The Great Updraft

We discuss the Ego-Aware stage of ego development, AKA the Magician, which signifies another huge paradigm shift. This is the first postautonomous or post-postconventional stage in Cook-Greuter's model, and the eighth stage overall. It constitutes at most 1.5% of the adult population. The hallmarks of this stage are its questioning of identity, meaning, language, permanence, solidity and other. Sp...

Here are some key Strategist personality traits that will help you spot people operating from this stage. This is a snippet from my 14/10 episode Strategist Stage of Ego Development (#166)

The Strategist stage of ego development gets its name primarily from the Strategist's complex, long-term, systemic thinking process, its sense of mission, and its ability to integrate multiple perspectives. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 14/10 episode, The Strategist Stage of Ego Development (#166)

The Strategist and Pluralist levels, though both Postconventional, are rather different levels of development, with distinct senses of self, worldviews, motivations and complexity of mind. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 14/10 episode, Strategist Level of Ego Development (#166)

In this episode, we're exploring the seventh stage of ego development: the Strategist, also known as the Autonomous stage. This is where we begin to see the bigger picture: not just our own development, but of humanity too. Strategists think in systems, integrate perspectives that earlier stages tend to reject, and become deeply interested in solving complex, long-term problems. We'll explore what...

At the Pluralist level, we become open to many more truth systems than before. Until this level, truth is rather simple. We tend to adopt one truth system and reject all others. Now we can no longer do this. This is both a huge expansion and potentially maddening! This is a snippet from my Wednesday 7/10 episode, Individualist Stage of Ego Development (#165)

What does it mean to move beyond conventional development? In this snippet, I explain how postconventional development involves seeing through your cultural conditioning, questioning the assumptions that shape your worldview, and recognising the limitations of your own perspective. This is a snippet from my 7/10 episode, The Individualist Stage of Ego Development (#165)

The Pluralist stage marks both a stage shift and the Conventional-Postconventional shift AND the move into the second half of the developmental arc. This is a huge watershed in your development and life trajectory. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 7/10 episode, Individualist Stage of Ego Development (#165)

In this episode, I explore the Pluralist/Individualist stage of development, the first truly post-conventional stage. We look at what happens when you begin questioning the beliefs, values and assumptions you inherited, seeing reality from multiple perspectives, and discovering a much more complex and subjective inner world. I also explore its potential pitfalls: relativism, indecision, cynicism a...

The Achiever level is when we usually get involved - or obsessed - with self-help for the first time. This fits very well with the typical Achiever traits. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 30/9 episode, The Achiever: Stage 4 of Ego Development (#164)

You could sum up the Achiever level in the two points that I make here. This is the heart of this level's psyche and behaviour. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 30/9 episode, The Achiever: Stage 4 of Ego Development (#164)

The Achiever level of ego development is where our identity becomes fully differentiated from others and our environment. At this level, we derive meaning from achieving goals, getting things done, improving themselves. We find our truth from science and rationality. We see ourselves as independent agents with our own likes, strengths, desires and choices. Spirit Quest Tours: Save $500 on your nex...

I know a person who is a textbook, textbook example of the Expert. Here I give several examples of the Expert stage showing up in them. This makes the theory extremely concrete and will help you identify this stage in others and yourself. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 23/9 episode, The Expert Stage 3/4 of Ego Development (#163)

There is one simple driver behind the entire Expert stage of ego development: "I must know", "I should know".This one trait explains most of their personality and behaviour. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 23/9 episode, The Expert Stage 3/4 of Ego Development (#163)

"No one can tell an Expert anything they don't know already."Let's explain why the Expert stage gets its name. Perhaps Cook-Grueter said it best when she described the Expert's belief that they know everything. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 23/9 episode, The Expert Stage 3/4 of Ego Development (#163)

This is the Expert stage of ego development - the second of three Conventional levels, and the fifth stage of 10 overall. We can best sum it up by saying that the Expert's identity is fused with their knowledge. They define themselves via their expertise. The downside is that they can be extremely rigid and touchy in this regard. "No one can tell an Expert anything they don't know already," as Coo...

Some telltale signs of the Conformist stage: sensitivity to criticism, dependence on authority, and they champion their chosen group's values and motifs. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 16th episode, The Conformist Level of Ego Development - Part 2/2 (#162.2)

In this two-part episode, we describe the Conformist level of ego development, or Stage 3 in Cook-Greuter's Ego Development Theory. At this stage, we are defined by the groups we identify with. Our identity is literally fused and merged with them. Our identity has expanded from egocentrism to groupcentrism. This is both a staggering leap in consciousness and often a grave limitation. Spirit Quest...

Here we discuss why the "Conformist" Stage 3 of Ego Dev is called as such. Perhaps we could sum it up very simply by saying that at this stage we are defined by others. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 16/9 episode, The Conformist Level of Ego Development - Part 1/2 (#162.1)

Conventional levels describe the ego development of most adults in modern countries. This is the bulk of the bell curve, comprising 80% of the population. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 16/9 episode, The Conformist Level of Ego Development - Part 1/2 (#162.1)

In this two-part episode, we describe the Conformist level of ego development, or Stage 3 in Cook-Greuter's Ego Development Theory. At this stage, we are defined by the groups we identify with. Our identity is literally fused and merged with them. Our identity has expanded from egocentrism to groupcentrism. This is both a staggering leap in consciousness and often a grave limitation. Part 2 releas...

At Stage 2/3 of Ego (the Opportunist), we become aware that others have their own needs and wants. As yet, we possess no real empathy or ability to cooperate, and see them as threats or competitors. Life is experienced as a jungle, a battle of wills, a zero-sum game. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 9/9 episode, Pre-conventional Stages of Ego Development by Cook-Greuter (#161)

You might be wondering why bother learning about early, preconventional ego development if most adults are long past it. Here's why. This is a snippet from my Wednesday 9/9 episode, Pre-Conventional Stages of Ego Development by Cook-Greuter (#161)

Preconventional ego development takes us from being newborns with zero identity and zero meaning-making capacity to being functional members of the society. This is a huge transformation, and constitutes the first 10-15 years of our life. This is a snippet from my episode Pre-Conventional Stages of Ego Development (#161)

We continue our series on Cook-Greuter's Ego Development Theory by covering the Pre-Conventional levels. These represent the base of the human being, the beginning of a self, the beginning of being able function in the world. Though they may seem primitive, it's crucial to realise these pre-egoic, pre-civilised, pre-socialised levels of the human psyche are the foundation of your mind and identity...