Quote:
Originally Posted by Angela  Just about everyone thinks they're a 7. 
This system is all about finding your resistance/acceptance level for each of the levels, and until you are at no resistance to each of levels 1-6, you won't have transitioned to 7 or 8. "Acceptance/Resistance" is measured not by your consciously looking at the descriptions and saying, "ok, I accept that!"  But rather by your authentic unconscious answers to a special kind of "quiz."
I think you would be surprised at what areas you have unconscious resistance. It's really valuable to see what you unconsciously resist, because it acts as a chasm that separates you from the next level. For instance, if you are in resistance to Level 4 (do you hate religion, or fear joining toastmasters?), that prevents the effective transition to Level 5 (starting your own business.)
Plus, the levels are context specific; your values level may be different in Relationships than it is in Career.
If you ever get a chance to participate in a Clare Graves values test, it's important that your answers be authentic unconscious responses -- if you're consciously evaluating and figuring, it won't be accurate and you probably won't learn anything useful. I hope you get the chance to do so -- it's pretty fascinating -- and surprising! |
I have had the pleasure of doing the Clare Graves Values test a couple of times now, years apart, and it has been fun watching the balances shift!
Another interesting way to look at these value models is to explore which level is your 'means' and which is your 'end' in the various possible contexts... I know folks her have a tremendously strong Tribal value which is nurtured and protected by their business acument, success, achievment and entrepeneurial focus.
My partner has incredible tribal emphasis which is maintained almost entirely through his systemic approach - called Existential in this particular example.
Me? I am Tribal through Egocentric (sometimes eocentric through systemic in the right contexts) - it used to be a very skewed emphasis, but these days is more of a preference with a fair balance across several memes - with a distinct lack of balance in 4 and 5 (huge conscious rejection and very little unconscious acceptance)... I can do them if there is need but I arrange my life so that those times a few and far between!
Most of my study of the Graves Model was actually done under the heading of Spiral Dynamics if you want to look that up -... some of the terms are a little different but it is all based on Grave's original and incredibly long and convolutedly titled paper... The Emergent Cyclical Double-Helix Model of Adult Bio-psycho-social behaviour.
We had a joke in our training - the people going 'oooh ooh I'm an X what are you?' are
demonstrating their 4, the people saying Oh I am 7/8 are
demonstrating their 5, the ones joyfully procaliming to be 6's because all humanity is one big family are demonstrating their 2/ or because it's
right, well that's a 4... I'm sure there were a couple of others that i don't remember...