© Rodney H. Clarken 2004 1 Integral Psychology 4 Chapter 8: The Archeology of Spirit Dr. Rodney H....

© Rodney H. Clarken 2004 1

Integral Psychology 4Chapter 8: The Archeology of Spirit

Dr. Rodney H. ClarkenSchool of Education

Northern Michigan University


This presentation is my attempt to summarize Chapter 8,

• of Ken Wilber’s Integral Psychology, published in 2000, pp. 89-114.

• I recommend you view the earlier presentations in this series and read Integral Psychology for a more complete and in depth understanding of the content.


Presentation Overview

• Levels, fulcrums and process of development

• Self and its pathologies, defenses and treatments at each stage of development

• Subpersonalities

• Integral therapy


Nine basic levels of development

• Sensorimotor

• Phantasmic-emotional

• Representational mind

• Rule/role mind

• Formal-reflexive

• Vision-logic

• Psychic

• Subtle

• Causal/nondual


Nine correlative fulcrums

1. Physical self

2. Emotional self

3. Self-concept

4. Role self

5. Mature ego

6. Centaur

7. Psychic

8. Subtle

9. Causal


Process of development

• As the center of gravity of the self moves up it

– Identifies with the new level

– Then disidentifies with and transcends it

– Then includes and integrates the next higher level


1-2-3 process of development

1. Fusion/embeddedness

2. Differentiation/disidentification/de-embedding/transcending

3. Integrating/including


7 Step development process

1. A higher order structure emerges into consciousness

2. Self identifies with it

3. Next higher order emerges

4. Self disidentifies with lower and shifts to higher

5. Consciousness thereby transcends the lower

6. Then becomes able to operate on the lower from the higher

7. All preceding levels can then be integrated into consciousness, and ultimately as Consciousness


At each stage of development

• The self differentiates from the lower level (e.g., the body), identifies with the next higher level (e.g., the mind) and then integrates the lower with the higher (e.g., the functions and feelings of the body are first differentiated then integrated with the new concepts and capacities of the mind and visa versa)


Development can proceed

• Healthily or pathologically to differentiate and integrate the elements of that level

• At each level of development, the self can fail to – Integrate-results in repression, alienation and

fragmentation

– Differentiate-remains in fusion, fixation and arrest

• Each level has different pathologies, defenses and treatments


The Self and Its Pathologies

• There are different types of psychopathologies

– e.g., obsessive-compulsive, phobias, anxiety, depression

• And different levels of psychopathologies

– e.g., psychotic, borderline, neurotic


For example,

• If the mind fails to differentiate from the body, the drives, feelings and emotions of the body can affect the mind in ways it does not understand or control

• If the mind and body differentiate, but fail to integrate, dissociation (neurosis) or repression of the body/emotions results


The Self and Its Defenses

• At each level the self employs different types of defenses to defend itself against pain, disruption and death using whatever tools or capacities it has available to it at that level: if it has emotions, it will use emotions; if concepts, rules, logic, etc., it will use them


The Self and Its Treatments

• Each level of development responds to and requires a different treatment appropriate to that level

• The following slides will explore each hierarchical level and its corresponding pathologies, defenses and treatments


1. Sensorimotor/Physical Self

• The self is relatively undifferentiated from its environment: self cannot easily tell where its body stops and the physical environment begins

• During the first year of life the infant learns there is a difference between its body and matter, therefore begins to differentiate between the two and moves from a fusion with the material world to identifying with the emotional-feeling body


Sensorimotor/Physical: Pathologies

• Failure of self to differentiate from and/or then integrate with the environment: person cannot tell where body self ends and environment begins; results in lack of self boundaries, infantile autism and psychosis

• \Psy*cho"sis\ A severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration of normal social functioning. The American Heritage Dictionary


Sensorimotor/Physical: Defenses

• Can defend using its tools of sensations, perceptions and early forms of sensorimotor cognitions (exocepts), impulses and images

• Defense mechanisms: Fuse with physical environment, distortion, delusional projection, hallucination, wish fulfillment


Sensorimotor/Physical: Treatments

• Until recently this level resisted treatment

• Deep-seated problems, difficult to access

• Medication and pacification

• Intensive regressive therapies (e.g., primal scream) to re-experience, confront, deal with and integrate into self


