Spectrum of Development

In this blog entry, I intend to deal with the important dynamic explanation as to why both peaks (of higher from - relatively - lower) and valleys (of lower from - relatively higher) stages are possible - and indeed common - with respect to development. And it is important to bear in mind that as because both states and structures themselves bear a complementary relationship with respect to each other, that with suitable qualifications, peaks and valleys can apply in appropriate circumstances likewise with respect to stage structures! To understand such dynamics properly, it is important to bear in mind that both linear and circular characteristics attach to the development of all stages. It is perhaps unfortunate in this context that emphasis on the linear aspect tends to dominate the conventional treatment of stage development. So using the deceptively simple terminology of pre and trans, development is essentially portrayed as moving in somewhat linear fashion from lower pre...

As we have seen, a distinctive state is associated with each stage of development. Though initially, the terminology of waking, dreaming and deep sleep may serve of general use, more precise terminology is required. And this is provided through the holistic appreciation of number, whereby each distinctive state is characterised by a unique dimension, which in turn represents a dynamic configuration with respect to the way the opposite polarities (external/internal and whole/part) dynamically interact in experience.  So the default waking state is here characterised by 1 (representing the holistic mathematical interpretation of this number). This represents absolute type experience that is characterised by non-interacting poles. So for example the external is abstracted from the corresponding internal pole; likewise the quantitative notion of parts is abstracted from the corresponding qualitative notion of wholeness (with wholes thereby understood in reduced terms as ...

Though frequently used with respect to development, the term "states" can be somewhat vague and unambiguous. In common understanding, states would often refer directly to the emotions e.g. a state of joy, an anxiety state, a state of bewilderment, a state of confusion etc. The term could equally carry a physical connotation as appearing for work in a tidy state, driving in  a drunken state, sitting down for a meal in a hungry state etc. It could also refer to motivation as for example with a disciplined state or a state of concentration. However when used with respect to development, it generally carries a distinctive meaning, which initially would be identified in a physiological manner. So here the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep are usually grouped together. Now in psychological terms these relate closely to the relationship between conscious and unconscious. Thus when one is awake this thereby implies direct consciousness of reality. By the s...