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We all know that children develop through stages—such as infant, toddler, adolescent, teenager—where how they think and their ability to handle more complex issues improves. But few people are aware that adults also are capable of moving through higher and still higher stages of development. While virtually all children pass through these stages pretty much automatically, not all adults do. Many get stuck along the way.
In recent years scientists have discovered that the brain is plastic and is capable of change and development until the day we die. Three major stages of adult development have been identified by researchers, some of whom have used different names for essentially the same stages:
Three adult stages of development
- Pre-conventional, pre-operational (preop), egocentric
- Conventional, conventional operational (conop), ethnocentric
- Post-conventional, formal operational (formop), world centric
A fourth stage, characteristic of less than one percent of the adult population in Western countries, is a highly developed spiritual stage that has been called transcendent, integral, unitive, or cosmic perspective.
Although your behavior and feelings are significantly affected by beliefs at each stage, your level of development also significantly affects your life in a multitude of ways. Each level has a different way of knowing, a unique worldview, and a distinct way of making meaning.
And just as one childhood stage is not inherently “better” than another—teenagers are not inherently “better” than adolescents; they are only better able to deal with more complex issues—the same is true of the adult stages.
Because so much of the way we perceive and interact with reality is a function of the stage of development we are at, understanding the different stages enables us to understand others and ourselves much better. As you start to become aware of the various stages, other people’s incomprehensible behavior will start making sense.
The differences between the three stages
Here are several excerpts from “Unfolding Perspectives,” an excellent article by Bill Harris of Holosync that describes some aspects of several stages of development. (To read the entire article, go to http://mortylefkoe-podcast.s3.amazonaws.com/Unfolding_Perspectives_2012-10-17.pdf)
From “me” to “us”
“The shift from preop to conop … involves moving from ‘it’s about me’ to ‘it’s about us.’ In making this shift, the child exchanges his previous immersion in ‘me’
for the collective security of the group. The group is organized around the group’s idea of what is important, what their truth is (‘our myth’)…. At this stage there is little or no ambiguity. Life is about this or that, about concrete objects and concrete procedures (hence the name concrete operations). Things are either black or white, this or that, with no shades of gray. What is true is visible. There are no internal, abstract ideas or principles yet, just concrete objects and concrete ways to manipulate them to achieve outcomes. …
“To move into this stage
People at different stages see reality differently
“The conop child easily sees that when liquid is poured from a short, fat containerinto a tall thin one the amount of liquid remains the same. The preop child believes that the thin container, being taller, holds more, even though it’s the same liquid. …
“One more example: if a ball of clay is broken into twenty smaller balls, the preopchild (centering on the size of the pieces) thinks that there is now less clay. The conop child, however, isn’t fooled. He can logically see that the amount of clay is conserved, just as the amount of liquid was conserved in the previous situation.
I once saw a mother give an older child two cookies and a younger (obviously preoperational) child one cookie. The younger child cried because he had only one cookie, so the mother broke his cookie in two, saying, ‘There. Now you also havetwo.’ The child … was satisfied. …
“Needing concrete evidence in order to believe something is concrete operational thinking. Being able to imagine what it would be like to believe in some other way is formal operational. The visionaries of the world use formal operational thinking (and, very likely, cognitive strategies beyond formal operational …). If you call concrete operational ‘thinking,’ then formal operational could be termed ‘thinking about thinking.’ Where concrete operational thinking might be described as learning the rules for how to do things, formal operations involves looking at how rules are generated, noticing patterns, and so forth — in other words, operating on rules and other ways of thinking, rather than operating merely on concrete things and situations. …
“Adults who remain in this stage (namely, conop, which makes up the largest percentage of adults in Western countries) are capable of mastering incredibly complex concrete operations: flying an airplane, being an expert locksmith, building a house, repairing complex engines or other machines, being an expert woodworker, and on and on. …
“Ken Wilber points out three important qualities of formal operational. It is the first stage that is ecological, in the sense that it can see and hold in awareness the possible consequences of the relationships involved in a situation. Second, formal operational involves an understanding of relativity. In being able to hold in mind different perspectives, it sees in what way they operate relative to each other.
“Finally, formal operational thinking is nonanthropocentric (it doesn’t interpret the world solely in terms of human values and experiences). Formop sees a bigger picture, a larger perspective, in which humans are a part of a larger whole that includes the entire planet and other living things.
During this developmental process we’ve seen morality move from a pre-conventional, narcissistic perspective, centered around the child’s bodycentered feelings and impulses; to a conventional, ethnocentric, group-centric perspective centered around one’s tribe, society, race, or social group; to a postconventional or worldcentric [formal operational] perspective, oriented to “all of us.” … (Emphasis added.)
