# (OLD) Levels : Home >[!warning] > This view is now outdated, but leaving the page here in case some of the ideas still prove valuable. "Levels" have now been separated into a distinction between [[Evolutionary Drives]] and [[Stages]]. >[!info] >The Levels refer to the 7 hierarchical, intrinsic **needs** or **drives** all humans being have. A famous presentation of this idea is [Maslow's Hierarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs). > >Each subsequent needs builds on the prior one, and so the higher needs are by definition much more complex and require more favorable conditions to exist. Damage to a lower level, like in cases of hunger, pain, etc, automatically drops more of the [[Self]] to that level until it is resolved.[^1] --- ## Quick Summaries This area is under active research by Ari at the moment, looking to refine the system a bit before I put it totally into the wiki. So, in the absence of some longer pieces on each of the levels, please check out the following resources for quick summaries from elsewhere in our movement, namely Spiral Dynamics and Integral Theory. My go-to article to help someone understand the Levels quickly: [Levels on Integral Life](https://integrallife.com/learn-integral-by-watching-movies-and-playing-video-games/) A great video on the Spiral Dynamics Levels: [Spiral Dynamics Simplified](https://youtu.be/RRB6Ym8wQeM?si=NtdjxRRFSIAG6MyA) While I work on Ancestor versions of each level, if you are interested in getting detailed Level breakdowns, please refer to the Integral versions linked below. If you want to go deeper in the meantime, you can watch some videos online (there are many), or read the books Spiral Dynamics, If you are familiar with the Integral or Spiral Dynamics Levels, a reference sheet to my levels is as follows, and there are some images that may help: | Ancestor | Integral | Spiral Dynamics | | | -------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------- | --- | | 1 | Infrared - Archaic | Beige -SurivalSense | | | 2.0 | Magenta - Impulsive | Purple - KinSpirits | | | 2.5 | Red - Power | Red - PowerGods | | | 3.0 | Amber - Conformist | Blue - TruthForce | | | 3.5 | Orange - Rational | Orange - StriveDrive | | | 4 | Green - Pularalism | Green - HumanBond | | | 5 | Teal - Integral | Yellow - FlexFlow | | | 6 | Turquoise - Mature Integral | Turquoise - GlobalView | | | 7 | Ultraviolet - Super Integral | Coral | | | | | | |   ![[spiral-dyanamics.jpg]] ![[Bence-Levels.png]] - A version showing the healthy forms of the levels, and the role they play in an integrated being. ### Integral Versions of the Levels A few important notes to keep in mind. I number the Levels differently than Integral does, often including two integral levels as the beginning and ending stages of my levels. So, please disregard the naming of the levels inside the PDF document and refer to their titles I have given them which show their place in the Ancestor system. In Integral, following Spiral Dynamics Convention, the levels are often referred to as colors. Don't worry to much about this. Also, they only made one PDF for my levels 5 & 6 combined. Ancestor Level 1 : [[Level 1.0 - Infrared (Survival).pdf]] Ancestor Level 2: [[Level 2.0 - Magenta (Desire).pdf]] & [[Level 2.5 - Red (Power).pdf]] Ancestor Level 3: [[Level 3.0 - Amber (Inclusion).pdf]] & [[Level 3.5 - Orange (Esteem).pdf]] Ancestor Level 4: [[Level 4.0 - Green (Pluralism).pdf]] Ancestor Levels 5 & 6: [[Level 5 & 6 - Turquoise (Wholeness).pdf]] Ancestor Level 7: [[Level 7.0 - White (Unity).pdf]] --- ## The Collapsing Nature of Ancestor Levels After their possibility emerges in physiological development, generally by the end of puberty, all 7 Needs are always active within the system. However, the higher ones are compressed or "collapsed" into the lower, expressing through the lens of the lower one until it is stabilized and the higher need can be approached in its full form. For example, we always have the need for [[Drive 4 - Love|Relationships]], but when a lower drive is dominant, say, the need for [[Drive 3 - Status|Status]], the drive for Relationships will be approached through that lens. In this case the focus will be on developing the relationships in one's life that are beneficial for social standing or have transactional value, instead of unconditional love. A classic example is parents at this Level who routinely prioritize business meetings or career related obligations over time with their family and friends. The same thing occurs with the higher needs as well, and if we are to continue with the example of the dominant drive (or colloquially, the "level" of the example individual) being Status, or Level 3 (as it is in our global culture), we will see that the 3 higher needs after Level 4 will be expressed through this lens too. So the way one approaches the 5th drive, the way they [[Drive 5 - Truth|Express]] themselves (the roles / jobs they fill, the way they speak, how they dress) will be that which is admired within their culture, instead of their own deepest, authentic truth. Their approach to understanding the true nature of things, the 6th drive, or [[Drive 6 - Wisdom|Wisdom]], will be to accept absolutely that which is commonly held by the culture they are most identified with and trying to win esteem in, as opposed to a view synthesized from a fair review of many different perspectives originating from different cultures and methods of inquiry, and from deep insight into the nature of their own being itself through inquiry into the [[Dimensions|States]]. Finally, what they view and pursue as the highest [[Drive 7 - Meaning|Meaning]] possible in a human life will be seen to be the dominant drive itself (and the ones before it it relies on), usually wrapped in a specific cultural framing. In the case of the global capitalist culture, the highest goal in life is seen to be the [[Drive 3 - Status|accumulation