Clare W. Graves
Encyclopedia
Clare W. Graves was a professor of psychology
and originator of a theory of adult human development
. He was born in New Richmond, Indiana
.
in New York
in 1940 and received his master's degree and a Ph.D. in psychology from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio
.
In the mid-twentieth century, Clare W. Graves taught psychology
at Union College in Schenectady, New York. There he developed an epistemological model of human psychology
. Graves claimed that the inspiration for so doing came from undergraduate students in his introductory psychology course. He acknowledged that he was unable to answer the frequently asked question as to who from among the many competing psychology theorists was ultimately "right" or "correct" with their model since there were elements of truth and error in all of them.
Graves theorized that in response to the interaction of external conditions with internal neuronal systems, human
s develop new bio-psycho-social coping systems to solve existential problems and cope with their worlds. These coping systems are dependent on evolving human culture
and individual development, and they are manifested at the individual, societal, and species levels. Graves believed that tangible, emergent
, self-assembling dynamic neuronal systems evolved in the human brain
in response to evolving existential and social problems. He theorized "man's nature is not a set thing, that it is ever emergent, that it is an open system
, not a closed system
." This open-endedness set his approach apart from many of his contemporaries who sought a final state, a nirvana
, or perfectibility in human nature. His inclusion of the bio-, psycho-, social, and systems theory as vital co-elements also described an inclusive point of view that continues developing today.
Graves' work observes that the emergence
within humans of new bio-psycho-social systems in response to the interplay of external conditions with neurology
follows a hierarchy
in several dimensions, though without guarantees as to time lines or even direction: both progression and regression are possibilities in his model. Furthermore, each level in the hierarchy alternates as the human is either trying to make the environment
adapt to the self
, or the human is adapting the self to the existential
conditions. He called these 'express self' and 'deny self' systems, and the swing between them is the cyclic aspect of his theory. Graves saw this process of stable plateaus interspersed with change intervals as never ending, up to the limits of the brain of Homo sapiens, something he viewed as far greater than we have yet imagined.
, which in turn is referenced by Integral theorist
, Ken Wilber
. Dudley Lynch has used it as the basis for four books, including The Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World (with Paul L. Kordis).
To understand entrepreneurship and leadership, Dr Dave Robinson has integrated Beck and Cowan (Graves' theories) with ethics and organizational psychology models to create the Personal and Corporate Values Journey 'PCVJ' diagram (1998). After several decades of research, Robinson goes further in his phenomenological approach to tie it to several other cultural, business, and logical paradigms (mainly within entrepreneurial business environs) and suggests leadership tools for communication and growth of subordinates and self, linking heavily to Gravesian interpretations. The PCVJ was first presented academically at the 2007 AGSE conference http://www.swinburne.edu.au/hosting/agseconference/.
s which can be present at any stage. Some theorists may confuse Graves' "vertical" emergent stages with personality traits that they may associate with a particular stages. Christopher Cowan believes that many students miss the underlying theory altogether and concentrate, instead, on its artifacts.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and originator of a theory of adult human development
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to...
. He was born in New Richmond, Indiana
New Richmond, Indiana
New Richmond is a town in Coal Creek Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. The population was 333 at the 2010 census.-Geography:New Richmond is located at ....
.
Education
Graves graduated from Union CollegeUnion College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1940 and received his master's degree and a Ph.D. in psychology from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
In the mid-twentieth century, Clare W. Graves taught psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at Union College in Schenectady, New York. There he developed an epistemological model of human psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. Graves claimed that the inspiration for so doing came from undergraduate students in his introductory psychology course. He acknowledged that he was unable to answer the frequently asked question as to who from among the many competing psychology theorists was ultimately "right" or "correct" with their model since there were elements of truth and error in all of them.
Development of theories
In an attempt to answer the students’ question and find a way to bridge the many apparently conflicting and contradictory viewpoints in psychology, Graves created an epistemological theory that he hoped would help to reconcile the various approaches to human nature and questions about psychological maturity. To obtain the data he needed to develop his hypothesis and test his theory, Graves collected pertinent data from his psychology students and others (in total a diverse group of around 1,065 men and women aged 18 to 61) in the seven years from 1952 to 1959 . He gathered conceptions of the mature personality and conducted batteries of psychological tests using recognized instruments. His analysis of this data became the basis for a theory that he called, among other titles, "The Emergent Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory" (ECLET).Graves theorized that in response to the interaction of external conditions with internal neuronal systems, human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s develop new bio-psycho-social coping systems to solve existential problems and cope with their worlds. These coping systems are dependent on evolving human culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and individual development, and they are manifested at the individual, societal, and species levels. Graves believed that tangible, emergent
Emergent
It may also mean:* Emergent , Neural Simulation Software* Emergent , a 2003 album by Gordian Knot* emergent plant, a plant which grows in water but which pierces the surface so that it is partially in air...
, self-assembling dynamic neuronal systems evolved in the human brain
Human brain
The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
in response to evolving existential and social problems. He theorized "man's nature is not a set thing, that it is ever emergent, that it is an open system
Open system
Open system may refer to:*Open system , one of a class of computers and associated software that provides some combination of interoperability, portability and open software standards, particularly Unix and Unix-like systems...
, not a closed system
Closed system
-In physics:In thermodynamics, a closed system can exchange energy , but not matter, with its surroundings.In contrast, an isolated system cannot exchange any of heat, work, or matter with the surroundings, while an open system can exchange all of heat, work and matter.For a simple system, with...
