SPIRAL DYNAMICS
Integrated utilizes Spiral Dynamics to track progress and change with our students. Spiral Dynamics is a developmental model of human development created by Don Beck and Clare Graves. This model has been used for some time to gauge the development of individuals, societies, and cultures among other examples. Each developmental level is represented by the colors beige, purple, red, blue, orange, green, yellow and turquoise.
Using the foundational concepts of Don Beck’s Spiral Dynamics, Integrated Interventions' Founders, Terry and Angela Edelmann, developed their own adapted model to track student progress and success. At Integrated, Spiral Dynamics serves as a shared language among students, coordinators, mentors, therapists, and parents. Students have weekly meetings with their coordinator to set goals and discuss progress based on Spiral Dynamics concepts and associated lines and levels of development.
Below you will find a description of each level of development and how Integrated uses this model to track progress with our students starting at beige and moving up the spiral from there. At Integrated Interventions, we use the colors beige, purple, red, blue and orange to track progress and growth.
Beige - Represents the basic level of needs. Food, shelter, elimination. At the most basic element beige we see a person operating in survival mode and getting their basic needs met. In this element, individuals can retreat back to this stage of development when faced with adversity or fear (think fight, flight or freeze mode.)
Purple - Represents magical thinking, ritualistic, tribal, and being influenced by magic and folklore. (Good example may be performing a rain dance to please the Gods in hopes that they will send rain). For our students, it can look like a student grandiose thinking and unrealistic expectations.
Red - The red level signifies a shift towards power, control, and impulsivity. It is Often characterized by a need for control. Someone operating in red would expect to be very impulsive and “living in the now,” without a feeling of consequence.
Blue - Moving into blue a person begins to find meaning and value in conforming to the structure. Morality, discipline, following rules becomes the individuals focus.
Orange - This level of development is characterized by a greater sense of achievement. This individual is often motivated by reward, acclaim, gaining prestige or an image.
LINES AND LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT
The concept of "Lines and Levels of Development" is a fundamental aspect of the language used at Integrated Interventions, in conjunction with Spiral Dynamics. By using the initial five elements of Spiral Dynamics – BEIGE, PURPLE, RED, BLUE, and ORANGE – as shown above, our team collaborates with students to examine various life aspects and assess their corresponding levels of functioning.
This process is facilitated through the use of a "Holon," an evaluation tool used across multiple domains such as work-ethic, hygiene, social skills, education, and therapy engagement. Through dialogue with students, their progress is evaluated, and feedback and guidance are provided accordingly.
A "Holon" is visually represented as a circle centered around the student, with lines delineating different life domains and hashes indicating levels of development based on Spiral Dynamics' color elements. This visual aid serves as a foundation for discussing and analyzing the student's functioning across various lines of development. Below, is an example of a Holon diagram illustrating our approach to charting student progress across different developmental lines. Please watch the video above to show how we chart functionality.
EXAMPLE OF A HOLON
