolution (from modern to pluralistic or pluralistic to integral on landing in integral) is a bless — i saw that in my self and in the trainings as participant.
1.3. Lines
PM doesn’t have this distinction and have so many distinctions and practices for the development of several lines of development, particularly in the emotional intelligence ones:
Cognitive (self): multi-part self, thoughmaps
Will: experiments, gremlin diet, white widow and adult decontamination
Relation with myself (emotional intelligence): inner navigation, feelings, emotions, ego states
Relation with other (emotional intelligence): intimacy offers, communication, listen, speaking, reactivity
1.4. States
PM dosen’t work directly with states. It works with the five bodies distinction: physical body, emotional body, intelectual body, energetic body and archetypical body.
Each body has characteristics, foods, pains and blisses. Each body has a particular way of expression, a liquid state and distinctions to navigate the bodies, particular in the bodies that our modern culture don’t recognize (emotional, energetic and archetypical). In the 5 bodies table you can see an example of each one.
Integral theory uses 4 major states, gross, subtil, casual and nondual. In PM most of the experiences of higher states like casual and nondual are lived in the context of archetypal body like archetypical love, love happening, winning happening and countenance.
Gross, subtil and casual states are very present in the practices like in Emotional Healing Processes.
1.5. Types
One type that is particularly worked in PM is the gender type. The Next Culture in PM called Archearchy and is defined as ‘the creative collaboration between archetypally initiated adult women and archetypally initiated adult men’.
PM work this type as he manifests in the AQAL map — an example with quadrants:
A particular challenge is this element for PM is how to expand this type for non binary people and what are the consequences particularly in the quadrants “IT”, “WE”, “ITS” — in the quadrant “I” we all are a continuum of Masculine and Feminine archetypes.
2. Regenerative Development (RD)
2.1 Quadrants
RD started in the lower right quadrant (ITS, exterior, collective) with elements of the upper right quadrant (IT, exterior, individual), upper right (I, interior, individual) and lower left quadrant (WE, interior collective). The external quadrants and collective quadrants are more developed. The individual one and in particular the individual interior is recognized and the gameworld of RD has few practices.
2.2. Levels
RD doesn’t have this distinction. At the collective level distinguish Pre-Modern Cultures, Modern Culture and Regenerative Culture or Pos-Modern Culture — integral theory has 8 levels:
Pre-Modern Cultures integrate the first 4 levels (infrared, magenta, red and amber)
Modern Culture: the next 2 (orange and green)
Next Culture: second tier (teal and turquoise)
We can find evidence around the thinking and the mechanical thinking critique that came from modern approach (orange) and the multistakholder perspective that come with postmodern approaches (green).
In the examples and literature it seems that people with pluralistic and second tier values (including people that, having a modern rational values, start to embrace some ecological pluralistic values) resonate and welcome the practice/ gameworld.
There is no evidences around the levels in individuals and how they perceive the world.
2.3. Lines
The main focus is in the Cognition line of development pointing to a Kosmocentric view of Self with a interrelational ethics. The other lines are secondary although in is clearly mentioned the Mind as the Body-Mind, integrating clearly the somatic line and indirectly the energetic line. RD also considers important the interpersonal line once any living systems occurs through dynamic interactions within elements of each Whole.
2.4. States
RD doesn’t have this distinction and we can find evidence that the four states are present: gross, subtle, causal and nondual.
Also don’t have a formal distinction in bodies and we can see evidences of at least 4 bodies:
Physical body with sensations
Intelectual body with a mind
Emotional body and recognition that feelings are present and could support or block the project
Energetic body with a role in creating or nurturing the energetic field and the ‘sensitive mental energy levels’ and with Being and purpose
2.5. Types
RD is not grounding in any particular type and doesn’t use the gender type.
3. What can we learn about PM+RD ?
The gameworlds are very complementary and they can benefit with the work that has been done in each community of practice, in each gameworld.
Together they have more distinctions in each of the five elements of the integral theory.
Could be beneficial to have more clarity, more distinctions around states, levels and lines. This could open, particularly for PM, more possibilities for practices and distinctions.
In integral theory the shadow, the underworld, comes when we fail to transcend and include one of the levels and states. When you fail to transcend a level you get attached to them, and that means a dependency. When you fail to include the level you transcend that means that you reject, like an allergy. When you fail to include a state, it creates the ‘dark nights’ of body, heart, soul and spirit. This could help to develop more practices and expand existing ones, such as the EHPs.