." This open-endedness set his approach apart from many of his contemporaries who sought a final state, a nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
, or perfectibility in human nature. His inclusion of the bio-, psycho-, social, and systems theory as vital co-elements also described an inclusive point of view that continues developing today.
Graves' work observes that the emergence
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
within humans of new bio-psycho-social systems in response to the interplay of external conditions with neurology
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
follows a hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
in several dimensions, though without guarantees as to time lines or even direction: both progression and regression are possibilities in his model. Furthermore, each level in the hierarchy alternates as the human is either trying to make the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
adapt to the self
Self (psychology)
The psychology of self is the study of either the cognitive and affective representation of one's identity or the subject of experience. The earliest formulation of the self in modern psychology derived from the distinction between the self as I, the subjective knower, and the self as Me, the...
, or the human is adapting the self to the existential
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
conditions. He called these 'express self' and 'deny self' systems, and the swing between them is the cyclic aspect of his theory. Graves saw this process of stable plateaus interspersed with change intervals as never ending, up to the limits of the brain of Homo sapiens, something he viewed as far greater than we have yet imagined.
Influence
A number of management theorists and others have been influenced 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 ChangeSpiral dynamics
Spiral Dynamics is a theory of human development introduced in the 1996 book Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Chris Cowan. The book was based on the theory of psychology professor Clare W. Graves...
, which in turn is referenced by Integral theorist
Integral Theory
Integral Theory is a philosophy posited by Ken Wilber that seeks a synthesis of the best of pre-modern, modern, and postmodern reality. It claims to be a "theory of everything," and offers an approach "to draw together an already existing number of separate paradigms into an interrelated network of...
, Ken Wilber
Ken Wilber
Kenneth Earl Wilber II is an American author who has written about mysticism, philosophy, ecology, and developmental psychology. His work formulates what he calls Integral Theory. In 1998, he founded the Integral Institute, for teaching and applications of Integral theory.-Biography:Ken Wilber was...
. Dudley Lynch has used it as the basis for four books, including The Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World (with Paul L. Kordis).
To understand entrepreneurship and leadership, Dr Dave Robinson has integrated Beck and Cowan (Graves' theories) with ethics and organizational psychology models to create the Personal and Corporate Values Journey 'PCVJ' diagram (1998). After several decades of research, Robinson goes further in his phenomenological approach to tie it to several other cultural, business, and logical paradigms (mainly within entrepreneurial business environs) and suggests leadership tools for communication and growth of subordinates and self, linking heavily to Gravesian interpretations. The PCVJ was first presented academically at the 2007 AGSE conference http://www.swinburne.edu.au/hosting/agseconference/.
Assessments
A number of companies have created and marketed assessments. Graves himself, however, never built a test for his theory and doubted that a simple, valid instrument could be constructed to measure levels of psychological development accurately. His objective was to understand how people think and not just to categorize the things they think about or value. Christopher Cowan, who has edited and published works by Graves and publishes ClareWGraves.com believes that assessments tend to be momentary snapshots, whereas this theory is based on a wave-like moving picture with many uncertainties.Evolutionary stages vs. typology
Graves' work outlines emergent stages rather than personality typePersonality type
Personality type refers to the psychological classification of different types of individuals. Personality types are sometimes distinguished from personality traits, with the latter embodying a smaller grouping of behavioral tendencies. Types are sometimes said to involve qualitative differences...
s which can be present at any stage. Some theorists may confuse Graves' "vertical" emergent stages with personality traits that they may associate with a particular stages. Christopher Cowan believes that many students miss the underlying theory altogether and concentrate, instead, on its artifacts.
See also
- Abraham MaslowAbraham MaslowAbraham Harold Maslow was an American professor of psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs...
- Cognitive psychologyCognitive psychologyCognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
- Complex adaptive systems
- Evolutionary psychologyEvolutionary psychologyEvolutionary psychology is an approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, the functional...
- Kohlberg's stages of moral developmentKohlberg's stages of moral developmentLawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development constitute an adaptation of a psychological theory originally conceived of by the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget...
- NeuroendocrinologyNeuroendocrinologyNeuroendocrinology is the study of the extensive interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system, including the biological features of the cells that participate, and how they functionally communicate...
Further reading
- Hurlbut, Marilyn A., Clare W. Graves' levels of psychological existence: a test design. Thesis (PhD)--North Texas State University, 1979
- 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 transcription by Lee plus handouts from a Graves seminar in 1971)
- Cowan, Christopher C. and Todorovic, Natasha (eds.) (2005) The Never Ending Quest: Dr. Clare W. Graves Explores Human Nature. Santa Barbara, CA: ECLET Publishing. ISBN 0-9724742-1-8 (Compiled from chapters of Dr. Graves's previously unpublished manuscript with reconstruction of missing pieces in his own words drawn from various papers and audio tapes.)
- Whitlark, James. "The Sequence of Archetypes in Individuation." Dynamical Psychology: An International, Interdisciplinary Journal of Complex Mental Processes. 2005. http://www.goertzel.org/dynapsyc/2005/Whitlark.htm (The relationahip between Graves' Theory and Jungian Psychology.)
- Robinson, DA, Goleby, M, & Hosgood, N 2006 Entrepreneurship as a Values and Leadership Paradigm Paper presented to Fourth AGSE International Entrepreneurship RESEARCH Exchange 7 - 9 February 2007 BGSB, QUT, Brisbane
- Robinson, DA, Goleby, M, & Hosgood, N 2007 Why Orange doesn’t fit well inside Blue – can the corporate entrepreneurship oxymoron be tamed? For presentation at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) 37th Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business (EISB) Conference – Ljubljana 12 -14 September 2007