“Only about 30% of adults develop formal operational cognitive abilities.” (Emphasis added.)
I have just started a course designed to help people move through these stages. I’ll keep you informed about what we learn. I expect there will be many more blog posts on this topic in the months to come.
Thanks for reading my blog. Please share below your thoughts and questions on stages of development. Your comments will add value for thousands of readers. I read them all and respond to as many as I can.
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Copyright © 2013 Morty Lefkoe
Use this information to improve your life
Take a look at some of the characteristics of the three stages described in the post and see which are more typical of you.
Then take a look at some people whose behavior makes no sense to you whatsoever. See if you can figure out what stage of development they are at. Perhaps the fact that they are at a different stage from you explains why the way they see the world seems so foreign to you.
This is really good information, came across this at the right time. I’m trying to advance my mindset and behavior. Also trying to improve my thinking process so it’s more effective. My problem is that Ive been fighting these mental barriers, I couldn’t see what they were, but they’re holding me back. I’m inconsistent with it though, I just get tired of trying to figure it all out. Changing myself is once of the hardest things to do, trying to figure out what I “should” be doing, is also hard. So many thoughts to keep up with, it’s confusing sometimes.
Hi Terence,
Actually change is not very difficult at all when you unlearn the beliefs that have kept you stuck.
Read some more of the blog posts for details on how to unlearn beliefs and dissolve meaning.
And unlearn a few common limiting beliefs at http://recreateyourlife.com without charge.
And feel free to call us if you have any specific questions at (415) 506-4472.
Love, Morty
Dying is painful and what happens next is uncertain. Maybe its actually the fear of uncertainty. Thats the meaning i am giving to death.
“Approach anxiety”… thats the word I was looking for!
Hi Morty,
I have the Natural Confidence program and I just love it. Its fantastic.
Got a couple of questions… though they are not directly related to this article.
1. Does the Lefkoe process work for ALL beliefs?
2. This is a very odd question, but can the Lefkoe process get someone rid of “fear of death” ? ! This question popped up in my mind out of nowhere!
3. Some introvert guys have a hard time interacting with females… can the Lefkoe process address this problem?
Thanks!
Hi Ozzie,
Yes, the Lefkoe Belief Process works for all beliefs.
What meaning are you giving dying?
Yes, the LBP has helped many men with “approach anxiety.”
Love, Morty
Hi Morty,
Does beliefs directed towards people exist ? An example of that would be : I am more afraid of my dad than my mom. I fear my dad’s anger but my mom is more relaxed.
Do you think I believe my dad is dangerous or is it the possibility of him getting angry that I fear.
Morty,
I commend you on the work you are doing.
I believe your work is very integral to elevating consciousness among people. Thank you and I wish you the best.
I really believe that I am stuck at the ego-centric/child level. I really want to grow into a more “mature” adult. I have not been able to figure out how to do it on my own. Would really welcome help!
Marie,
Morty’s new course offering will probably address your questions/concerns but I will put in my two cents worth anyway :-))
For the past 3 – 4 years, I’ve been studying “A Course in Miracles” which some would describe as being the western version of eastern nondualistic metaphysics. When I started the course, I found it difficult to understand and so I quit my study only to restart it after reading Gary Renard’s “Disappearance of the Universe” which explains basic course principles in a down-to-earth, sometimes humorous language. That book along with his second book, “Your Immortal Reality” inspired me to stick with the course.
To make a long story short, I have gotten lots of spiritual growth and understanding from ACIM and I recommend it to anyone like yourself who is seeking something more than accumulating bigger and better toys.
Wish you the best!
Eric Kumasaka
Does anyone know what survival strategy could produces thoughts of wanting to be something different/special/unique while being liked or even highly respected by others ? What survival strategy(ies) could be there ?
There could be a lot of them. It mostly depends on the amount of negative self-esteem beliefs you have. If you have a lot, you’re likely to have more “survival strategy” beliefs.
Survival strategies of the kind you mentioned are initiated from beliefs like “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not worthwhile”, “I’m not important”, “I’m not respectable”, “I’m powerless” and so on.
Survival stategies are formed when you see something that you think “makes you” what you believe you’re not. For example, if you believe you aren’t good enough and not important, you might think that having people like you makes you imporant and good enough. Therefore, you would form the belief: “What makes me good enough and important is having people like me (or think well of me)”
I hope this helps you. You can also read one of Morty’s articles on this topic, where he explain survival strategies in more detail.
Good luck :)