Spectrum of Development

Yesterday, we saw how the Enneagram has a built-in dynamic quality, portraying for each personality type (designated by one of the numbers from 1 - 9) the paths for integration and disintegration respectively. However one significant weakness here (which also indeed applies to the Myers-Briggs typology) is that it remains neutral as to the various levels of development (on the full spectrum). For example in Western Psychology, adult development is largely confined to - what I designate as - the first two Bands on the Spectrum with adult development predominantly based on the second. And this band relates to the specialisation of (linear) analytic type understanding of a merely conscious nature. In particular this understanding completely dominates the present mathematical and scientific worldviews which in many ways serve as the new religion for the present age! However a crucial weakness of this worldview - despite its admitted great triumphs - is that it is lacking a true ho...

As well as the Myers-Briggs (based on Jungian insights), I have also found special merit in the Enneagram system, once again attempting to view it from a holistic mathematical rationale. Whereas the Myers Briggs is based on "4" with all possible profiles (16) representing the square of this number, The Enneagram is based on "3" with again all possible profiles (9) based on the square of this number. Indeed "9" seems especially suitable from an integral perspective, and indeed in several respects I have found the Enneagram system better suited to deal with the dynamics through which successful integration of personality may take place. Indeed it is easy to demonstrate some special holistic mathematical attributes of "9". In the denary (base 10) number system we employ, 9 represents – 1 (with respect to 10). And – 1 in turn represents the unconscious direction of development (which is directly relevant for personality integration). Here is ...

Yesterday, I mentioned how each personality type represents a unique configuration with respect to the manner in which space and time is experienced. Ultimately, all configurations are based on the holistic mathematical interpretation of the two fundamental polarity sets (i.e. external/internal and whole/part) that underlie every phenomenon of form. So once again, in holistic mathematical terms, external and internal are bi-directionally positive and negative, whereas whole and part are bi-directionally real and imaginary with respect to each other. However this equally means that the same structures of space and time apply in a physical - as well as psychological - manner. So just as in psychological terms we can define distinct personality types - representing unique configurations with respect to space and time - equally it should be possible to define in physical terms, distinct "impersonality" types, that likewise represent the same unique dimensional configurati...

I have always been fascinated by the manner in which we experience space and time and the complementary links which connect both psychological and physical notions. As I have mentioned several times before on these blogs, I find it striking that when Einstein was once asked to give a simple account of Relativity he is reputed to have stated, "Put you hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. THAT'S Relativity." However, this in fact relates to the psychological - rather than the physical - experience of time and Einstein seems to have missed the highly important point that the psychological and physical aspects of time are themselves relative in complementary fashion! The implications of this realisation are then enormous, for it implies that we cannot strictly hope to properly understand - as Einstein attempted - the physical world of relativity through the rigid mental apparatus of...

I mentioned the significance in yesterday's blog entry of the 2-dimensional, 4-dimensional and 8-dimensional approaches, which concur with the circular holistic interpretation of the numbers 2, 4 and 8 respectively. Jung in his writings frequently highlighted the holistic psychological role of mandalas i.e. pictorial images, serving as archetypes for the totality of the self. The most important of these mandalas are based on the division of the circle into 4 or alternatively 8 equal segments, often presented in a highly ornate visual fashion. So the basic structure of these mandalas equates directly with the geometrical presentation of the four and eight roots of 1 respectively i.e. the holistic interpretation of 4-dimensional and 8-dimensional (as the holistic circular interpretation of "4" and "8" respectively). Therefore the deeper reason as to why these mandalas serve such a powerful integral purpose is that all fundamental psychological processes ca...

I mentioned yesterday the complementary nature of the cognitive and affective modes, which are relatively, both real (conscious) and imaginary (unconscious) with respect to each other, in both external (objective) and internal (subjective) directions. However, perhaps the truly primary mode is that of volition, which expresses a fundamental purpose or orientation towards meaning, with respect to experience. It serves therefore in effect as the key manner through which the attempt to achieve successful balance as between both the cognitive and affective modes is itself maintained. When the personality is operating at the optimum level, substantial harmony therefore will be in evidence with respect to the complementary manner in which both cognitive and affective modes interact (without either attempting to dominate the functioning of the other).  In such circumstances the will itself will tend to operate at the optimum level in enabling the further enhancement of the harmoni...

Yesterday, I mentioned the holistic circular number system. So each number that has a recognised quantitative (analytic) meaning in the conventional number system, has equally an unrecognised qualitative (holistic) meaning in a corresponding circular fashion. This alternative circular system in truth leads to a new holistic understanding of the notion of a number dimension, which in turn paves the way for a radical new interpretation of the true nature of space and time (in both physical and psychological terms). And just as "4" has a special significance in relation to dimensions from the conventional scientific perspective, equally this this true in holistic terms. When Marie Louise Von Franz made the remarkable claim that "Jung devoted practically the whole of his life work to demonstrating the vast psychological significance of the number "4", she was referring implicitly to this circular holistic notion of "4". And we can now briefly re...

I have always been fascinated with personality types and their relationship as to the manner in which personal spiritual development subsequently unfolds. Of course, I should stress right away that each personality is unique with characteristics that belong to many different personality types! However, having said that, most people do certainly exhibit in varying circumstances marked characteristics that would be associated with distinctive personality types (in the major classification systems). For example, at work I shared for many years an office with colleagues lecturing in IT disciplines and could not but notice - what in Jungian terms would be described as - their strong sense (S) characteristics. These then contrasted considerably with my own more intuitive (N) personality! However even here, one has to be careful for it is possible to exhibit certain strong - say thinking (T) - aspects with respect to one's work and to express complementary feeling (F) aspects in o...