LEVELS
Levels are the different stages of complexity—how individual minds, culture, physical reality, and social systems all interact and build on each other.Explore hoe_math’s full breakdown across four interactive sections (just click the tabs below). Want the complete, high-res graphic? Newsletter Insiders can download it right here.
A level is not a mere rung on a ladder, but a whole world: a structure of mind, a form of life, a field of meaning. As individual or collective consciousness evolves, it passes through levels—each one transcending yet including those that came before.
Levels manifest in several domains:
+ In the individual, as stages of awareness, maturity, or skill.
+ In the collective, as waves of culture, values, and worldview.
+ In society, as expanding circles of organization and care.
Each level is both a boundary and a bridge: it marks a limit, and offers a path to the next. The journey through levels is the process of integration, emergence, and transformation.
Levels
SPIRAL DYNAMICS
DEVELOPMENTAL LEVELS
Don Beck, Christopher Cowan, Clare Graves
(Text rewritten for simplicity)
UNITIVE (3rd Tier)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Not yet formed (2023)
- FOCUS: Observe, understand, protect, honor, and allow all beings and phenomena.
- MENTALITY: Observation without perspective.
- GOAL: Transform and develop processes in self and world.
- METHODS: Identify pathology or insufficiency and provide the missing pieces if possible.
Holistic – Turquoise (2nd Tier, Trans-Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Collective individualism. Beginning late 1900s.
- FOCUS: Draw understanding to be empowered from an ecology of perspectives.
- MENTALITY: Trans-rational. Accept experience without need to respond.
- GOAL: Peace in a world without answers.
- METHODS: Observe and allow being, and protect boundaries.
- PATHOLOGIES: Spiritual/soul pathology.
Integral – Yellow (2nd Tier, Trans-Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: World-centered social web. Beginning mid-1900s.
- FOCUS: Live out the maximum possible expression of yourself.
- MENTALITY: Put everything in its right place.
- GOAL: Balance and synergize all things, inside and out.
- METHODS: Awaken capacities in self and others. Include everything as it most benefits everything else.
- PATHOLOGIES: Incomplete self-actualization, existential angst, bad faith.
Sensitive – Green (1st Tier, Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Social democracies. Beginning 1800s.
- FOCUS: Inner peace, expansion of care for others, human rights.
- MENTALITY: Radical inclusiveness.
- GOAL: Consensus, communication, mutually beneficial relations.
- METHODS: Include diverse views, listen to the powerless, emphasize group needs, eliminate marginalization.
- PATHOLOGIES: Inauthenticity, lack of discernment, consensus seeking, narcissistic behavior.
Achiever – Orange (1st Tier, Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Capitalist democracies, market-driven meritocracies. Beginning 1600s.
- FOCUS: Life is a game, play to win.
- MENTALITY: Scientific, rational reasoning. Logic, measurement, proof.
- GOAL: Material wealth and pleasures, defense of civilization, improvement and growth.
- METHODS: Set measurable goals and achieve them. Success comes from producing a tangible effect.
- PATHOLOGIES: Identity crisis, consumerism, environmental crisis, work addiction, hyperfixation on goals, denial of spirit.
Rules & Roles – Blue (1st Tier, Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Late mythic empires, nation-states, religious orders. 5,000 years old.
- FOCUS: Purpose, direction, and ultimate meaning.
- MENTALITY: Do what is right to get what is good.
- GOAL: Find or earn the final and ultimate peace. Win the battle of good vs. evil.
- METHODS: Follow the rules. Don’t step out of line. Control of self and others through faith and discipline.
- PATHOLOGIES: Over-identification with roles, fundamentalism, fascism, script pathology.
Impulsive – Red (1st Tier, Pre-Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Mythic, feudal, and exploitative empires. 10,000 years old.
- FOCUS: Do what you want, take what you want, and get your way no matter what.
- MENTALITY: Climb the ranks of power.
- GOAL: Obtain power and glory. Be worshiped as a hero.
- METHODS: Align yourself with the powers that be when you must. Take by brute force when you can.
