Spiral Dynamics: Return of Egocentric-Violent & Ethnocentric-Traditional Systems
- Enrico Fonte
- Sep 26
- 5 min read
In recent years many hoped the world was moving along a linear path: from the humanistic-egalitarian (Green) toward the systemic-integrative (Yellow) and perhaps beyond. A trajectory of greater inclusion, complexity, and global cooperation.
The reality of the last few years, however, looks different: we are in a phase of regression, where more primitive and reactive systems are returning to prominence.
Spiral Dynamics helps us read this movement. Value systems are not rungs you climb once and for all: they coexist, overlap, and under stress societies tend to reactivate the fastest, most reassuring memes.
That is why today we see the grand return of the egocentric-violent (Red) and the ethnocentric-traditional (Blue), even inside highly technological and materialistic societies.
Egocentric-Violent Regression
This value system is built on force, impulse, and personal power. It is the logic of the charismatic leader who does not ask permission, the warrior who conquers, the strongman who promises security with an iron fist.
In the past we find it in tribal warlords, feudal lords, imperial conquerors. Today it manifests in aggressive populisms, heads of state who “flex their muscles,” political cultures that glorify rapid and brutal action.
The contemporary twist is that Red now wields tools developed by the materialistic-individualist (Orange) system: military AIs, hypersonic weapons, digital surveillance systems. It’s the paradox of a gladiator mindset brandishing a lightsaber.
Ethnocentric-Traditional Regression
Here security does not come from individual strength but from a higher order: law, religion, nation, authority. It is the need for a rigid moral code that establishes who belongs and who is left out.
Historically it underpinned centuries of Christian Middle Ages, fueled twentieth-century nationalisms, and today reappears in religious moralism and exclusive patriotisms.
In times of global instability this system’s appeal is strong: it promises belonging, identity, and discipline. It is no surprise that in many Western societies movements calling for a “return to order” are growing, often leaning on ethnocentric values that divide the world into “us” and “them.”
Materialistic-Individualist Stagnation
Despite Red and Blue’s return, the West’s center of gravity remains the materialistic-individualist (Orange) system.
This is the world of science, calculation, economic competition, digital platforms. Success is measured in efficiency and advantage, and the State itself speaks in numbers when it regulates tech giants with antitrust laws or invests in chips, batteries, and artificial intelligence.
It’s a paradoxical coexistence: ethnocentric-traditional (Blue) institutions try to restrain Orange, but in doing so they acknowledge and reinforce it.
Industrial policy for semiconductors, with massive public subsidies, is a striking case: Blue security fused with Orange competitiveness.
The Disappointment and Implosion of the Humanistic-Egalitarian
In the 1990s and 2000s the idea spread that the humanistic-egalitarian (Green) could become the new global glue. Civil rights, environmentalism, horizontal communities, democratic participation seemed to signal a more empathetic and inclusive society.
Today many sense disappointment. Economic inequalities have not decreased; community movements often fractured into identity camps unable to coalesce; environmentalism, though urgent, sometimes remains rhetorical.
In many contexts Green has not died, but it has imploded: a minority, disillusioned voice unable to affect large-scale outcomes. This fracture pushed part of the population back toward Red and Blue.
Systemic-Integrative Evolution: Too Early or Already Underway?
The systemic-integrative (Yellow) system is born when complexity is accepted and previous levels are integrated rather than denied.
It is the logic that orchestrates: using Red’s force when needed, Blue’s order when it works, Orange’s calculation when it delivers results, Green’s empathy when it strengthens cohesion.
Signals today are mixed
On one hand it seems too early:
modest growth
electorates rewarding Red-Blue simplifications
weak education in complex thinking
On the other hand, seeds are already present:
Amsterdam’s urban policies inspired by the doughnut economy
global scientific collaboration during the pandemic
the first AI regulations oriented to interoperability and auditing
Yellow is not yet the world’s center, but it is a laboratory that emerges in niches where it proves more effective than the alternatives.
What Will Happen in the Coming Decades
The most likely trajectory is an administered materialistic-individualist West: platforms and states co-governing under tighter rules.
The egocentric-violent (Red) and ethnocentric-traditional (Blue) will continue to shape the scene as emotional fuels, while the humanistic-egalitarian (Green) remains a critical but marginal voice.
The systemic-integrative (Yellow) will gain ground only by showing—through concrete results—that integrating complexity reduces risks and costs better than the alternatives. Not with moral proclamations, but with more resilient energy systems, AI rules that prevent monopolies, interoperable healthcare networks.
The future will not be a linear march toward Turquoise, but a dynamic reshuffling of value systems. Institutions that survive will be those able to integrate diverse logics while building resilience, modularity, and adaptability.
And You—What Can You Do?
If the world seems to be sliding back toward egocentric-violent (Red) and ethnocentric-traditional (Blue) systems, that does not mean you must remain trapped there. You can start cultivating a systemic-integrative (Yellow) approach within yourself.
First in theory
Shift perspective: don’t see other value systems as “wrong,” but as parts of human history that still have a function:
Red protects and energizes
Blue builds order
Orange innovates
Green connects
Thinking in Yellow means accepting this coexistence without judgment and asking: Which voice truly serves in this situation?
Then in practice
Take simple actions:
Listen to more viewpoints
Train complexity by reading diverse sources
Create small but resilient networks
Act as a bridge between different visions
Experiment with everyday sustainability by sharing resources instead of stockpiling them
Yellow change is not born from spectacular revolutions but from ordinary people learning to see systems as interconnected and spreading this mindset first in language and then in concrete actions.
Five Steps to Live the Systemic-Integrative in Everyday Life
Familiarize yourself with value systems
Use Spiral Dynamics as a map, not a ladder. Notice where you are and how the people around you move. To widen your lens, explore Ken Wilber’s integral theories, which connect psychology, culture, and society.
Recognize the voices within and around you
When anger, order, calculation, or empathy arise, ask: Is Red, Blue, Orange, or Green speaking? This makes visible the mosaic of values present in any situation.
Train for complexity
Don’t stop at a single explanation. Compare diverse sources and opposing viewpoints; accept partial truths that can be complementary.
Act small, think big
Introduce simple practices:
share resources instead of accumulating them
propose rules that are clear yet flexible
seek solutions with distributed benefits
Become a bridge
Acknowledge the sense in others’ values and show how they can be integrated into wider systems. It’s not about winning a debate, but about joining perspectives.
An Invitation
Systemic-integrative thinking doesn’t spread through sermons, but through daily gestures that demonstrate cooperation works.
Try it in real life: at home, at work, in relationships. The more people learn to read the world with Spiral Dynamics and Wilber’s integral theories, the more we can transform regressions into shared growth.
Essential References
[1] Clare W. Graves, Levels of Human Existence, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1970. Foundational text behind the theory from which Spiral Dynamics emerged.
[2] Don Beck & Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change, Blackwell, 1996. The most widespread, accessible presentation of the model.
[3] Ken Wilber, A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science, and Spirituality, 2001. Concise introduction to integral thought.
[4] Ken Wilber, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution, Shambhala, 1995. Connects the development of consciousness, ecology, and social systems.
[5] Don Beck, Spiral Dynamics in Action: Humanity’s Master Code, Wiley-Blackwell, 2018. Practical applications in politics and society.
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