8 Jul 2011

Stages of Growth

Submitted by Stephen Winters

Over the years I've come to see that growth and maturity (being considerate of others) can be expressed in many ways. Here are some examples of the stages of growth shown by different materials or books that I have read. This chart is my attempt to show how the different growth stages connect and overlap with one another. This is not to say that these are the only growth indicators.

 

Various aspecs of growth, maturity, and leadership compared
Under idea circumstances.

Human
Development

See here & here

Growth    Godly Stephen Covey
See a description
here: 7 Habits 

Tribal Leadership
see chart here.

   

infancy &
childhood

Immaturity Unrighteous Dependent Stage 1: Despairing
Hostility "Life is bad"
   

Puberty and
Adolescence

     

Stage 2: Apathetic Victim
"My life is bad"

   
Young
Adulthood
    Independent

Stage 3: Lone Warrior
"I'm Great!"
(and you're not)

   

getting
married

  Repentance
i.e. conversion
 

Epiphany
(Awareness, awakening)

   
Middle
Adulthood
 Maturity    Interdependent Stage 4: Tribal Pride
"We are great"
(and they're not)
   
Late
Adulthood

Righteous
Living a live beyond
the power of sin

Synergy Stage 5: Innocent Wonderment
Doing what people think can't be done,
"Life is Great!"
   
             
             

 

Tribal Leadership

While the concept of tribal leadership is focused towards leadership, the concepts of the stages seem very applicable to stages of growth from immaturity to maturity. One important thought explained in Tribal Leadership is that everyone has to pass through all the stages. No one can skip any of the stages. For example, Stage 3 is all about "Look at Me! I'm Great!".  Part of this stage is beComing very good at something. Before anyone can progress into Stage 4, he must have owned stage 3, trying to...  and finding out that it doesn't work. Until someone deeply realizes that stage 3 "It's all about ME" doesn't work, they can't go into Stage 4.  Stage 4 principles won't work for someone who is still embedded in Stage 3.

None of us can instantly become mature.

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