While researching Richard Barrett’s values-based work, which describes stages of psychological development and accompanying levels of consciousness, as well as Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey’s work on the three plateaus of adult development, a correlation was revealed between the two when I read a paper entitled What Motivates Employees? by Richard Barrett (via Barrett Values Centre).
Basically it described how multiple stages of psychological development in Richard Barrett’s work equated to one of the three plateaus of adult development in Robert Kegan’s work (e.g., Socialized Mind, Self-Authoring Mind, Self-Transforming Mind).
When reflecting back on my experiences playing MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, I realized a striking similarity to how multiple zones would comprise an expansion within the game as well.
So life itself could be perceived as a role-playing game whereby each zone embodies a stage of psychological development and each expansion embodies one of three plateaus of adult development.
So just as a typical Campaign Guide provides a framework for a conventional role-playing game, outlining the world and different terrain that one can potentially explore and discover within it as a whole, so too does this Campaign Guide explain how vertical development is a framework for life, outlining the broadest worldview and different inner terrain that one can potentially explore and discover within oneself as a whole as well.
This Campaign Guide will do so by initially explaining these larger expansions in life first and then later will go into detail in explaining the different zones within each expansion as well.