Profile 2 (first one I'll interpret)

This note is an interpretation of the scores and comments in Emily's "witty von wittington" response. Everyone who responded wrote in comments after a number of questions, and I expect that to continue as long as I use this type of questionnaire. Rather than trying to simply say that respondents are "at" some level of development--which makes sense to me only in the crudest way--I am interested in how individual people feel spirituality as well as how we express our different strengths and interests. Along with developing into maturity and perhaps actualization, our personal interests change as well. There are times when sitting in nirvikalpa samadhi is not nearly as appropriate as acting decisively--like when you see a toddler wandering into a busy intersection. So besides actualization being valuable, wisdom includes acting from sometimes "lower level" internal states (which can be measured as distinct from other, "higher" states). Rather than racing for the top or arguing over who/which is best, I am at least as equally interested in what fits, what works. I am invested in what makes myself and others unique as well as development. I'll cluster these responses by level. See if you can see how the three items for each level relate to one another. It might be worth taking one level at a time and considering whether it looks to you as if it does signify a significant developmental step. (Think about developing from a toddler to Gandhi or someone else you respect.)

1E. 7/5
Would it be too different of a question to write “I laugh as much as or more than most people I know”?
9E. 3/6
16E. 6/10
Laughter, fun, curiosity. These are all about unimpeded interest and exuberance. All mammals learn best through play and this feels good too. Mammals have more attention-energy than they need to survive, and this is expressed through emotion (which reptiles are limited in at best), creativity, and playfulness. When we don't have enough food energy to power our massive brains, we feel less exuberant and don't learn very well.

The difference in these responses may be due to how the questions in this section are phrased and/or due to differences in one's perceptions of strengths and personal interest. Is she less interested in laughter [1E:(b)5] than curiosity [16E:(b)10]? Or, more likely, she may not like the comparative phrasing--as her comment suggests--on item number one. For number 9, it's quite possible that she doesn't like rating ANYTHING as better than "anything else in the world", so I need to think about how I phrase my questions and how I introduce someone to the questionnaire in general.

7P(R). 4/1
14P. 2/6
17P. 4/5
Mental avoidance, mental determination/rigidity, and discipline. In most psychological circles, avoiding thinking about something is seen as a fairly immature means of coping. Discipline and rigidity fit a distinct internal state that can be very helpful or just as easily harmful. And most people are genetically predispositioned as well as culturally indoctrinated (relative between cultures) to appreciate or avoid this state. It seems that men are more likely to get stuck in this focused/driven/purposeful state of mind, but once women decide, they are often as easily able to stick to their purpose. In fact, depending on how great the distractions and obstacles, women may be more flexible and able to stick to a purpose. So this state has neurological underpinnings influenced by sex differences in the brain that have nothing to do with actualization. That means that this level or type of state can be beneficial to both men and women, but if we make mistakes, we may be more likely to make different mistakes. We stereotype "women's prerogative" and men's stubbornness as well as "fragile male egos", but there may be a fundamental neurological backdrop to these stereotypes. The mistake men may be more likely to make--fighting against their own testosterone (often somewhere around 25x what women have) and often being used to competing in explicit dominance hierarchies--the mistake of getting stuck in a ramrod state of mind. Along with all the social power and size differences between men and women, women's brains may actually be better suited to taking a lot in at once without getting locked in. So men may have more training in being mindfully aware of their situations and emotions while women may have to train themselves a little more in sticking to their chosen purpose (when it is fitting to choose one). From another angle, men may be more likely to get stuck at Purpose-level reactions while women may seem more responsive to whichever way the wind blows. This respondent lists low scores for the most part at this level.

Basically, the point is that it is helpful to be have each attentional ability at a high degree of competence wherever you start concerning genes, background, intention, and development. We often develop our ability (to stay focused on a single purpose at this level) to what we want to believe is an acceptable level for us. And we may find that a better level of competence is hard to work for. Without considering what is possible, we cannot decide on whether that hard work is worthwhile. Even if large groups of women would train towards competence and excellence with a different emphasis than large groups of men, excellence looks similar. We can see the argument for different emphases in women's criticism of hierarchical patriarchal systems within the meditative traditions. I do believe there are simply some things that women are better-endowed for training women and vice versa. Then there are also the things that are more difficult for different brains (of the same or different genders) that we simply complain about because they are difficult to do. Regardless of where we begin on any of these abilities, excellence is excellence.

By rating where we are at and comparing that to where we want to be, it is possible to look at what types of intention and training might be best for us as individuals. Some folks are happy enough with competence and they don't find the situation conducive to working harder. Men may try to ignore or else complain more about their wives' desire for greater awareness of the emotional situation and greater openness (which is a higher level ability). Complaining is a waste of attentional resources.

3U. 4/1
11U. 6/10
21U. 6/9
Planning, relaxation, and complex thinking. "Cognitive dissonance" and "tolerating ambiguity" are the watch-words for this level and type of mental state. We all know that too much complexity (rational, conceptual, understanding, etc.) driven by too much internal or external compulsive pressure (Purpose level) makes for poor thinking and stress. Think of test anxiety. In sports, we talk about having a "sense of urgency" (also Purpose level pressure) as being a good thing. The ability to intentionally relax allows us to moderate our stress levels when we are dealing with perceived pressure and conceptual complexity.