- PATHOLOGIES: Anxiety, depression, phobia, guilt, terroristic vengeance.
Magic/Animistic – Purple (1st Tier, Pre-Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Tribal order. 50,000 years old.
- FOCUS: Keep your group safe and happy, and please the Gods.
- MENTALITY: Magical thinking.
- GOAL: Safety, security, maintaining functional habits and dependable practices.
- METHODS: Keep tribal traditions, and petition the Gods for favors through rituals.
- PATHOLOGIES: Borderline, narcissism, delusions of omnipotence, tribal/family dysfunction.
Instinctive – Beige (1st Tier, Pre-Rational)
- SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Small survival bands. 100,000 years old.
- FOCUS: Do what you must in order to survive.
- MENTALITY: Impulsive, reactive. Living in the moment.
- GOAL: Acquire physiological necessities. Food, water, shelter, etc.
- METHODS: Acquire what is needed in whatever way is easiest, including scavenging.
- PATHOLOGIES: Primitive developmental psychopathology, autism.
Sidebars / Columns (Vertical, right side of image)
- 3rd Tier: Kosmocentric, Post-postconventional, Post-symbolic / Immediate
- 2nd Tier: Trans-Rational, Inter-Individual (Kegan)
- 1st Tier: Rational, Worldcentric, Conventional, Symbol-Mediated, Institutional, Interpersonal, Imperial, Ethnocentric, Egocentric, Preconventional, Preverbal/Representational/Symbol-Mediated, Pre-Egoic, Pre-Rational
DEVELOPMENTAL LEVELS
Scale developed by Loevinger & Cook-Greuter
Matches with scales developed by Kohlberg & Kegan
(Text rewritten for simplicity)
3rd Tier – Kosmocentric / Post-postconventional / Post-Symbolic / Immediate
Ironist – Unitive
Intersystemic evolution rules over deep psychological processes. Focus on the process of interacting causing transformation. Identifies as witness of awareness of various conscious processes. Non-exclusively aware of multiple parts of ego (identifications at various levels of awareness). Capable of conscious action or non-action towards an intended result without attachment to actual outcome. Capable of compassion for the process of development itself. “Aperspectival” / 6th-person perspective creates perception of potential selves-as-not-self, or how the self would be different with a different history or a different perception of history.
2nd Tier – Trans-Rational / Inter-Individual (Kegan)
Magician – Construct-Aware
Deep psychological processes rule over awareness of principles. Identifies as the story that the self tells itself about itself using life experiences as words or chapters. Aware of how intentions attempt to manifest themselves through the self-as-history. Able to consciously witness interplay of awareness in one’s self, including thought, emotion, sensation, impulse, memory, etc. Focus on responsibility for own awareness and on transformation of self and of all system-as-participation-in-system. Sees multiple histories interacting within and outside of self as elements of globally unfolding reality.
Strategist – Autonomous
More universal principles now rule over unique subjective reality. Application of those principles now rules over radical (relative) awareness. Aware of how systems are interrelated, interdependent, and synergistic (or clashing). 4th-person perspective appreciated through time creates awareness of self as history of experience. Identifies as sum of context-dependent selves integrated into a single, coherent self-history, or as culmination of development.
1st Tier – Rational, Worldcentric, Conventional, Institutional, Interpersonal, Imperial, Preverbal/Representational/Symbol-Mediated, Pre-Egoic, Pre-Rational
Individualist – Pluralist
Pluralistic rules over single-system view. Awareness of multiple valid perspectives creates overlapping, competing systems. Identifies as unique individual using many selves that appear in different contexts. 4th-person perspective causes discovery of unique, personal, subjective reality not observable to others.
Achiever – Conscientious
Whole-system effectiveness rules over functional reasoning. Formal operational logic and objective observation. 3rd-person perspective now expanded through linear time. Focus on scientific method, measurable reality, laws, control, results, and goals. Identifies with ideology: “I chose/discovered my own beliefs.”