Using a designer perspective, the clarity brought by Integral Theory to both gameworlds and the complementarity of PM and RD creates more possibilities for designing for the development of the designers (spaceholders), the processes and the products.
We are not defending that each gameworld needs to include integral theory distinctions or maps. And each of the five elements of the integral theory could be approached by several other gameworlds. As an example, if we want to introduce distinctions around emotional lines we could use the work of Valerie Lankford with the 4 feelings, and PM did that.
3.1 Quadrants
In the quadrants the gameworlds are complementary: PM is stronger in “I” and “Interior” quadrants and RD in the “systemic” (We Exterior) quadrant.
In PM, quadrants could be present in the Archetypical Linhage distinctions: I / Evolutionary; IT/ Guardian; WE/ Weaver; ITS/ Gameworld builder.
From this perspective, there is a benefit to integrate PM and RD because they cover more reality (tetrad-reality) — more possibilities. In Integral Theory a possible approach to a collective situation could be working with individual interior, creating role models for individuals (exterior), designing experiments to put people engaging in meaningful conversations and projects for a culture emergence. PM reinforces that for this emergence to go in a Next Culture direction, the initiations to adult and an adult level responsability or higher is fundamentally needed.
3.2. Levels
Both gameworlds are week in this element. A level approach could help each gameworld to address different worldviews (value memes — boxes).
PM talks for people that are leaving green (egalitarian-pos-modern) and teal (integral). RD to people that are leaving orange (rational-modern) and green (egalitarian-pos-modern). This could put in evidence some tension:
People that identify with RD could react with PM, because they perceive as pre-modern cult or a rational-modern approach that they are transcending
People that identify with PM could react with RD, particularly of this people are with difficult to transcend and include green
In our experience, we have some evidence of the first tension (in each 2 contacts 1 reacts) and less of the second (in each 5 contacts 1 reacts).
As RD is in vox popular, we have questions like ‘Why Possibility Management ?’ but we don’t have questions about ‘Why Regenerative Development ?’ and for us, this is much more danger because people think they know what we are talking about, and when we inquire we conclude they they don’t.
The integral perspective is accepting that all the other levels are ok and that people are ok in them, meaning that the role of integral thinker is to help the levels to be healthy, not allowing gremlin behavior and designing for the community to be interrelated and with individual and collective wellbeing. And if people are open to the change, support them in transcend and include each level without creating shadow.
The level approach also highlight the language and memetic communication. People talking language of science and tradition have different communication and belonging needs.
Another point is, if the gameworlds have the ambition to work with children in different ages, it is important to have a levels approach — e.g. when to introduce the distinction of 4 feelings to children ?
In PM Levels are connected with the Box distinction; Box has Layers and Box has Levels — this levels are memes that create other menes (Clare Graves call this ‘value menes’ or ‘vmeme’). As an example in egualiraty level ‘equality’ is a vmeme; in pos modern traditionalism ‘security’ is a vmeme.
3.3. Lines
Both practices works in some lines, like PM in cognitive, somatic, emotional lines, will. RD in cognitive and spatial. Both use language line to create gaps in people thinking. Both promote a grow-up in lines that are in ‘child’ levels of development. Both work the spiritual line, PM in a more direct way.
Each gameworld could benefit from a lines approach, like RD with emotional lines and PM with sexuality lines.
In PM the lines are connected with the 5 bodies and maybe with archetypal linhages.
3.4. States
In states, PM could benefit of having this distinction that reinforce the 5 bodies distinction. RD could benefit to have a mote formal bodies distinction and be clear about at least 3 states. Our understanding is that both parties work from subtle and casual states.
And, another way of seeing is that, because PM doesn’t have so many distinctions here is why it could connect well with people that come from Cristianinsm, Inslamism, Buddhism, atheism or other ‘ism’ (the ‘ism’s are created at level 4, amber).
3.5. Types
The gender type is strong in PM as is a doorway to transcend and include patriarchy. In PM this is not a question and designers need to do their inner works and they are man and woman, femine and masculine.
There are another types in PM, like: 6 types of emotions, 6 types of listening, 18 types of boxes, 2 types of gremlin, 2 phases of feelings work, 2 types of learning, just to give some examples.
Implicate yourself
This is our first draft of seeing PM and RD with the lenses of Integral Theory. You might have something to add and/or suggest changes to the article, or you have questions you would like to reflect upon with us. It is important for us that you ground your sharings on your own reflected lived experiences. Thank you for joining us on this responsible and regenerative cultures pathfinder adventure.