Clare W. Graves

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Clare W. Graves (born December 21, 1914 in New Richmond , Indiana , † January 3, 1986 ) was an American professor of psychology and the founder of the level theory of personality development .

Services

Graves graduated from Union College in New York in 1940 and completed his Ph. D. in Psychology from Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio . He then taught psychology at Union College in Schenectady , New York . Here he developed an epistemological model of human psychology . Graves claimed that the inspiration for his model came from his freshman students attending introductory psychology courses with him. He realized that he was unable to clearly answer the frequently asked questions about his colleagues' theories. Ultimately, all of these theories contained elements of truth and error.

Theory building

Thereupon Graves developed a theory to balance the different views on the nature of man and the psychological questions associated with it. Students from all parts of the world provided him with relevant data between 1952 and 1959. He collected concepts of a developed personality and conducted series of psychological tests. This is how his theory came about, which he called The Emergent Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory (about: The cyclically emerging levels of existential theory) .

Graves' theory claims that, as a result of the interaction between external conditions and the internal neural system, humans form new bio-psycho-social action systems that solve existential problems that have arisen and are able to understand the new scenario. These action systems are dependent on the cultural and individual development of the person. They are manifested on the respective levels of individuals, society and species. Graves believed that in response to existential and social problems, concrete, spontaneous, self-organizing dynamic neural systems arise in the human brain. He postulated "man's nature is not a set thing, that it is ever emergent, that it is an open system, not a closed system" (Human nature is not fixed, but is in constant change, it is an open, no closed system). "This attitude brought him into opposition to many of his contemporaries, who saw the meaning of man in a final destination, in nirvana or in the perfection of human nature. His integration of the bio, psychological, social , and systems theory as basic building blocks also describes the view of a continuous development.

Graves' work expresses that the newly emerging bio-psycho-social systems in humans are a response to the interactions taking place between external conditions and the nervous system and have a hierarchy with several dimensions. However, according to Graves, there is no guarantee for a continuity of development or for the direction of development: Both progress and regression are possible in his model. In addition, every level of the hierarchy depends on the striving of man to adapt the environment to his self or to adapt his self to the environmental conditions. Graves called this "expression self" and "denial self". The movement between these options is the periodic aspect of the theory. Graves saw this process of stable plateaus interspersed with recurring intervals that lead to the limits of human brain development.

Typology vs. Stages of development

Graves' work outlines emerging stages rather than personality types that can be present at each stage. Christopher Cowan believes that many students are completely ignorant of the underlying theory and instead focus on artifacts .

Applications

Some companies have launched products based on Graves' theory. Christopher Cowan is of the opinion that the products on the market can only provide a snapshot, while the theory is actually based on a wave-like moving image with many imponderables.

Effects

Management theorists have been inspired by Graves' "Emergent Cyclic Levels of Existence Theory". Chris Cowan and Don Beck used it as the basis for their book Spiral Dynamics : Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change . Both Graves' theory and Beck's model influenced the American philosopher Ken Wilber , who developed his integral theory from it. In coaching practice, the logic of action according to Graves is used in the personal development of managers.

Fonts (selection)

  • Levels of Existence: An Open System Theory of Values. In: Journal of Humanistic Psychology , November 1970
  • Human Nature Prepares for a Momentous Leap. In: The Futurist , April 1974
  • Lee, William R., Cowan, Christopher C., and Todorovic, Natasha (eds.) (2002) Graves: Levels of Human Existence. Santa Barbara, CA: ECLET Publishing. ISBN 0-9724742-0-X (based on a transcript by Lee and the script of a Graves seminar in 1971)
  • (with Natasha Todorovic as editor) (2005) The Never Ending Quest: Dr. Clare W. Graves Explores Human Nature. Santa Barbara, CA: ECLET Publishing. ISBN 0-9724742-1-8 (compiled texts from Graves' early unpublished manuscripts with the reconstruction of missing parts using various writings and sound recordings)
  • Spiral Dynamics - Leadership, Values ​​and Change: A Map for Business, Politics and Society in the 21st Century , September 2007

literature

  • Martina Bär, Rainer Krumm and Hartmut Wiehle: Understanding, shaping, changing companies - The Graves Value System in practice ; Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8349-0291-7
  • Krumm, Rainer, 9 Levels of value systems , Haiger, 2012, ISBN 978-3-9815318-2-4
  • Rainer Krumm, Benedikt Parstorfer: Clare W. Graves: His life, his work , Werdewelt Medienhaus, Haiger, 2014; ISBN 978-3-9815318-8-6

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://leadership-in-change.de/fuhrung-zum-selbst-leadership-ist-mehr-als-management/
personal data
SURNAME Graves, Clare W.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American psychologist, founder of the level theory of personality development
DATE OF BIRTH December 21, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH New Richmond Indiana
DATE OF DEATH January 3, 1986