Stage yellow is the seventh stage of spiral dynamics that comes after stage green but before stage turquoise.
Spiral dynamics stage yellow is a tier 2 stage characterized by systems thinking and the ability to understand complexity, nuance, and non-linearity.
A leap in consciousness
Stage yellow is the first stage that enters into what is known as tier 2 consciousness. A leap has to be made from tier 1 to tier 2 that is more difficult than moving up any of the previous stages.
Due to the difficulty of getting to stage yellow, there are relatively few individuals that reach this stage. Tier 2 shifts from a needy “me first” perspective of the world to an objective understanding of reality and existence.
There is an awareness of one’s own perspective in tier 2. Stage yellow sees how every previous stage fights with each other and elevates itself above it.
Systems thinking
Life and reality is a set of complex systems to stage yellow and there is a desire to understand and maintain the health of these systems.
In this way, stage yellow often loves spiral dynamics because it is one of these systems. Yellow understands the stages of spiral dynamics that come before it.
Stage yellow understands that reality is fundamentally complex and multi-faceted. This understanding drives them to understand the reality fully and from every way possible.
Multiple perspectives at once
Stage yellow is a multi-perspective stage. This means that a stage yellow individual isn’t stuck in just one perspective, rather they understand the importance of viewing the world through multiple different perspective.
New and different perspectives are valued in stage yellow. There is no fear of new perspectives no matter how different it may be.
Every perspective is partially true to yellow, even in things deemed “evil” by the rest of society. Stage yellow is able to find the hidden gems of truth in everything.
Yellow loves new information, models, learning, and perspectives.
Autonomy and adaptability
Stage yellow is an individualist stage, breaking away from groupthink once more. Unlike previous individualist stages such as stage orange, yellow is about expressing the independent self but not at the expense of others.
Spiral dynamics stage yellow frees itself from staying in just one perspective held by the group. In this way, stage yellow’s independence allows it to explore many different and new perspectives.
Stage yellow is a lone wolf. It finds information more valuable than being a part of a greater community like in stage green. Yellow doesn’t care what others think of them, especially if they deem them a lower spiral dynamic stage than them.
Examples
Yellow examples are harder to come by since it is a rarer stage to come across. Here are a few:
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Robert Oppenheimer
- Joe Rogan
- Quantum mechanics
- Spiral dynamics
Pros and Cons
Although stage yellow is tier 2, this does not mean it’s free of problems. Let’s discuss these here.
Pros
Stage yellow is an excellent problem solver due to its ability to think outside the box and use multiple perspectives. Stage yellow is also a stage of increased understanding and learning about the world.
There’s also an emotional maturity the develops that stage green didn’t quite have. Stage yellow is able to approach issues with neutrality and level-headedness.
Cons
Because stage yellow is a lone wolf, they may become isolated. It’s important to maintain close relationships during this phase as you become more autonomous in your thinking.
Stage yellow can also be caught in overthinking and struggle to put the theory into practical action.
Conclusion
Stage yellow is an exciting stage of spiral dynamics, as it makes the leap from tier 1 consciousness to tier 2. This means stage yellow individuals become aware of their own perspective and begin to explore many new and different perspectives. Yellow is a stage of deep learning and increased understanding.
Stage yellow is the lone wolf phase that approaches the world from the level of systems thinking.
Hi, I’m Ryan. I’m a meditation teacher, spiritual seeker, and founder of nurtureyourspirit.org. I’m glad you’re here! I founded Nurture Your Spirit because of my love of meditation, spirituality, and spiritual awakening.
