TRAINING  &  COACHING  for  MANAGERS & LEADERS

Case Histories

Soulwork & Identity (2)

© Martyn Carruthers & Janelle Doan (1995, 2005)

Who are we if we are not our bodies, nor our self-talk? Who are we if we are not our memories, nor our expectations? We attempted to address the abstractions of human experience, asking, "What are the organizing principles around which we live?" Our answer is that these organizing principles are non-verbal experiences of integrated connectedness.

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While investigating the care and nurturing of Soul, we realized that Soul experience seems to integrate all values, actualized and potential, in a harmonic and dynamic whole, providing simultaneous inspiration, motivation and guidance. Soul experience underlies the applications called Soulwork Systemic Coaching.

Summary of Part 2

This is part 2 of 3, combining Gregory Bateson's “logical types” and Clare Graves’ “spiral dynamics” as models for understanding the evolution of human identity in nine discrete levels. Part 1 describes the first three types of identity “from the inside out”, in a developmental sequence, this will describe the next three levels, and part 3 describe the final three.

We ask, "What is the organizing principles of our lives?" Our best answer so far is that this principle is a non-verbal experience of integrated connectedness. We cannot adequately describe it; we call it Integrity or Soul.

Identity State 4: Our Society must be Secure

I live in a rational world and I want to participate in a stable and secure economy. I belong to an orderly society based on duty, obedience and discipline.

Our society maintains order by conforming to the written will of higher authorities. We earn rewards by hard work and discipline. We bring order to our world, because we know what is right and what is wrong. We expect you to be righteous and we punish wrongdoers.

I am reasonable. I value the traditions of my society, I believe in the Truth and I obey the authorities. We maintain a just society with structured institutions and absolute rules. I crusade against wrong beliefs, lawlessness and non-compliance.

Look for me in fundamental religions and absolute governments. See me in regimented organizations like military and prison services and some religious movements. Look for me in the anti-abortion movement and in conservative, socialist and fundamental societies. See me in old institutions like banking, insurance and education. Look for me regulating your morals and enforcing national boundaries.

At my worst I can be an intolerant fanatic, dehumanizing other societies so that we can invade and convert them. I may take drugs to sedate or tranquilize myself.

At my best I am stable, reliable and dutiful with a strong sense of justice. I am committed to Law, Order and Traditions. I am systematic and organized. I am part of "the backbone of society".

We must obey the legislated commands of higher authority. We have rigid rules for structure and rank. We must stay in our rightful places and accept our superior's decisions. I distrust innovation.

We must deserve our security and later rewards. All wrongdoers are punished, sooner or later. We want rigid chains of command with titled positions. We must be told what to do and we prefer written instructions with relevant details.

Manage me consistently and fairly. Be an authority, give me written rules so that I can be dutiful. Record your orders in memos for later praise or blame.

I am stressed by ambiguity and change. I condemn or avoid people who violate the Rules, or the intent of the rules. Do not insult our country, our institutions or our heritage. Do not defile our flags or symbols. Do not criticize our government. Do not violate the chain-of-command.

My religion reveals man's purpose and guides our lives with laws, duties and standards. We must avoid sin and honor our God, our rulers and our country.

Teach me the truth following a strict outline. Make me memorize and repeat facts to discipline my mind. I learn best when I am reprimanded for my errors. I believe "Spare the rod and spoil the child". Use collective punishments or rewards to bring us together. Dictate my ethics and prescribe my conduct. Give me class pictures and certificates. Leave me no room to doubt, challenge or question your authority.

Help me do right to avoid guilt and punishment. Tell me about future rewards and how my sacrifices can benefit my children and my society.

Sometimes I would like my rewards now. Sometimes I want be a Boss.

Example of Identity State 4 Indoctrination:

UK Scout Creed: I promise on my honor to do my best to do my duty to God and the Queen, to help other people and to obey the Scout Law.

UK Scout Law: Trusty, loyal, helpful, brotherly, courteous, kind, obedient, smiling, thrifty, clean in body and mind.

Identity State 5: I must Succeed!

The world is a marketplace, rich in natural and human resources, with many opportunities for profit. I can manipulate my world by skillfully using money and politics. I am a trader.

I manipulate natural and human resources. I create distribution channels. I use technology to escape limitations and control my future. I use all my time and energy to succeed. I plan complex tactics and I enjoy taking calculated risks. I play political games and I will enjoy manipulating you.

I revere competence and I enjoy power. I motivate myself with rewards and status. I promote a consumer society, saying that “Free market competition” makes me continuously improve my products and marketing.

