Communities in Transition Introduction to Spiral Dynamics® "Spiral Dynamics" is a registered trademark of the National Values Center, Inc. - . . Philip St. Romain, D. Min., presenter and moderator - . . $35.00 - lifetime membership . . . . . - Click here to join using secure credit card (or pay by check.) . . . . . . . Use the check payment option to request a reduced rate.

The psychology of the mature human being is an unfolding, emergent, oscillating, spiraling process marked by progressive subordination of older, lower-order behavior systems to newer, higher-order systems as man's existential problems change.
- Clare W. Graves

Spiral Dynamics is a theory of human development, developed by Don Beck and Chris Cowan, based on the work of professor Clare W. Graves. Beck used this approach with Nelson Mandela in South Africa to help find ways to bridge between the many different kinds of cultures. He made over 60 trips there and his work has been effective in smoothing the transition to democracy in that once-troubled region of the world.

The core insight informing Spiral Dynamics is that human development is shaped in response to life conditions in such a manner that deep-seated coping systems are developed and passed on through the culture to others. Beck calls these coping systems vMemes, the v mean values. vMemes, or value memes, are not simply beliefs, but deep, organizational principles that shape how we view our world. You might think of them as paradigms of sorts -- beliefs that shape how we hold other beliefs, and how we see ourselves and our world.

Spiral Dynamics recognizes eight emergent levels (described as colors), which are summarized below:

Course Objectives:
In this online study, we will examine the theory behind Spiral Dynamics and the characteristics of each of the 8 emergent levels. We will describe some of the factors contributing to each emergent level, as well as how these different levels interact within the life of an individual and in a culture.

Resources: full access to the following will be provided to registered participants
- A PowerPoint slide show (the image above is one of the slides) with explanation of the meaning of each slide will be our primary input.
- Numerous handouts and references to web pages.
- Premium group discussion forum, where you can discuss the topics with Dr. St. Romain and other participants.

Learning Process

Participants will receive notification of resource materials via email and will have an opportunity to discuss the information in more depth on the discussion forum. It's also possible that live chat times will be offered if there is sufficient interest.

. . . . . - Click here to join using secure credit card (or pay by check.)
. . . . . . . Use the check payment option to request a reduced rate.

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