Integral Pathologies

Here Ken discusses some of the possible pathologies of the Integral stage of consciousness, patterns of unhealthy integration that will surely have an effect upon the next hundred years of human development.  When considering human development—the process by which people and cultures grow through magic, mythic, rational, pluralistic, and integral stages of consciousness—it is important to keep in mind that each of these major stages come in both healthy and an unhealthy forms.  For example, someone moving through mythic consciousness in a healthy way would most likely take on the very best qualities associated with that level, including traits such as honor, respect, and hard work—while someone experiencing an unhealthy version of mythic consciousness would slide rather easily toward religious fundamentalism, xenophobia, and groupthink.  The same is true for the rational stage—a healthy version would include things like intellectual curiosity, agnosticism, and critical thinking—while an unhealthy version would display qualities of scientific reductionism, as scientific curiosity becomes replaced by the certainty of materialism.  And while the healthiest aspects of pluralism emphasize multiculturalism, egalitarianism, and emotional sensitivity, unhealthy versions tend toward radical deconstructionism, narcissism, and political correctness.