From the Historical Collection of the work of Dr

From the Historical Collection of the work of Dr. Clare W. Graves
William R. Lee - presentations, papers, recorded transcripts, notes - February 2002
Seminar on Levels of Human Existence, Washington School of Psychiatry, October, 1971

Now look at Table II [page 13 and below]

Look at the Change of Set rankings – 2 –2 –2 –4 and the Attaining New Concept Speed –1 – 3 – 3 – 3 . . . in other words, in Change of Set the Express Self But With Concern for Others was significantly different from any other system and it was the only one that was significantly different. There is something very different about this system. And – this same thing occurs in some of the others.

Dimension Measured

SNFRL

{4}

ESC

{5}

SNFAN

{6}

ESWCFO

{7}

Characteristic of Dimension

7. Change of Set

*1-2-3

System Specific

17. Attaining New

Concept Speed

*2-4

System Specific

So on Table II we have one of the basic forms of organizing these data.

Remember that Cognitive Complexity went 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – a simple quantitative increase in the amount of the dimension measured from system to system. Dogmatism is going in the other direction in a simple quantitative decrease in the amount of the dimension measured from system to system.

A. There are some personality characteristics which

1) increase in amount of the dimension from system to system

= There are dimensions in personality that increase quantitatively with time.

2) decrease in amount of the dimension from system to system

= There are dimensions in personality that decrease quantitatively with time.

B. There are dimensions in personality that have a quantitative trend. There isn’t any difference and then suddenly there is a quantitative difference . . . as in change of set and cue utilization and integration.

C. There are dimensions in personality that are system specific in which they are the same in most systems but quantitatively different in one specific system . . . which is aggressive and the like. So there are some dimensions that seem to crop up at certain times and stand out at certain times in personality and then they seem to disappear.

D. Then you have to take care of that ridiculous thing where we saw a 4 – 1 – 3 – 2 and we get into a cyclic kind of dimension of personality. So there are dimensions in personality that are cyclical in development. The factor being measured appears in one system and then it is out in the next system. Then it comes back in again in the next system and goes out in the next system . . . a high – low – high – low movement.

E. There are dimensions in personality that have a cyclic trend to them.

At this point with the data, I tried to rationalize my data within all the existing theories of personality with which I was acquainted. And I would get into them . . . and I would be in trouble in every one of them. Always I had a mass of data left over unaccounted for by any theory of personality within which I tried to rationalize the information.

            So . . . I finally said the obvious thing to myself at this date. Just let the data talk!

            Let the data tell you what personality should be conceived to be, and basically it said that the conceptualization should
            be the seven things that follow.

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