1982
Dr. Graves'
Seminar
Handout

 THE SECOND SUBSISTENCE LEVEL - The B-0 or Animistic Existential State

Theme: Sacrifice to the way of your elders.

This state emerges when living an A-N way produces safety and security problems, for example, by exhausting the natural food or water supply. These problems activate the neuropsychological system that is specifically attuned to sensing, processing, and acting upon conditions which threaten satisfaction of the non-imperative physiological needs and activates the aperiodic physiological needs like escape from harm from various dangers.

The person’s thinking at this level is animistic. This is the thinking which is in terms of indwelling spirits of life in all things—be they animate or inanimate. Thinks in terms of there being a transmutable spirit in self, in others’ selves, in animals, floods, stones, earthquakes, etc.

Believes in the continued existence of disembodied spirits capable of exercising benignant or malignant influence.

Lives a tribalistic way of life which is believed inherent in the nature of things, thus is unchanging and unalterable. They resolutely hold to and perpetuate things "as they are." Thinks spatially in an atomistic, not wholistic, manner, thus has a name for each bend in a river, but none for the river.

Thinks ritualistically and superstitiously and stereotypically, thus tries to control by incantation, totems, and taboos. Uses such to invoke continuance of what is or to control the unexpected.

Predominant learning method is by Pavlovian or classical conditioning by association without conscious awareness or intent. This learning without awareness produces the fixated, tenaciously-held-to, totem-and-taboo, tribalistic way of life, elder-dominated by the controller of lore and magic.

First appeared approximately 40,000 years ago.

This system, as the first, is not open to verbal assessment.

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