2. Emotional self

• Identity with the emotional-feeling body: body ego

• Phantasmic-emotional stage: impulse/emotion, image, beginning symbols

• Separation-individuation: emotional body-self differentiates from others, conceptual mind begins to emerge and identity starts shifting from body to mind


Emotional: Pathologies

• If emotional body self has difficulty differentiating from others, can result in

– Narcissism: others are treated as an extension of self

– Borderline disorders: others are constantly invading and disrupting the self’s fragile boundaries


Emotional: Defenses

• Uses the tools of intense feelings, emotions and newly emerging symbols

• Splitting: dividing the self and the world into “all good” and “all bad”

• Projection: projecting its feelings and emotions onto others

• Self/Object Fusion: fusing itself with the emotional world of others


Emotional: Treatment

• Structure building: attempt to build up the self boundaries and fortify ego strength

• Goal: help complete the separation-individuation stage so person has strong self with clearly differentiated and integrated emotional boundaries

• Therapies: object relations therapy, psychoanalytic ego psychology, self psychology


3. Self-Concept

• At about 3-6 years old, the conceptual mind begins to develop. The child gradually differentiates itself from the emotional body self and begins to move the center of gravity of the proximate self to identify with a name-self and self-concept

• Representational (preoperational) mind, early ego or persona


Conceptual: Pathologies

• Failure to differentiate leaves a fusion with the emotional self resulting in being frightened of or overwhelmed by feelings of body, especially sex and aggression, and trying to defend against them, sending them underground where cause problems

• Failure to integrate leads to repression of the emotional self by the newly emerged mental, ego and conceptual self, resulting in classic psychoneurosis: anxiety, depression, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, excessive guilt, etc.


Conceptual: Defenses

• Uses the tools of concepts and beginning rules

• Repression: “The unconscious exclusion of painful impulses, desires, or fears from the conscious mind.”

• Displacement: “A psychological defense mechanism in which there is an unconscious shift of emotions, affect, or desires from the original object to a more acceptable or immediate substitute.”

• Reaction formation: “A defense mechanism by which an objectionable impulse is expressed in an opposite or contrasting attitude or behavior.” The American Heritage


Conceptual: Treatments

• Uncovering techniques: relaxing or undoing the repression barrier, recontacting the repressed or shadow feelings and reintegrating them into the self so that consciousness can continue to unfold and develop

• Therapies: includes aspects of psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy, Jungian therapy, ego and self psychology


4. Role Self

• Self begins to take the role of others, typically ages 6-12

• Self shifts from egocentric and preconventional to sociocentric and conventional perspectives, able to take the role of others

• Membership self, persona, rule/role (concrete operational) mind


Role Self: Pathologies

• Script Pathologies: the false, misleading and sometimes crippling scripts, stories and myths the self learns

• As cultural scripts are learned and combined with the earlier archetypal and mythic roles, problems and distortions can arise


Role: Defenses

• Displacement

• Duplicitous transactions

• Covert intentions

• Attachment to and elevation of myths and roles


Role: Treatments

• Script analysis, cognitive rescripting: uproot false myths and ideas of self and replace with more accurate, healthy scripts and roles

• Dealing with belongingness needs


5. Formal-Reflexive Self

• Shift form conventional-conformist to post conventional-individualist: Self discovers who or what it is once it no longer depends on society to make its decisions for it; begins transition from conformist roles and prescriptive morality

• Identity vs. role confusion, mature ego


Formal-Reflexive: Pathologies, Defenses & Treatments

• Pathologies: ego disorders

• Defenses: suppression, anticipation, sublimation

• Treatments: Socratic dialogue, introspection, developing self-esteem


6. Vision Logic Self

• Autonomous and Integrated authentic self

• Fuller integration of body and mind: centuaric self

• Deals with existential issues

• Post conventional awareness deepens into universal, existential concerns


Vision-Logic: Pathologies & Defenses

• Pathologies: existential issues, e.g., life and death

• Defenses: Inauthenticity

• Deadening

• Aborted self-actualization

• Bad faith


• Existential therapies: developing an existential being with body-mind integration

