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2.0 Overview of the WvS Spectrum
Basic Worldview Descriptions

There are a few essential points that must be kept in mind in order to fully understand and approach the Worldview Systems:

1. It is absolutely essential not to see less complex systems as inferior.  They are functional in their appropriate environment -- even more functional than a more complex system.  This mistake has been made by countless missionaries of the past who attempted to "civilize" their target cultures before they evangelized them.  They attempted to move these cultures into a more complex worldview often before their environment demanded a transition.  This had often disastrous results.
    
2. A worldview is something that someone "uses" and not "is".  This is not like the zodiacs.  You are not born a certain worldview and will maintain it for life like "Gemini" or "Scorpio".  People and societies change their worldview all the time.  Since the universe is too complex for any individual to comprehend at one time, we develop metaphors or models to simplify and symbolize the universe.  A worldview is simply a metaphor and a model.  When the model no longer works or the metaphor no longer makes sense, they will be discarded for more functional models and metaphors.  Also, each person and society keeps a "tool box" of behaviors and strategies from different worldviews that it may use to deal with problems.  Although one worldview at a time is usually dominant, "tools" from other worldviews may be used at any time to work through situations the dominant mindset cannot handle well.  Because there is such a variety of combinations, a person or group can be typed according to dominant behaviors but stereotyping should be avoided and room for constant transition should be made.
    
3. Although WvS Theory presents the worldviews as concrete and segmented types, in real world scenarios the progression of worldviews is more continuous.  Societies and persons are more likely to be found in different degrees of transition somewhere between one dominant system and the next.  This is why we term the progression the "WvS Spectrum."  Just like in colors, very few real shades are green made from 50% yellow 50% blue.  Most greens either have more yellow or more blue.  In the same way, although an individual or society exhibits a dominant system, they may be well on their way to making the transition to the next system as their existential situation gradually changes. 

2.2 The Worldview Systems

All eight human worldviews are listed below with examples of their use in human development and society (where applicable).

WvS-I: Infant

We all begin with this worldview.  It is programmed and instinctually based.  At this stage no distinction is made between "self" and "world" or "other."  All energy is used to procure basic physiological resources.  Although the individual is totally dependent, it has little power to interact to meet needs. Thus, it is helpless and at the mercy of others for its survival.  Response to stimulus is basic.  Learning is based primarily on trained response.  Individuals exhibit this worldview from birth until the identification of "self" occurs.  The transition out of this system is usually complete when the individual ceases to refer to "self" in the third person and begins interact with others as a means for meeting needs.

This worldview does not exhibit itself at the societal level.  Since survival is dependent on others, a society of WvS-I individuals would simply not survive.  Also, a society by definition requires the designation of "self" and "others," of which WvS-I is incapable.  However, the needs of WvS-I, and to a certain extent the training we received in relation to satisfying these needs, are always a part of human existence and social structure.

WvS-F: Family
As a child develops a sense of self, the satisfaction of physiological needs in no longer the primary concern.  Instead, navigating the difficult, mysterious, and frightening world becomes their main concern.  The child can not overcome these complexities itself, so it must form relationships with family members for security and comfort.   Parents are seen as having secret knowledge and special power that allows them to deal with unseen and unknown problems.  Secret knowledge can be as simple as the ability to open a difficult container lid and special power may simply be the advantage of adult height and muscles.  The WvS-F child views all these things with awe and mystery, however, since they are new to the child's perception.

Tribal societies often use this worldview.  This is not to say that the people of such societies are child-like or behave in childish ways.  Instead, tribal members can be very mature.  However, their perception of the world is as a complexity of unseen and mysterious forces.  To deal with this hostile world, they form groups based on various arrangements of kinship relationships.  Magic, ritual, and legend is developed as a way of passing on shared ideas about the mysterious world and the traditional ways of doing things.  Much of this magic is considered special knowledge and is kept secret until individuals prove their worthiness to handle the information and power.

