Nine Action Logics

Dr. Susanne R. Cook-Greuter is an internationally recognized leader in research related to mature ego development and self-actualization, building directly off of the work of Dr. Jane Loevinger in the field of developmental psychology.

While the below article is now over 20 years old, I have yet to find something that more concisely and comprehensively describes the steps we take on the path of personal growth. It opens with a very brief, but adequate, framing before getting about as in-depth as is necessary on each stage of ego-development. As an interesting note, the upper reaches bordering on ego-transcendence are still only partially understood and so different researchers use different naming conventions. This is mostly due to the rarity of such development, but also likely due to the fact that structures become increasingly ill-defined as we move through what integral theory calls the 3rd tier.

Aside from general curiosity and background knowledge there are a couple important ways that anyone practicing the YourTurn Approach would want to engage this material.

1. To gain a general understanding of how our ego-structures evolve over time. Specifically the underlying “syntax” that the ego uses to process its experiences.
2. To relate to others with increasing open-mindedness, as many things that cause friction in relationships can be understood in terms of different “syntax”, or worldviews, being engaged.
3. To use as an object prompting self-reflection to better understand one’s ego-development.

While the first two are fairly straightforward, and the reason this theory is so prevalent in upper-echelon coaching circles, the third is what most interests us here. The method is as follows:

1. Read the document through once or twice to become familiar with the material.
2. Begin reading the developmental stages, slowly.
3. After each meaningful statement, pause and reflect.
   • Do I remember seeing the world this way?
   • Do I recall having my actions being motivated by these needs?
   • Do I know that this is no longer my perspective?
4. Eventually you will start feeling a grey zone of understanding what is being said very thoroughly, but not being able to identify when in your life you had this pattern.
5. Suddenly, you will begin to read about things that, once again, seem like you’ve had clear experiences of operating from that perspective.

Wherever the boundaries are between steps 3-4 and 4-5 is likely to be where you operate most of the time. Remember, these are not concrete stages, but dominant ones. In certain areas we may operate at a significantly higher or lower structure, but we will have a center-of-gravity. Determining this center of gravity is incredibly useful for understanding what you need to flourish in your life.

Dig in and have fun!