Soul to Spirit: The New Spiritual Psychology

GROUP FIVE – INTEGRAL MODEL COMPARISONS

At one time the Integral model had only one level, Amber. Later it was split into two sections: Traditional Amber (later known as Diplomat/Conformist), and Expert—Self Conscious. As you can see when you read some of the keywords below, after they made this split, the keywords of the Expert level fit a great deal with what Group Five in the Alice Bailey model is about. As mentioned in the previous chapter, I personally differ with the word Expert being used here, because I feel that phrase applies more to Group Six. Still, you do see some similarities with Group Five and the Integral Expert level in the focus on effectiveness, craft expertise, a correct view, and gaining some personhood separate from group identity while still being “embedded in correct view as given by craft authorities.” Or, to put it another way, they are still influenced by the various “status, craft groups or clubs” (sports teams, religious & political groups) they associate with.

As for drawing from the work of An Overview of Developmental Stages of Consciousness compiled by Barrett C. Brown, Integral Institute April 3, 2006 we find that here the Amber group was not yet broken in two. For this reason what he writes here is the same as what was written about Amber in the chapter on Group Four. Only here, because the separation of the two groups was made, I tend to feel more of the keywords line up with Group Five (than they did with Group Four) overall.

Expert Values:  Bottom line: Stability and purposeful life. Basic theme: Life has meaning, direction, and purpose with predetermined outcomes What’s important: Sacrificing self for a transcendent Cause, (secular or religious) Truth, Mission, future reward; laws, regulations, and rules; discipline, character, duty, honor, justice, and moral fiber; righteous living; controlling impulsivity through guilt; following absolutistic principles of right and wrong, black and white; being faithful, maintaining order and harmony; one right way to think/do; convention, conformity Where seen: Puritan America, Confucian China, Dickensian England, Singapore discipline; totalitarianism; codes of chivalry and honor; charitable good deeds; religious fundamentalism (e.g., Christian and Islamic); “moral majority”; patriotism

Expert Self-Identity: Main focus: Socially expected behavior, approval. Qualities: Emergence of capacity to see and respond to what others want; self-identity defined by relationship to group, whose values impart strong sense of “shoulds” and “oughts”; values that differ from one’s own are denigrated or avoided; conform to norms of whatever group they want to belong to (including gangs and peer-groups); avoid inner and outer conflict; think in simple terms and speak in generalities and platitudes; attend to social welfare of own group; “us vs. them” mentality; feedback heard as personal disapproval. How influences others: Enforces existing norms.

SUMMARY

As we have seen Group Five, more than Groups Three and Four, are able to create seemingly stable lives for themselves. That stability comes from the increasing ability to focus their minds as needed to developing a chosen profession (or craft), and to discipline themselves more to follow the norms and rules of the society, religious organizations, and groups they associate with or are born into. For this reason they are not only good at knowing and following the norms, rules, and moral codes around them, they also become good at enforcing them on others. As they do this, however, a certain level of cognitive and emotional dissonance results. To manage their anxiety about their potential hypocrisy they usually take the following routes: 1) Manage the dissonance through socially accepted forms of penance (going to confession in church, paying their fair share of taxes, sending themselves or their children off to serve in a war, and so forth); 2) Suppress this dissonance through psychological methods of denial, blame, and projection; 3) Self-destruct when the cognitive and emotional dissonance proves too much for them.

Overall by following the rules, norms and moral codes expected of them, Group Five members gain a greater sense of respect and self-esteem. The prestige they earn gives them greater freedom in that they are more likely to move up in society in the way of status and material goods. It also buys them something very precious — time — to pursue primarily their profession or other hobbies. All of this furthers their feeling of order making them feel safe as life becomes more predictable. However, this same delusion of order, security, and safety makes them feel very threatened when people or circumstances try to bring about change. For this reason they tend to polarize even more in a “us vs. them” mentality. Despite all their gains, members of Group Five lack the capacity to see how much they have been conditioned to view their lives in a certain way, making it difficult for them to see another person’s point of view. Sadly, they are also frequently unable to see how easily they are being manipulated to think and act a certain way, especially by those in Group Six above them, which we will soon learn is the group that creates the norms, moral codes, and rules Group Five people so willingly follow. Group Five members are also unable to see how when it comes to Group Six the precious rules and norms they and those in Groups Four and Three may even die for, are often simply arbitrary artifices designed to meet the even more intense desires of those in Group Six. As we will see this can bring about a major crisis for those in Group Five. Let’s move on to examine that crisis in the next chapter.

Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Love. All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, computer, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.