2.1.3 Being Human — Developmental Theory
Chapter 2 of Design for Human Connection within Global Communities — An exploration through digital experience design and participatory action research
Kegan (1994) investigates the individual’s attempt to make sense of experience, in other words, to understand the meaning of life. According to the author, meaning-making is a lifetime pursuit that starts in the earliest childhood and proceeds through our lives. At the core of our meaning-making venture is the representation of the distinction and constant negotiation between the self and others, a permanent pressure between the desire to be connected while being independent. The author’s theory explores the five stages of human development: Impulsive mind; Imperial mind; Socialised mind; Self-Authoring mind; and Self-Transforming mind. For this research, the three last stages are applicable (Figure 2) considering that they occur in adult development, while the first two focus mainly on early childhood and adolescence.
In the Socialized Mind, our ideas, faiths and morals come from external sources, and we take responsibility for how other people perceive us, always looking for external validation to determine our sense of self. Most adults are considered to be in this stage that focuses mainly on personal needs and interests. When we evolve to the Self-Authoring Mind, we challenge expectations and beliefs, take a position, set boundaries, and resolve difficulties with the autonomous mind. At this stage, we investigate other ideas and beliefs, building our sense of power or voice, while also being accountable for our internal moods, actions and sentiments. In the last stage, the Self-Transforming Mind, the sense of self is not attached to singular personalities or characters but is continually generated by the investigation of one’s identities and roles and set through interplays with others. The self is alive, open to possibilities and in a constant process of change, not feeling limited by an understanding of identity. People at this stage can deal with the world’s complexity and view life from multiple perspectives.
Developmental theory is, according to Kegan, powerful because it helps us to better understand our fullest possibilities and is part of a bigger mission to encourage the higher realisation of human potential (Rebel Wisdom, 2019). The theory is supported by the understanding that we, as human beings, turn raw experiences into something meaningful, and we are continually evolving in our meaning-making. The constant transformation represents the opportunity each individual has to change the way they perceive existence.
