IPA Core – Values

The Norm governed
Platform

Authorative
Platform

Dialogue
Platform

The creator of opinions
Platform

IPA Core – Values

The main purpose of the IPA Core Values Analysis is to bring inner values to light and reflect on whether the time is ripe to unlearn the values that are inappropriate for the life being lived now and to raise self-awareness about the landmarks that will help the individual into the future.

Deepening the basis of the IPA Core – Values (Value Analysis)

Our personal values are imprinted on us through our upbringing, including our parents, family, environment, time and place, as deeply embedded attitudes in our mental universe. They are the basis for the way we interpret ourselves into the world.

Our highest and most important values contain the deepest life force and energy in our lives. They are the basis on which we create meaning and coherence in life. Our values determine what is IMPORTANT to us, what MOTIVATES and steers us in a certain direction.

In relation to WORKING LIFE, our highest and most important values motivate which jobs we apply for and the direction of the career we choose. The Values Analysis is a tool for reflection and personal development. In the process we identify and unfold your 3-4 most important personal values. Once you know your values, you can target the areas where you can most profitably develop as a leader. And you can release bound energy.

Research shows that the more self-insight a leader has – and that includes the ability to reflect and learn – the more successful they are in their leadership. The Values Analysis records your values on the basis of 4 different mental platforms. Each platform is defined based on the way we understand and interpret ourselves into the world.

The Values Analysis also records the fundamental values that lie on each platform. All this is shown in the example of the result of a Values Analysis below.

Read also about IPA’s classic personality analysis IPA Core Personality

In Values Analysis, we work with personal values that are attached to and shaped in each individual through the upbringing and influences they have received from outside. From the environment, from the social environment. This means that it is the parents, the family, the place, the time, the upbringing, etc. that together shape the individual’s values. Values are thus created by the human community, by the relationships we enter into, and cannot be opted out of. They meet the individual as something external.

Values are therefore deeply rooted in the individual, shaped by his or her upbringing. Thus, values are part of the signals that come from within and tell the individual whether there is meaning and coherence in the way life is lived. Values thus constitute a kind of “backdrop” against which individuals interpret themselves and the life they lead. Figuratively speaking, values are the inner alphabet that enables you to put together words that create meaning and coherence in your life. Values are what give our actions and our behaviour MEANING and purpose.

The below mentioned  are definitions of the 8 sub-typologies defined and operationalised from the 4 basic platforms.

The should be considered as 4 different basic platforms and stages of human development. From these platforms, a number of sub-typologies have been further defined, describing more concretely the behaviour that develops from each of these basic platforms.

The subtypologies are defined in terms of how each individual integrates the different platforms into more concrete behaviour. Thus, all the subtypologies are operationalized in such a way that one has to say yes to a number of statements from the basic platform that determines the subtypology AND yes or no to a number of statements from one or more of the other basic platforms.

And the determination of these subtypologies is further enabled by the fact that the statements of the basic platforms contain both statements pointing towards Integration/Adaptation/Suppressing own feelings, as well as statements pointing towards Differentiation/Acknowledging own feelings. For example, the The duty man is defined in terms of the platform called the Conformist. The Duty Man will say yes to statements about suppressing own feelings, accepting things as they are and knowing what one may and may not do.

At the same time, the Dutiful Man will say no to statements about recognising oneself and one’s right, and recognising and acting on one’s own feelings.

Much of the stress we experience in people today is triggered by some external factors – work pressure, etc. – but the root cause is often that the “background noise” has become too dominant, the noise that arises when the external existence no longer harmonises with the internal values on which we interpret the world. People today experience a huge tension between the old and the new, between work and private life, between opportunities and constraints, between the need for calm and the constant demand for adaptation and change, between being oneself and being like others, about identity from within and from without, between life as a quality and life as a project. And much more.

The spirit of the times today is dominated by the fact that we have lost our collective innocence and have not yet found a new position and place of values. We have become alone in the world, each with our own personal project, and we can no longer hide among the others. We need to use this as knowledge in the analysis of values.

For many people, the increased alienation creates a life filled with projects that only move around on the outside. And not a coherent, comprehensible rhythm of life that – consciously or unconsciously – is based on some deep and shared inner values that are grounded both in the individual and the group with which the individual identifies. So we change our actions and behaviour, but not our personal values! We do not replace the old with something new.
There is only one path we can take. And that is to find our way back to and into the values we already have deep inside us.