Other social contexts also employ this worldview.  In some cases family units and communities that exist in remote locations also exhibit WvS-F.  Settlers in the American West often used more complex mindsets when entering the Frontier.  However, as the families settled and lived an isolated life, they often returned to WvS-F roots in their outlook.  Even in urban areas, groups that are marginalized due to socioeconomic, language, or ethnic factors may form WvS-F dominant groups.  For example: some types of street gangs exhibit WvS-F type thinking.

One common factor seems to be that a social group must be somewhat isolated (either by geography or social barriers), and thus tightly interdependent for this worldview to be successful.  Just as a family must have an exclusive nature (i.e. sharing a house with family members but not neighbors), these societies must also be exclusive.  If too much contact with other groups or ways of doing things occurs, transition to more complex worldviews is likely.

WvS-H: Hero
Sometime in our childhood we feel the need to be something more than a family member.  It may be because we have encountered a world outside the family.  Or it could be caused by new social situations were family is not present like nursery school or kindergarten.  Although the family may still play an important role, to a certain extent membership in the family group holds the individual back.  It is time to embark out on our own and to test our limits.  We start to discover a principle:  those with power have what they want, but those without power do not.  In this survival of the fittest game we soon learn to either move or be moved upon.  Play becomes more competitive and we notice that some more powerful individuals rise to the top as leaders, while other less powerful individuals become followers.  The point is to win, and losing becomes the greatest fear, and there is always someone who will take advantage of weakness to move up in the ranks.  Sibling and peer rivalries are born.  Parents are seen not as nurturers, but as heroes and in the case of cookie distribution, tyrants.

Examples of cultures today that use this mindset are found where autocrats, dictators, and ruling nobility still exist.  For example, Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq during the Persian Gulf Conflict, demonstrated WvS-H in his elimination of politic rivals, invasion of a smaller neighbor country, and self-glorification as the only person who dared stand up to the US super-power. 

In this type of society, a individual with extraordinary personality, strength, or vision rises to the top to lead the people.  He may be benevolent, as in the case of a good king.  However, the tendency is to subordinate group needs for the needs of the leading individual.  This mindset is a necessary step for effective leadership of large or diverse groups in the face of dangerous circumstances (especially when quick decisions are demanded).  In these situations WvS-F is often ineffective.  However, their is less group concern and support structure for weak individuals and they may be exploited.

WvS-C: Citizen

What happens when WvS-F or WvS-H individuals grow up? WvS-C is the first adult worldview only in modern or Western societies.  What about societies still dominated by WvS-F or WvS-H?  In these cultures, the dominant worldview can be the first adult worldview.  However, that is not to say that there is no maturing process through childhood.  For example:  children in a WvS-F culture may experiment with WvS-H, but when they realize it is in effective and unpopular they will return to "proper" WvS-F behavior.  In some cultures, there are set phases of life that will use another mindset.  For example some WvS-F cultures have a WvS-H warrior class.  These classes are carefully controlled and at some point they are usually expected to return to the WvS-F mainstream.

The teen years begin our transition from child to responsible adult.  In this period of life we begin to learn the rules of adult society -- sometimes by rebelliously testing all the barriers.  Often, we have seen the limits and abuses of the "because I can" philosophy of WvS-H.  Or, because we have been victims of abuses of  WvS-H behavior, we cease to see it as acceptable.  Instead, we develop a principle-driven outlook that sees others as valuable and tries to protect everyone's rights.  We see our role as a duty to uphold the standard so that everyone benefits.  This is the stage that builds institutions, establishes right-protecting governments, and believes in working hard for things bigger than oneself.  

For many people this mindset will establish and refine itself in the young adult years and will be the primary worldview through their entire adult lives.  They stay with what works, stick to their principles, and attempt to be a decent person.

Many societies in history were WvS-C dominant -- and many continue in this today.  These cultures usually became so in response to oppressive and abusive treatment of WvS-H leadership.  Several of the great revolutions in Europe toppled WvS-H nobility in order to replace them with WvS-C republic governments.

