Developmental levels and communications

As noted above, the Integral framework encourages attention to psychological and cultural development. In this section, we focus on how knowledge of psychological development can profoundly influence the effectiveness of sustainability communications. The impact of cultural, systems, and behavioral development are reserved for future research.

Developmental psychologists have identified numerous features of an individual’s consciousness, such as cognition (what one is aware of), values (what one considers most important), and self-identity (what one identifies with) (Wilber, 2005). These and other aspects interact to form an individual’s worldview. Over time, worldviews mature and become increasingly complex (Wilber, 2000b). These features of consciousness develop through recognizable stages, each offering a markedly different understanding of the world (e.g. Beck & Cowan, 1996; Graves, 2005; Kegan, 1982; Loevinger, 1976). Although these stages vary in detail, they have key, universal characteristics. As such, developmental stages in consciousness provide a promising basis for a more coordinated and customized approach to audience segmentation and communication delivery for sustainability.

Empowered with this initial recognition, we can identify two meta-types of communication that can occur through any medium (dialogue, media, informational pamphlets, etc.). They are: transformative communications and translative communications.

Communication that attempts to fundamentally change the way someone sees the world—so as to foster sustainable behavior—is considered transformative communication. Many sustainability communications are transformative; they try to get people to see things differently (such as the interconnectedness of nature and humanity) so that they choose different actions.

Translative communications do the opposite. They strive to connect with people just as they are, motivating and informing them in a way that is in alignment with how they already see the world. These communications resonate with a person’s existing worldview, without requiring them to be a different person in order to take action.

Both of these approaches to communication can be effective. However, transformative communications face a major obstacle: people change their worldview rarely, and there is no clear understanding of how to catalyze that change. Harvard developmental psychologist, Robert Kegan, points out in The Evolving Self (1982) that it takes approximately five years to change a worldview if the right conditions are present. Jane Loevinger, pioneer in understanding ego development (which is central to one’s worldview), states that “Ego development is growth and there is no way to force it. One can only try to open doors” (Loevinger, 1976, p. 426).

The bottom line is that people rarely make major changes in how they see the world, it’s hard to trigger that change, and the workings of that change process largely remain a mystery. As such, sustainability communications that only focus on changing someone’s worldview face less chance of success. To reach people, and to honor them, most sustainability communications should not encourage others to see the world anew, but rather align the core message with their existing worldview(s).

The rest of this section outlines how to do this.


Main references:

How to tailor communication about aids to different Worldviews. Barrett Brown & Don Beck





Barrett Brown's References

• Beck, Don E., & Cowan, Christopher C. (1996). Spiral Dynamics: Mastering values, leadership and change.
• Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
• Brown, Barrett C. (2012). Leadership at the edge: Leading complex change with postconventional consciousness.
• Journal of Organizational Change Management, 24(4), 560-577.
• Cook-Greuter, Suzanne (2002). A detailed description of the development of nine action logics in the leadership
• development framework: Adapted from ego development theory. Retrieved August 31, 2012, from
• http://nextstepintegral.org.
• Cook-Greuter, Suzanne (2004). “Making the case for a developmental perspective” in Industrial and Commercial
• Training 36(7), Retrieved August 31, 2012, from http://www.cook-greuter.com/
• Cook-Greuter, S. R. (1999). Postautonomous ego development: A study of its nature and measurement. Dissertation
• Abstracts International, 60 06B(UMI No. 993312).
• Cook-Greuter, S. (2005). Detailed descriptions of the developmental stages or action logics of the leadership
• development framework. Paper presented at the W. Edwards Deming Research Institute Eleventh Annual Research
• Seminar.
• Esbjörn-Hargens, S., & Zimmerman, M. E. (2009). Integral ecology: Uniting multiple perspectives on the natural
• world. Boston, MA: Integral Books.
• Kohlberg, L. (1981). The philosophy of moral development: Moral stages and the idea of justice. San Francisco, CA:
• Harper & Row.
• O’Fallon, Terri J. (2012). Stages: Growing up is Waking up – Interpenetrating Quadrants, States and Structures. Pacific
• Integral.
• O'Fallon, T. (2007). Leadership and the interpenetration of structure and state stages: A subjective exposé. Integral
• Leadership Review, November.
• Rooke, D. & Torbert, W. R. (2005) Seven transformations of leadership. Harvard Business Review, 83,66.
• O’Fallon, Terri J. (2011). Generating Transformative Change: Introduction to Development. Pacific Integral.
• Thomas, Brett & Stagen, Rand (2009). Understanding People. Dallas, TX: Stagen.
• Wilber, K. (2000). A theory of everything: An integral vision for business, politics, science, and spirituality. Boston,
• MA: Shambhala.
• Wilber, K. (2006). Integral spirituality: A startling new role for religion in the modern and postmodern world. Boston,
• MA: Integral Books.

Important Notes and To Learn More
This document compiles data from two different developmental lines (values and morals) and one
developmental-line grouping (self-identity or action logic). This document is only meant to serve as
an introductory educational overview for people who are new to constructive-developmental theory.
It loosely amalgamates data from each of these separate areas of study to paint a picture of a single
stage. While this is technically inaccurate, it is sufficient to introduce people to the core qualities of
each developmental stage. Integral Theory clearly indicates that these are separate developmental
lines, each with it's own unique qualities. There are many other important developmental lines not
specifically included here, such as cognition and faith. (The self-identity line developed by Jane
Loevinger and further expanded by Susanne Cook-Greuter and Terri O'Fallon has a cognitive
component to it, as part of it being more of a "developmental superhighway" of multiple
developmental lines.) If you are interested in learning more, please see the references cited and also
visit the websites of the authors mentioned. They are:
Integral Theory: www.integralinstitute.org (Ken Wilber), www.kenwilber.com,
www.williamrtorbert.com (Bill Torbert) and www.metaintegral.com
Spiral Dynamics: www.spiraldynamics.net (Don Beck) and www.spiraldynamics.org (Chris Cowan)
Cook-Greuter & Associates: www.cook-greuter.com (Susanne Cook-Greuter)
Pacific Integral: www.pacificintegral.org (Terri O'Fallon)
Stagen: www.stagen.com (Brett Thomas & Rand Stagen)
Harthill: www.harthill.co.uk (David Rooke)