of status signifiers]] (net worth, awards, followers), [[Drive 2 - Comfort|access to maximum sensory comfort]] (as many homes, yachts, private planes, sexual partners etc as possible), and of course, a hyper-fixation on [[Drive 1 - Survival|staying alive as long as possible]] to reap it all in (often going to experimental extremes to stop aging etc). As the [[Self]] climbs the ladder of development, shifting its [[Center of Gravity]] to each higher drive in turn, the drive identified with becomes able to be expressed in its full form for the first time. For example, when centered at Level 4, the relationships one focuses on are ones that may have zero or even negative status implications, but are based in deep mutual understanding and love above all else. When centered at Level 5, true, for-its-own-sake self-expression (what Maslow called, Self-Actualization), becomes possible, not beholden to any cultural template (3) or even relational resonance with loved ones (4). ## Basic Overview of the Levels The Levels or Drives start very focused on the present moment and with the personal body, and end up focusing on long time scales and countless beings — at the final level, all beings, including their bodies, emotions, minds, and spirits. Simply, the drives evolve from being **Egocentric** (concerned with **Me**) to **Ethnocentric** (concerned with **Us**) to Worldcentric (concerned with **All of Us**, or **All Humans**) to **Kosmocentric** (concerned with **all sentient beings** everywhere). The initial drives can be considered Egocentric - they are only concerned with the personal self - the survival of the physical body, its safety, comfort, and desires. These are [[Drive 1 - Survival]] and [[Drive 2 - Comfort]]. The next drive is Ethnocentric, it is focused on the Self's inclusion in a larger We that includes and transcends many I's, and having a favorable position within it. This is [[Drive 3 - Status]], which includes the substages "3.0" (Absolutist / Conformist) and "3.5" (Rational / Achiever). The next drive is Worldcentric, in that is recognizes many valid Ethnocentric realities and aims to be tolerant and accepting of them all. It identifies first and foremost with a global humanity over any specific ethnocentric culture or religious group. This is [[Drive 4 - Love]]. The Next drives are Kosmocentric, to borrow the term from Integral theory[^2], where identification is with the All that is All, all sentient beings everywhere, regardless of species, dimension, etc. These are [[Drive 5 - Truth]], [[Drive 6 - Wisdom]], [[Drive 7 - Meaning]]. Each stage identifies with more beings, expanding its love and care to wider and wider groups to eventually include the entire [[Universe]]. ## The Levels as Optimization Thresholds Each Level can be thought of as an "Optimization Threshold," a circle drawn in the psyche, in which the things inside it are "*Part* of Me" and thus worthy of attention, empathy, love, care, sharing etc, and the things outside of it being "*Other* than Me" and thus ethical to ignore, reject, harm, or even kill for the benefit of that which is in the circle. From the moment we are born we can feel how our body feels. Our nerves have been reporting the sensations that our skin, ears, hands, eyes, noses, mouths etc perceive to us since as long as we can remember. Thus, without really trying at all, we intuitively think we ARE the body, that it is PART OF US, and thus worthy of our attention, care, and love. We don't wish for it to feel pain, and when it is uncomfortable, we do our best to change things around to make it not so. While we have reporting of the body's feelings from birth, we do not initially start out being able to perceive the emotions and feelings of other individuals, much less other cultural groups from our own, or other species. These perceptions emerge as the Levels' capacity emerge physiologically in development. Through the process of development, the Optimization Threshold grows and grows, eventually including Everything, in other words, Everyone and Everything is Part of Me, and deserves my care, empathy, love, and attention. Notable moments where one's Optimization Threshold has an a strong incentive to expand regardless of developmental stage: - Getting one's first romantic partner - Marrying someone - A sibling or friend marrying someone - Having a child - Siblings and friends having a child - Having a grandchild [^1]: There is a basic, unchangeable amount of Self that is sent that direction, the more basic the need, the higher the amount sent. This mechanism of the [[3D Bodies|3D Body]] developed during the course of our [[The Ancestor Timeline|Evolution]], and is one of its most primal behaviors. However, the higher the [[Dimensions|State]] the Self is identified with, the more control it will have to ignore the Body's demands, as the higher it is, the less identified it is with them. In most people, though, even moderate negative pings from the lower needs, like Tiredness, Hunger, or Pain, will cause the Self to reflexively drop to identification with it (to [[3.2D · Preference|3.2D]]), and focus entirely on its resolution. [^2]: In Integral Theory, [Kosmos](https://integrallife.com/glossary/kosmos/) is defined as: "1. A Pythagorean term meaning the pattern or order that connects the universe throughout its many dimensions of physical, mental, and spiritual existence. 2. In Integral Theory, the sum total of the manifest universe when contrasted with Spirit as the unmanifest or Emptiness. When used alone, the sum total of the manifest and the unmanifest, including Spirit." In short, [[1D Everything|Everything]] & [[7D Nothing|Nothing]] in non-dual union, the [[The One Infinite Creator|One Infinite Creator]]. [^3]: This comes from the [STAGES model of development](https://integrallife.com/perspectives-on-develoment-introducing-the-stages-model/) made by Terri O'Fallon.