Perhaps one of the most notable of these transitions happened in the establishment of the United States of America. In response to what was seen as an oppressive system of rule and taxation without parliamentary representation by a WvS-H king and nobility, some American colonist launched a campaign of propaganda and political disobedience.  As tensions rose and violence erupted, the American rebels wrote the Declaration of Independence that stated their "inalienable rights" and rejected the privileged rule of England.  As more people joined the cause, and England sent troops in response, and the Revolutionary War erupted.  In the aftermath a new nation was formed, ruled not by nobility, but by a set of principles written in the Constitution and by elected officials seen as servants, not masters, of the people.

WvS-A: Achiever
Some individuals (usually adults) perceive the institutions and rules of WvS-C as stifling.  WvS-C stamps out cookie-cutter people who only serve the system.  The industrial mechanism reduces life to a monotonous grind that discards used up people once they have been fully exploited.  In reaction, WvS-A refuses to live a life of status quo and mediocrity.  They will "beat the system," not serve it.  And they are determined to make something of themselves -- they will not be just another nameless robot or faceless statistic.  They will work hard, but they will get noticed.  And when they make it to the top, they will enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Individuals who use WvS-A see life as a game of winners and losers.  Winners are self-made, they know what they want and they aren't afraid to do what it takes to get it.  Losers, on the other hand are those who simply accept what life offers them -- they are the ones with no ambition, no goals.  There is no middle ground.  Either you are one or the other.  And the WvS-A individual is determined to be a winner.

After the WvS-C government was established in the United States, it became a land of freedom and opportunity.  Capitalism became the engine of economics and anyone who had enough energy and savvy could rise to the top.  Masses of workers were being taken advantage of in WvS-C corporations as the new Industrial Age emerged.  However, even poor immigrants could arrive penniless and through hard work and shrewd maneuvering, they could become the leaders of the industrial world and make huge fortunes and economic empires.  Names like Rockefeller and Carnegie became symbolic of the "American Dream."  Still today many in American business use the WvS-A worldview to make their mark, proving that the Dream is alive and well.

WvS-V: Village
Success is often a lonely place.  Often those who have made it to the top find the top is not what they expected.  Others become disillusioned with materialism, social climbing, and office politics.  This WvS-A fallout leads some to take a different strategy.  WvS-V sees a world where everyone is accepted and empowered.  They dream of a society where the weak are cared for and made stronger -- where we truly know ourselves, respect others, and find deeper, lasting happiness in meaningful relationships.  Individuals who use WvS-V are group builders.  They like to find common ground and common causes.  They see everyone as connected -- so much so that the world could be described as a "global village."  People are more important than things or meaningless regulations.  Consensus, tolerance, and compassion are the New Order and hatred, discrimination, and egocentrism will no longer be tolerated.

In reaction to the hypocrisies and excesses of the WvS-C and WvS-A dominated 1950's, the "Hippie" movement of the sixties and early seventies arose.  The theme of this movement was "love, peace, and power to the people."  They wanted a world of peace and acceptance where everyone was free to be whatever they wanted.  They experimented with new types of groups like communes and group housing.  Equal rights were supported by lobbying, protesting, and staging demonstrations.  Tolerance and eclecticism were evidenced by interest in cultural foods, dress, and customs.

WvS-S: System
According to some, WvS-V will never succeed in building their utopian dream because they fail to see the complexity of the issues they face.  Egalitarianism is fine and an altruistic mission is a good thing.  But without understanding the complexities and dynamics of the situation, real progress cannot be made.  These individuals notice group problem solving seems unable to penetrate below the symptoms to the real problem.  The world is too complex, too interrelated to be understood as a village.  Although people are connected, their diversity means that solutions to problems will be complex.  Individuals using WvS-S look for deeper trends and the "big picture" and formulate dynamic solutions for the problems they face.  These innovators draw from a variety of resources, often spanning several disciples or technologies types.  There thought process could be described as "multi-tracking"¹, instead of linear or sequential.  This type of thought process rapidly switches from idea to idea and task to task and manages the system on both the micro and macro levels.  In this worldview, the high degree of interrelation and complexity often leads to paradoxical and contradictory models, which WvS-S handles with ease.  WvS-S thinks in networks and matrixes -- they see the world as an intricate mechanism -- and their roles as promoters of systemic health.