My thinking is basic wisdom in industrial nations. People like me create and run most large non-government industries. Many East Europeans are imitating me and the Russians and Chinese may follow.

Look for me in hi-tech and high status industries. Find me in sales, marketing and advertising. See me playing political games. Look for me in rapidly expanding businesses. See me start small and grow fast. Read my success stories. Look for me with early ulcers, heart attacks, emotional breakdowns and burnout. Emulate me.

At my worst I am selfish and greedy. I will swindle you and I will do almost anything for money. I will sell you what you do not need and laugh when you are gone. I may take drugs to stay alert, to do more work or for status.

At my best I create win-win goals and I work hard to achieve them. I help my community if it benefits me.

The boss makes decisions and my position gives me status. I want to be promoted and I love to compete. I enjoy "office politics" and manipulating people. Tell me the payoff! Show me how I profit! Show me a personal advantage!

My manager must be smart and competitive. Teach me state of the art methods. Show me how to be more successful. Challenge me to improve. Give me opportunities to create competitive advantage. Reward my achievements. I am motivated by money, perks, status and prestige.

Do not block my goals. Do not put down profit or capitalism. Do not talk about collective ownership or socialism. Do not criticize my methods. Do not deny my rewards or try to make me change. Do not anger influential people or cost me competitive advantage. Above all, do not talk about failure.

My religion motivates me by opening networks and preaching success. My God is a businessman with whom I can make a deal. I build self-worth by winning and I create peace of mind through materialism.

Teach me by trial and error, and use competitive hi-tech games. I like to take things apart and make something better. I like competitions and I want to associate with winners. I learn best through my own effort, with some risk and lots of variety.

Motivate me with rewards and prestige!

Sometimes I would like to really get to know people. Sometimes material success is not enough and I want to enjoy community and quality of life. Sometimes I worry about how long our resources will last.

Vision State 5 “T” shirt:   Whoever dies with the most toys, wins!

Identity State 6: Community Members must Agree!

My world is my community. Effective people can join in community to live in harmony. Let us work together to contribute to our community. I want to feel good about my group. I want to be accepted and valued by my community. We want to feel needed.

We want to talk about freeing people from poverty. We want to discuss how to eliminate war, racism and chauvinism. I will contribute my time and effort to meetings about these important topics.

We strive for an ideal society which can provide all the special needs of our community. We can achieve this ideal society through persuasion, politics and legal mandate. We want consensus decisions and united group effort.

Remember us in the counterculture and antiwar movements? Look for us now in liberal politics and community charities. See us in the helping and teaching professions. Look for us in North American, European and Japanese politics.

We are not particularly motivated by power, money or status, but we can enjoy and use these resources. We are concerned about equal rights, social services and humanitarian programs. We want collective agreement and communal norms.

At our worst we are overly idealistic and ineffective. We do not produce concrete results. We covertly influence group members through peer pressure. We may ingest "soft" drugs that reduce stress and amplify our group feelings and togetherness.

At our best we strive for quality interpersonal relations and social responsibility. We want a community of equals for mutual benefit. We want group decisions and frequent communication with everybody involved. We are sensitive to people's feelings and needs. We like to talk about organizational harmony.

Manage us by being a collegial friend who understands our feelings. Be human, show us your feelings and care for our group members. Feelings are more important than tasks. Reassure us when we fail. Talk to us about joint ventures where we can contribute together and share mutual benefits. Avoid trying to persuade us to increase your profits and production.

We want supportive relationships. We want everybody to participate and be involved. We want consensus decisions. We accept human weaknesses as we build positive relationships. We are stressed by conflicts that divide the group. Do not put down our ideals. Do not ignore us. Do not be aggressive. Above all, do not hurt or deny our feelings.

Our religion supports people through community, demands that we contribute to our society and helps us distribute resources. Our God is our highest ideal of community destiny.

Teach us by experience. We learn by watching and relating to people. Help us explore feelings and share experiences.

We welcome authorities who support our group - but we can be intolerant to outsiders! We learn by cooperation and we are not interested in competition. We are motivated by the mutual support in our group, and groups that align with us.

Sometimes I would like to complete projects without so much discussion and delays. Sometimes I would like to be free to learn and to develop my own systems...

Copyright © June 1995, 2005 Martyn Carruthers & Janelle Doan All right reserved.

Soulwork Systemic Coaching

We hope you find these descriptions useful. Researching them was instructive to us, and we now find it easier to appreciate and communicate with people who prefer different values. Articles on Soulwork Systemic Coaching are available at www.soulwork.net. The next article in this series is Identity States 7, 8 and 9.

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