And perhaps develop and change some of those values because they no longer harmonise with the life we live now. Values have become an obstacle to the new interpretation of the world and the new sense of self we need to develop in order to move forward in our lives. As an adult, reflective, decisive and responsible human being, we can develop and change some of our values. This requires, among other things, that we raise our unconscious values to the level of consciousness. And that takes time!

Many life crises are about freeing oneself from old imprinted values and patterns, and putting new interpretations of oneself and life in their place. New interpretations of oneself in the world, new ways of perceiving oneself. This often means saying goodbye to old values, old patterns of thought, inappropriate self-perceptions, and developing new ones.

Central to Ken Wilbert’s theoretical universe is the view that consciousness, as determined by the way we think (knowledge and awareness), our values (what we consider most important in life) and our identity (self-perception from the inside out and from the outside in), develops in stages, each stage characterised by the way we understand the world around us. Each stage of human development is characterised by qualitatively different ways of experiencing ourselves in the world. This includes the way we think, feel and act in the world, the way we perceive the limits and possibilities of reality, the way we form relationships with other people and much more.

On a more concrete level, in relation to the development of the model itself behind the Value Analysis, we are inspired by the American psychologist Susanne Cook-Greuter, who has developed a model for The Leadership Development Framework. Here she focuses on the upper left quadrant of Ken Wilbert’s model, i.e. the development of the self from within. The self contains a cognitive, an emotional and an action dimension. It is the self as it interprets the world from within on the basis of thoughts, feelings and experiences/actions.

While Ken Wilber is the foremost developer of integral theories and models, another American psychologist, Robert Kegan, has developed a modern theory of the development of consciousness and personality in which, like Ken Wilber, he delimits and determines a series of stages in the personal development of the individual. Robert Kegan is inspired by Piaget, Erikson and Maslow, and continues their work on developmental psychology.

Robert Kegan, as well as Ken Wilber, is thus part of the origin of the more concrete model developed by Cook-Greuter. And common to all these theorists, as I have said, is THAT THEY CREATE A THEORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY THAT INCLUDES STAGES IN THAT DEVELOPMENT.

It is also important with Robert Kegan to state that… “We are not our stages, we are not the self who hangs in the balance at this moment in our evolution. We are the activity of this evolution. We compose our stages, and we experience this composing.” (Robert Kegan: “The Evolving self” page 169)

Similarly, values are not something static and unchanging when we consider the adult individual who is the object of Cook-Greuter’s models. We evolve throughout our adult lives, and therefore move through several stages of personal development.

Development is a qualitative change of consciousness. The old assumptions and truths are rejected in favour of new truths. Central also is that one takes the old assumptions over into the new phase, but now consciously so that one can reflect on it. A given phase thus contains all previous phases.
Central to any phase is the relationship between self and other. Thus a greater understanding of the people around us is the central point of conflict and the crucial path of development.

Greater maturation means greater awareness and understanding of the relationship between self and others. Maturity in this context is, among other things, a question of deepening already existing relationships, feeling greater responsibility towards the other, knowing how I affect others, increasingly understanding the ways in which others react, etc.

Values platform # 1

The Norm governed Platform

Being governed by external norms. Focus on integration – starting from others, being part of others, not standing out from others

Duty & Adaptation

  • The adapted and norm-driven human being
  • Thinking about gaining the acceptance and recognition of others
  • The basic feeling is duty as well as fear of being different and fear of the stranger
  • The relationship with others is based on adaptation. The conformist suppresses conflicts, problems and one’s own feelings
  • Acts according to the norms set by others as well as who are friends and who are enemies (We and the others)
  • Fear of making mistakes and expressing forbidden feelings (Shame)

Duty. Don’t highlight and expose yourself, keep your own feelings in, avoid conflict and bite the bullet. Knowing what you can and can’t do, fall in line. To be obedient and self-controlled and not to be a burden on others. Accept what is given to you and be modest and humble

Duty

Adaptation. Being nice in the eyes of others and living up to others’ expectations. Being polite and behaving in a neat and orderly manner. To be competent, fit and free from faults. To keep in shape, not stand out and not step aside.