This respondent seems to value spontaneity [3U:(b)1] as well as the ability to relax [11U:(b)10]. I'm not sure, until she lets me know, if it is ironic that there are probably some obvious ways in which she could diminish the Purpose-level pressure in her life by looking at what she can plan better. It is possible--but not up to me to say definitively--that she may undervalue planning and the stick-to-it-iveness that comes from strongly valuing and training in the Purpose level (items 7, 14, and 17). It is possible that avoiding planning and sticking to obvious purposes in some areas may allow her to be more spontaneous more of the time without encountering the obstacles that avoidance allows to grow. Although that is very vague on my part, because I am unsure as to whether that is accurate or not, it is something I need to ask about. If we can consider her weaknesses in the space of possibility and potential, we can figure out what potential is most important to her right now as well as what is likely to be effective for her. And because everyone has different strengths as well as hidden strengths, working with possibilities benefits me as well. We can easily work on my weaknesses as hers. Staying with what is realistically possible allows us to bring our combined strengths to bear on improving individual weak spots. Profiling dialogically will helpfully aid in coming to a common understanding of what our relative strengths and weaknesses are. Good will or communion between us allows acceptance and appreciation of individuality. That's the next level.

5A. 5/8
10A. 8/10
19A. 5/9
Multi-tasking, integration, and nonjudgemental awareness of emotion. If we have a decent ability to relax when we choose (previous level), we are more able to face our complex world and complex selves. People mentally reduce situations in rigid ways when they are over-burdened; when we do that, we have a hard time recognizing viable opportunity. Besides learning to intentionally relax, we can benefit from mindfulness. And since no one really wants mindfulness to NOT add to our happiness or wellbeing, I speak of mindful appreciation. Appreciation and mindfulness together lend themselves to a more complete sense of integration IF THEY ARE PRACTICED WITHIN THE RIGHT UNDERSTANDING. Supposed mindfulness--lacking a ready acceptance of emotional complexity--will likely become only a psychological ability to distance oneself. Because that distance is more comforting than distress or feeling overwhelmed, this is a fairly common problem. While that distance may be less harmful physically, personally, and socially than distress, it should not be seen as mindfulness. This respondent lists a strong sense of integration [10A:8/10] without claiming any great ability to multitask [5A:(a)5]. For 19, without knowing her, I would wonder whether she is unaware of the emotional situation or if she is easily overwhelmed. If she is unaware, we would want to work on emotional awareness and mindfulness--perhaps looking for a psychological block to emotional awareness. If she is easily overwhelmed by her awareness, that is very different. That would probably involve being willing to accept certain personal limitations for now and working on strengthening her awareness with the ability to intentionally relax. We might also have to work on how intentional relaxation is different than supposed "mindfulness" practice that would only encourage her to avoid her situation. Avoidance takes away from intentional deployment of attention, and I believe we are better off being able to connect our intention with our energy with our actions.

By the different scores in this section, we can see that she values this type mind-state or level of development [(b)-scores average 9]. We might also be able to lean on her sense of integrity or comfort with "don't-know mind" while improving concentration or memory for multi-tasking and relaxation or awareness concerning the emotional situation. Because she lists her (a) responses as comparatively low at the Purpose level, that may signal for a focus on how concentration (the attentional ability gained and developed at the level of Purpose) needs improvement. We should at least run down that possibility.

6C. 6/10
8C. 5/10
13C. 6/9
Inspiration and vitality, clarity, and flow or "the zone". This state and stage are probably best described cohesively by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the book called FLOW. While I'm not sure if he makes enough valuable distinctions, his presentation is by far the best picture of this level I have seen. At this level, we are starting to feel a great deal of clarity and freedom, which is very inspiring. We continue to improve our differentiation between a fairly rough-and-ready type of ecstasy, like lust, from a lighter feeling of bliss. If we do not pay attention to this distinction, because of the blissful influence, it is easy to get "stuck" in the habit of chasing excitement. It is helpful to emphasize the value of the mental and emotional clarity and freedom rather than the excitement. It is also helpful to continue with our mindfulness practice so that we can enjoy the excitement--mindfully rather than in an addicted manner.

Because it seems to me that there is a lot that can be done with this respondent at the level of Appreciation, my tendency would be to focus there. I want to introduce the idea of mindfulness being the basis for consistent inspiration and introduce aspects of Clarity, but working into Clarity would not be my primary objective unless I have misread the results. When the lower levels are sufficiently healthy in our lives, peaks into higher levels are much more likely to occur spontaneously. As we develop--if we are able to establish these levels in our lives as healthy cycles or habits--the desire for more that is so quintessentially human leads us upwards, pointing to increasingly subtle and perhaps powerful domains. But if those domains are preferred over things such as food, sleep, and good relations with the people around us, we fall into using spirituality or consciousness as a drug. This demeans both the value of where we are now as well as the aspirations towards authentic spirituality. Further talk about the higher levels would be mostly conceptual rather than being "filled up" by personal experience. There is enough to appreciate with where we are now and no reason to fear that further growth is unlikely. The conceptual discussion of higher levels may be helpful, but I would not want to suggest a specific religious--or nonreligious, for that matter--interpretation of those levels. At the point we are primarily discussing conceptions rather than predominantly personal experience, my impact shifts away from consultative to educational. In my experience, it is much harder to determine whether extra education is more helpful or distracting and depends heavily on the individual.

2N. 6/10
15N. 6/10
20N. 5/5

4*. 4/4
12*. 5/5
18*. 4/4