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Abstract |
This paper briefly explores The Primitive Ego Theory of Human Social and Spiritual Development© (PETHSSD©); the human psyches developmental journey from the pathological narcissism of our unconscious primitive ego to the enlightened consciousness of a middlepath evolutionary spirituality. Until a sufficient critical number of humans make the commitment to intentionally evolve and transform themselves through growth in their self-awareness, from the narcissistic primitive ego of their inner-child into the matured consciousness of a co-creative observing ego, humanity will continue to manifest judgmental splitting, the violent tribal mentality we are currently seeing globally, and other primitive survival oriented behaviors that are creating the current high levels of violence and suffering we see in the world today. This paper is the brief summary of a book the Dickwill be publishing soon. For a full discussion of this important topic, please watch for the publication of the book._spiritual_journey |
Our Primitive Ego employs wide variety of psychological defenses to protect itself. These defenses include various childhood survival skills, disassociation, suppression, avoidance, procrastination, denial, phobias, neurosis, character disorders, repression, projection, and projective identification.
The Primitive Ego Theory of Human Social and Spiritual Development©3 (or PETHSSD©) is a post-modern theory of human social and spiritual development; a relational developmental theory, not a psychodynamic psychological theory. PETHSSD© assumes that without authentic spiritual growth, our human species will be unable to create a sustainable compassionate, non-violent global culture. Only when we make the commitment to intentionally grow in self-awareness will we achieve the level of self-awareness required to create sustainable, healthy and compassionate relationships with others. PETHSSD© describes in detail the evolution of human consciousness from the primitive ego of our inner-child to the enlightenment of a middlepath evolutionary spirituality.
A basic premise of PETHSSD© is that authentic spiritual growth and growth in self-awareness are synonymous. You can't have one without the other.
Briefly, the developmental stages in PETHSSD© are:
Stage one covers human development from birth to approximately eight years of age. At about 8 years of age, the experiences and learning's of childhood morph into our unconscious and become our felt-sense of "self"; the primitive ego of our unconscious inner-child.
The reactive adult of Stage 2 is essentially the primitive ego of our inner-child masquerading as an adult in an adult body. Essentially, we are still functioning unconsciously out of the primitive ego of our inner-child and reacting unconsciously to emotional and environment stimuli.
Stage 3 in the PETHSSD© is the conscious awakening of self-awareness and self-consciousness; the moment we become consciously aware that we are capable of intentionally growing in self-awareness. Another way to describe awakening is that we become aware of the speck in our own eye. The focus of our conscious attention increasingly shifts from the outer world to our inner world. Awakening is the birth of intentionality.
Another way to understand awakening is through the religious concept of baptism. Adult baptism is the intentional commitment we make to align our life with a higher purpose such as God, the Ground of All Being, the Creator, or the Consciousness that created the form we call the Big Bang.
Regardless of how we prefer to define God, the concept called awakening in PETHSSD© describes the moment we consciously or intentionally choose to spiritually awaken and align our lives with a higher purpose; to live life in a larger, less narcissistic self-focused context.
Awakening is the moment that we intentionally make the commitment to become spirit centered rather than self-centered; to make enlightenment through growth in self-awareness a major spiritual and developmental goal for our lives.
The original meaning of baptism in our mainline religions was simply the commitment an individual make to intentionally align one's life with God; to live life in a larger, less narcissistic context. Unfortunately, modern institutional religion commonly uses baptism as an opportunity to initiate a person into membership in their particular religion or set of religious beliefs. In PETHSSD© awakening is understood in the original context of a spiritual awakening, not a religious awakening.
Stage 4 is the beginning of intentional growth in our observing ego. In this stage, we learn to more consciously direct the focus of our attention so as to manifest increased control over both our internal thinking process and our emotional responses to stimuli from our outer environment. In stage 4, our observing ego increasingly develops intentional choice over what we manifest. What we manifest in the world becomes more consistent with our psycho-spiritual attainment and what we know to be truth.
Each new realization of truth that leads to the clearing of old primitive ego beliefs and self-identity each establish a new level of self-awareness that in turn leads to higher realizations of truth and reality; higher levels of consciousness. As we grow in stage 4, we become less driven by our primitive ego's primitive survival consciousness and instincts, and more responsible for the enlightenment of our entire human species.
Evolution does a good job of moving us forward and learning new insights and truths, but it does a very poor job of clearing our consciousness of old, unhelpful beliefs from our childhood.5 This growth in self-awareness and the clearing of outmoded childhood beliefs is the work of stage 4.
In Stage Five, our consciousness begins to develop a deep contemplative self-awareness. Our need to know and be right is increasingly replaced by our need to simply "be with" and quietly "pay attention" to both inner and outer stimuli. A stage five consciousness means that we are beginning to manifest a significantly evolved middlepath spirituality. We no longer need to "split" reality into concepts of either / or.
There have been many different descriptions and schools of enlightenment over the last several thousand years. Most have been primarily concerned with individual enlightenment.
The only enlightenment that makes sense to this author in a post-modern 21st century global consciousness, is a middlepath evolutionary spirituality; a fully conscious sense of self-awareness as a spiritual being co-creatively responsible with the Initiating Consciousness of the Universe for the creation of all new form. There is no form without an initiating consciousness. Enlightenment in the 21st century means simply living our lives in the fully-conscious awareness that in this local part of the universe, on the planet Earth, we are the Co-creative, reflexively conscious result of a roughly 14.5 billion year creative evolutionary process. An evolutionary process that clearly appears to be moving creation toward increased complexity of all living organisms, increased levels of consciousness in living organisms, and an increased communal cooperation between living organisms.
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