Adaptation

Values platform # 2

The Authorative Platform

To embrace authority and define oneself as a responsible and autonomous person. Focus on differentiation – being different from others and starting from the self

  • The adult, mature and authoritative / responsible person
  • Thinking of living up to the goals, standards and ideals he / she sets for himself / herself
  • The basic feeling is responsibility and freedom
  • Recognizes the value of others and seeks the relationship to achieve something and / or become wiser about oneself
  • Act in relation to doing good And finding the truth about oneself in its difference from others
  • Fear not being able to live up to your own standards (Guilt)

Responsibility. Taking responsibility for oneself and others, living up to one’s own goals and standards, being competent and mastering life, understanding oneself, setting high goals, striving for personal progress, self-leadership, captain of one’s own ship, choosing one’s own goals.

Benefit

Benefit. Gaining advantages, seeing own opportunities, alert and perceptive, taking advantage of every opportunity, competing with others. Strive for success and become the best in your field. Result and benefit seeking.

Responsibility

Values platform # 3

Dialogue Platform

To meet the other person as they are and without reservations. Focus on integration – meeting people and connecting with all humanity

  • The humanistic and relationship-oriented human being
  • Thinking of himself as part of humanity – the common human
  • The basic feeling is closeness, cohesion and contact with something greater than oneself
  • The relationship with others is meaningful in itself and is based on depth, intimacy and dialogue
  • Acts in relation to creating balance and harmony with oneself and one’s surroundings
  • Fear not being able to save humanity from evil and misfortune

Insight. Meeting your fellow man and finding what is common. Believing in love and fighting for equality, respect and tolerance. To have a deep insight into both oneself and the other and learn through reflection. To create deep friendships and mature love.

Care

Care. Understanding and caring for the other, empathising and paying attention to the other, listening, receiving and participating. Being generous, benevolent and helpful. Believing the best about other people.

Insight

Values platform # 4

The creator of opinions platform

To be in touch with oneself, one’s own being and one’s own history, to be who one is and seek fulfilment and meaning. Focus on differentiation and integration, thinking in wholes and contexts

  • The holistic and value-oriented human being
  • Thinking about one’s own and others’ gaining insight into oneself and life paths
  • The basic feeling is that there are universal truths and values. Everything is man-made
  • In the relationship, he / she is the counselor, the pathfinder and the one who selflessly wants others to grow
  • Acts in relation to being in touch with oneself and one’s inner life
  • Fear Not being able to help people and humanity sufficiently, to be able to defend the great and universal values ​​

Universality. Ethical commitment and responsibility to the great and universal values of justice, peace, the good and the beautiful. Finding one’s true and authentic self, inner balance and wisdom, and helping others to grow. To see wholes and intuitively understand the big picture.

Authenticity

Authenticity. The personal perspective, your interpretation depends on your own position, everyone must be what they want, everything is equally valuable, individualism, freedom from prejudice, do away with the old assumptions, find your unique talent, find your own path. Who am I and where am I going?

Universality

Integration

To start from oneself

Differentiation

Building on others

Integration and Differentiation in IPA Core Value Analysis

A key concept of personal development as seen by both Ken Wilber and Robert Kegan – and by extension Cook-Greuter – is the opposition between differentiation and integration… starting from oneself or starting from others.

According to Robert Kegan, the world is constructed through relationships. Man is fundamentally his relations, and the crucial pendulum movement of development is the movement between Integration – being like the others and Differentiation – being oneself. These two positions belong together and cannot be separated, and personal development occurs in the dynamic between the two apparent opposites. They are the force that moves us from one stage, from one position to the next position. As we move through life, we develop both the self, i.e. we create our personal identity and self-perception through this seeing of the world from the inside out, AND we enter into and develop relationships, thereby learning to see the world from the outside in. A balanced self-awareness requires both views.

Pendulum movement in IPA Core Value analysis

This is the basic evolutionary pendulum swing. And as we shall see, this pendulum swing will be a central part of the more concrete model underlying the development of Value Analysis.

Thus, a growing understanding of ourselves in relation to people, and people in relation to ourselves, is the very central point of conflict and the crucial dynamo for our developmental path. Development and maturation as a human being always involves a greater awareness and understanding of the relationship between myself and others. Maturity is therefore a question of self-awareness and self-knowledge from within, but also a question of deepening already existing relationships, of feeling greater responsibility towards the other, of knowing how I act on others, of increasingly understanding the ways in which others react, of being able to see through and analyse increasingly complex systems, of being able to think in terms of paradoxes and polarities, of being able to deal with dilemmas, etc.