• Humanistic therapies: Self-actualization to assist the actualizing of an authentic self

•Vision Logic: Treatments


7-9. Transpersonal Self

• Soul-Self, Spirit-Self

• Nature, deity, formless and nondual mysticism

• If transpersonal realms accessed through a peak experience from a lower level, it will be (mis)interpreted according to that level


Transpersonal: Pathologies & Defenses

• Earliest and simplest: denying the existence of one’s own soul or spirit

• Self can be overwhelmed by the light and largess of spirit; painfully lost in love; swell its ego (e.g., psychic inflation); split, repress or dissociate (split-life goals) from lower levels (e.g., the body)

• Failed differentiation or integration


Transpersonal: Treatments

• Require reprogramming and therapies that are post-: verbal, logical, mental, rational, etc.,

• Path of yogis at psychic level

• Path of saints at subtle level

• Path of sages at causal level


Treatment in General

• The process is to encounter facets that have been disturbed or ignored so can be differentiated (transcended) and integrated (included) into consciousness

• Though a treatment has most applicability to a certain level, can be use on other levels, but the further away from that level, the less effective


Commonalities in Treatment

• Awareness in and of itself is curative: by encountering facets of experience that were previously alienated, malformed, distorted or ignored, consciousness can acknowledge, let go of, differentiate from, de-embed from and transcend them, allowing them to be better integrated


Therapy

• Low levels illnesses are preverbal and pre conceptual, so do not respond well to verbal/conceptual therapies

• Therapies of one level will use treatments from a lower level, but do not recognize or use those of higher levels


Subpersonalities

• Average person has 12 or more subpersonalities: i.e., parent-, child-, adult-ego states; top-, under-dog; conscience, ego ideal, idealized ego, false self, authentic self

• Subpersonalities vie for expression and dominance, creating a subconscious society of selves


Subpersonalities levels

• Though a person might be generally at one level of development, the subpersonalities can be a different levels of development

• Therefore subpersonalities may have separate pathologies and defenses, needing different treatments


If subpersonalities

• Dissociate, or split from the conscious self, these submerged persona can sabotage further development, via debilitating symptoms

• As “hidden subjects”, consciousness is not able to disidentify with or transcend them by objectifying and including them


Subpersonalities pathologies

• Are context sensitive: can do fine until situation triggers panic, depression, anxiety, etc.

• Bring awareness to convert “hidden subjects” into “conscious objects” to join ongoing flow of consciousness rather than remaining fixated at the lower levels where they were dissociated


Depth and Height

• Metaphors to describe consciousness

• Greater levels of reality are referred to as higher and of self as deeper

• The higher you go in the realms of being and knowing (from body-mind-soul-spirit), the deeper you go into your own selfhood (from body-mind-soul-spirit)


All Quadrant Approach

• A pathology in any quadrant will affect the other quadrants: the “I”, subjective individual (intentional), affects the “we”, intersubjective collective (cultural), affects the “it”, objective individual (behavioral) affects the “its” interobjective collective (social)


Integral Therapy

• Needs to address all quadrants. For example:

• Individual, objective, behavioral: diet, exercise, medicine

• Individual, subjective, intentional: emotional, mental, spiritual, therapy

• Social, interobjective: systems and institutions

• Cultural, intersubjective: relationships, community service, morals


An Integral Practice

• Exercise body, mind, soul and spirit in self, culture and nature: exercise the full spectrum in the I, we and it domains.


References

• Most of the material in this presentation was taken from Chapter 8 of Ken Wilber’s Integral Psychology, (2000), pp. 89-114.


Contact informationDr. Rodney H. Clarken

Director of Field Experiences and Professor

School of Education, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, MI 49855-5348

Tel: 906-227-2160 (secretary), 227-1881 (office), 226-2079 (home), Fax: 227-2764, email: [email protected]

Website with this presentation and web cast and info on courses, papers, Baha'i and China: http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/education/rclarken

© Rodney H. Clarken 2004 1 Integral Psychology 4 Chapter 8: The Archeology of Spirit Dr. Rodney H....

Documents

Transcript of © Rodney H. Clarken 2004 1 Integral Psychology 4 Chapter 8: The Archeology of Spirit Dr. Rodney H....