Expert – Self-Conscious
Functional reasoning rules norms. Abstract reasoning and planning. 3rd-person perspective (outside of group norms). There is one “correct” view, to be discovered. Focus on effectiveness, new ideas, and problem-solving. Conformity is sought through independent contributions, as recognized by authority.
Diplomat – Conformist
Social norms rule over personal needs. Concrete operational logic. Focus on acceptable behavior, on being seen favorably. Self-protection sought through approval, by conforming to expectations.
Opportunist – Self-Protective
Focus on enduring needs, which now rule over immediate impulses. Impulses can now be suppressed in the interest of a self that lasts longer than this moment. Ego-centric, self-interested, self-protective. Might makes right. Others are seen mainly as a means to an end, not as individuals with their own self-interest.
Impulsive
Impulses rule reflexes. Focus on avoiding pain and danger, seeking pleasure, safety, and release.
Reflexive
Simple, moment-to-moment awareness of own sensations and drives.
ESTIMATED HUMAN POPULATION
Percentage at these levels (lower level = more accurate estimate)
| Developmental Level | Stable Access | Total Human Conscious-Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ironist – Unitive | <0.4% | <0.01% |
| Magician – Construct-Aware | <1% | <0.1% |
| Strategist – Autonomous | 5% | 1% |
| Individualist – Pluralist | 15% | 3% |
| Achiever – Conscientious | 28% | 10% |
| Expert – Self-Conscious | 40% | 25% |
| Diplomat – Conformist | 92% | 70% |
| Opportunist – Self-Protective | 99.6% | 90% |
| Impulsive | 100% | 99.9% |
| Reflexive | 100% | 99.99% |
Sidebars / Columns (Vertical, right side of image)
3rd Tier: Kosmocentric, Post-postconventional, Post-symbolic / Immediate
2nd Tier: Trans-Rational, Inter-Individual (Kegan)
1st Tier: Rational, Worldcentric, Conventional, Symbol-Mediated, Institutional, Interpersonal, Imperial, Ethnocentric, Egocentric, Preconventional, Preverbal / Representational / Symbol-Mediated, Pre-Egoic, Pre-Rational, Impulsive
HOW THIS LEVEL FEELS FROM THE INSIDE
hoe_math simplified
9 – COMPLETE
In an unpredictable world, everything we do is only a gesture or a wish, especially over long stretches of time. Sometimes we’re good at what we do, and our wishes come true – or so we think. For now. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes, we don’t even know. There is not always such a thing as ‘is’ or ‘is not,’ ‘will’ or ‘will not.’ There is only “seems to me…” or not. Or both. Or neither. The only certain thing is the watcher in us watching and the wisher in us wishing. We are not what we do or what we make, we are the watchers of the doing and of the becoming. I am not the main character, I am just the spotlight. What is revealed is what I illuminate. If we want a better world and a better life, we have to learn where and how to shine the light.
8 – SANCTIFY
The world is too complex to control. Life is not a game; it’s a show. You can’t know for sure what will happen before you act, you can only learn and try. You can intend to do anything you want, and you can be as careful as you want, but to some degree, you have to watch what happens and see how you feel about it later. Life is an experiment. We’re all figuring things out as we go. We should all have safe places to try new things, share what we learned, and do it again if it was good. All we can do is the best that we know, so we should all know more.
7 – HARMONIZE
It would be nice if everyone could do what they wanted, but life isn’t that simple. Who I am and what I want changes so often – I can’t imagine one set of rules or one version of the truth that works for everyone. People are complex, and life is constantly changing. We can’t just let go and hope for the best. We need to base our choices on what we know about ourselves from our past and build a world that’s ready for what we’re pretty sure is going to happen, even if that means making judgments and imposing restrictions. It might feel bad to say ‘no’ to people, but sometimes, it’s for the best.
6 – UNDERSTAND
Everyone’s unique, and we should all be allowed to be who we are. Society’s rules often hold people back from what they really want, and we should all just do our own thing instead. How can one person ever tell someone else what to do? You’re not them, so that’s not fair. You can’t judge someone if you didn’t live their life. I don’t even have rules for myself! I’m a different person over here than I am over there. Maybe if we all stopped trying to tell each other what to do, we could have world peace.