WvS-S thinkers have been influencing portions of society for several decades.  Although this is the case, there are few if any cultures that express this worldview as their dominant mindset.  This is due largely in to the newness of this thinking system.  Often WvS-S thinkers emerge in places where two fields of endeavor are crossing.  For example: in modern business WvS-S psychologist and sociologists are helping employers motivate their work force, increase morale, and resolve conflict by combining principles from management and social science.  This approach goes beyond traditional uses of psychology which may attempt to manipulate employees into hirer production rates.  Instead, the WvS-S model exhorts companies to meet the needs the worker so the worker can better meet the needs of the company and both benefit.  It may even go further to extend the company responsibility to the customer and the community in new ways that see these relationships as more than just the exchange of currency.

WvS-U: Universe
This system is just emerging in both personal and social arenas.  Like WvS-S, it see the world as highly-complex and interrelated.  However, WvS-U does not attempt to put itself above the system as does WvS-S. Instead, it see itself as part of a "global organism."  Distinctions and identities, while still present, are seen as merely mental and dependent on perspective.  Essentially, the universe is one material and "self" and "other" are actually subjective divisions of this material.  This allows WvS-U to "simultrack"², viewing all aspects of a system or task at once.

WvS-U has shown itself in the fields of theoretical physics and astronomy.  In these disciplines, WvS-U reintroduces the concepts of metaphysics which blur the line between imagination and science.  Because concepts can have equal weight with observations in this world view, theology can enter into dialogue with science in ways long since abandoned by scientists.

Much remains to be seen as far as how WvS-U will effect the world and interpersonal relationships.  Since this worldview is just emerging, little is know about the weaknesses of this mindset or how this mindset may be approached in the social sciences.  When weaknesses do emerge, new worldviews will be created to overcome these difficulties.

2.3 Conclusions

A broad view look at all the worldview systems reveals how each is a reaction to the one previous.  This type of overview also reveals the ideal environment in which each should be expressed.  Although most individuals have a primary system that they use most of the time, they may use portions of other systems that are more suited to the context.  In this way, each person keeps a "toolbox" of behaviors and strategies learned from various systems in order to deal with various problems and situations.

Because the functionality of each system is dependent on context, no system can be considered superior to any other.  However, as the complexity of existential problems increase, the complexity of the solution must also increase.  Likewise, each thinking system can potentially exhibit weaknesses that can only be solved by a more complex system.

Since each worldview can be expressed socially and personally, individuals may use any system regardless to the dominant system in their culture.  In some cultures, especially those where rights to thought and self-expression are protected, many worldviews may coexist.

Due to the complexity caused by the presence of these worldviews, socially-oriented activities such as missions must learn to work within and communicate with each worldview.  Evangelism that attempts to use one worldview's mode of communication or that endorses one worldview's set of behaviors and strategies will be successful in only reaching those using that worldview.   

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¹"multi-tracking" is the term coined for the thought process of WvS-S, called "System 7", by Michael C. Armor and Don Browning in Systems Sensitive Leadership (SSL): Empowering Diversity without Polarizing the Church (Joplin: College Press, 2000), pgs. 300-301. [return]

²Armor and Browning (308) coin the term "suml-tracking" to refer to the thought process of WvS-U, called "System 8."  They liken this ability to a director of a sports broadcast program who views screens displaying multiple camera angles, replay machines, factoid displays, and output screens all at the same time. [return]