Propensity

This journey of researching and sharing about developmentalists has been fun … a little like reliving my Seminary education. At UTS at the time, our curriculum centered around researching and writing … satisfying a curiosity in a subject area.

I have a propensity to enjoy digging deep into a subject that sheds light on something I’ve been wondering about. When I look back on myself as a child, I remember myself as a watcher and wonderer.

I especially watched interactions in my family and among their friends and mine and wondered what their words and actions meant. I wondered about my own reactions and longings in relation to them. It wasn’t until I began taking pastoral counseling courses, began reading in the field of psychology, and working a twelve-step program that I gained some understanding.

Eventually my curiosity expanded beyond personal relationships to a larger context …. our world. Again I find myself increasingly puzzled … back to watching and wondering.

Developmentalists have given me a context in which to understand what baffles me. Another propensity I have is synthesizing material … making connections between different schools of thought.

In this post, I give an overview of some of the early leaders in the developmentalist field. I present them as close to chronological order as possible. Much of this may be familiar to you. I’m in the process of synthesizing their research in a way that connects with my curiosity about our world.

What I find fascinating about this history is how all these leaders who focused mostly on individual human development, led the way for a more expansive view of development … cultural … my synthesizer at work as I make these connections. I plan to expand on that in future posts.

My Growing Awareness

My awareness of childhood development came in 1968 with the birth of my first child. It was around 10-15 years later when I was formally introduced to Piaget’s work in an academic setting. His theory emerged during the late 30s (just before my birth in 1942 through the early 50s when I was in elementary school.

Carol Gilligan’s theory emerged in the mid-70s, when I was in Seminary. In the mid-80s, I joined Anne Wilson Schaef’s Living-in-Process network where I began learning about cultural systems. Her theory is very similar to Gilligan’s and it was during that time that I first heard of Gilligan’s Theory of Female Moral Development.

Piaget: Childhood Cognitive Development

Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs

Erik Erikson: Emerging into Adulthood

Kohlberg’s Moral Development (drawn from Piaget)

Jane Loevinger’s Theory of Ego Development

Susanne Cook-Greuter (expanding on Loevinger’s work focusing on what leads us to move to higher stages)

Carol Gilligan’s Moral Development (updating Kohlberg’s theory to distinguish between male and female development)

Roots

My spirituality has always been central to who I am and how I aspire to be in the world. My path leads me to search for meaning and Truth. I experience an internal mandate to know myself at the deepest levels and to grow into the fullness of who I have been created to be.

My propensities for introspection, analyzing, and synthesizing may account for the spiritual paths to which I am naturally drawn (Contemplation & Self-Mastery) … the least known and understood in the West.

Being misunderstood and seen with suspicion by religious leaders is a confounding experience … especially when you are trying so hard to be true to what you don’t fully understand yourself.

Discovering the paths of Self-mastery and Contemplation while reading Mariamne Paulus’s book, Four Paths to Union, proved to be an awakening experience. “So, that’s why I feel so different! … That’s why so many religious leaders in my tradition don’t get me! … That’s why I feel so alone.”

Fortunately there were just enough people in those religious settings who saw into my SOUL and encouraged me to follow my path … even though they may not have completely understood it. It has taken me years to fully embrace my Soul’s leading.

These developmentalists feel like kindred spirits who help me make sense of the complexity of who I am … who we are as human beings. They challenge me to grow into my highest potential.

I’m curious. In what ways do you relate to or connect with what you’ve read in this post. Please honor me and others with a response.