5 – ACHIEVE
When you think about it, what’s “good” and “bad” are different for different people, and for different groups of people too. What’s good for me might not be good for you, and what works in my country might not work in yours. Before we make any big decisions, we should look at the facts so we know how to get the outcome we want. After all, everyone really wants what’s best for them and their own, not to be forced into a life of service to your boss or to some “God.” Life is about knowing how to make good things happen, keeping the benefits, and always improving.
4 – BELONG
We all have our own lives to deal with, and our own problems. That can make us pretty selfish, and sometimes we don’t agree on what’s right. If we don’t stick to the rules and do what we know is good, life is chaos. It’s every man for himself. Life is about knowing what’s good and what’s bad, what’s right and what’s wrong, doing the right thing for the common good, and making sure others do the right thing, too.
3 – CONTROL
I live in a world full of different people, each with their own agenda. They all want what they want, and they’re looking out for themselves, because they have to. That’s what life is – it’s about getting your way. Everyone has to work with (or around) the needs and feelings of others – or at least what they think others are feeling – to get what they want, and I need to win that game. I can get what I want by taking or creating advantages for myself, and I better do it because no one will do it for me.
2 – CONNECT
I know that other people and animals also have senses and desires and feelings. I perceive feelings much like my own feelings coming from other sources around me. Sometimes, I make the mistake of experiencing a feeling in myself, but perceiving that it’s coming from someone or something else, like a person, an animal, or even a tree or an unseen “spirit.” I can now respond to the feelings I see in others, and to their needs. Life is about pleasing others (or the gods) so that they do what we want.
1 – SURVIVE
I see, feel, smell, and hear through my senses. I feel reactions to these senses, like fear, hunger, curiosity, or sexual arousal. I want to get things that I like for myself, and I want to get away from things that I don’t like. I get hungry, tired, warm, or cold, and I feel motivated to get what I need to stop those feelings. Life is about dealing with my needs and feeling good by getting what I want.
AQAL
Created by Ken Wilber
“All-Quadrant, All-Level” map of reality as it is perceived through human consciousness. Five elements contain all possible descriptions and perceptions of any phenomenon that can be said to exist.
QUADRANTS | LEVELS | LINES | STATES | TYPES
(Interpretation of the AQAL Integral Map)
LEVELS
Degrees of complexity of co-occurring individual minds, collective mind (culture), physical or objective forms, and social or systematic organization.
- Overmind
- Meta-Mind
- Global Mind
- Late Vision-Logic (Post-Paradigmatic)
- Mid Vision-Logic (Meta-Systematic)
- Early Vision-Logic (Paradigmatic)
- Formal Operational
- Concrete Operational
- Preoperational (Conceptual)
- Preoperational (Symbolic)
- Sensorimotor
LINES
Individual capacities or abilities within people, cultures, or systems that develop to different levels either independently of each other, or nested one inside another.
- COGNITIVE
- SPIRITUAL
- MORAL
- KINESTHETIC
- ATHLETIC
- EMOTIONAL
- ROMANTIC
QUADRANTS
Perspectives or viewpoints that any part of reality can be seen through. Ignoring any quadrant can result in incomplete and potentially dysfunctional results.
- FROM THE INSIDE:
- INDIVIDUAL (BY ITSELF): Upper Left (Mind)
- IN CONTEXT (HOW IT’S RELATED TO SURROUNDINGS): Lower Left (Culture)
- FROM THE OUTSIDE:
- Upper Right (Object)
- Lower Right (System)
STATES
Fluctuating modes of function in minds, systems, or any kind of phenomenon.
- Awake
- Asleep
- Drunk
- Sober
- Sun
- Rain
TYPES
Differences or variations in shape, form, or style of any classification of object, being, or phenomenon.
- Male / Female
- Rocky Planet / Gas Planet
- Personality Types (Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, Big 5)
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