The Integral Filmmaker

This is my summary of Integral theory and it’s application. I invite you to read closely for the theory really is quite elegant and useful.

Background

Integral theory was created by an American philosopher named Ken Wilber who found himself facing a conundrum. Back in the early 1990’s he was perplexed by how to reconcile all the various kinds of truth available; how all the world’s knowledge, which has never before been so available to us, could be harmonized together. Wilber wondered if some underlying pattern connected all knowledge. With his PhD. level understanding in 24 different realms of study he locked himself away in his home for 3 years. On his floor he laid out some 30 legal pads each containing the core tenants and knowledge of different belief systems and areas of study: from Buddhism to Christianity, from neuro-linguistics to cultural anthropology, from biology to behaviorism, from systems theory to chaos theory. After sitting with this array of knowledge he found the patterns.

First he realized that every approach and area of knowledge was valid and true in explaining natural phenomena but that each was partial. Meaning while they were valid they only represented a part of the whole of reality. This led him to ask how all this knowledge could be organized in a way that did explain all of reality. He found that an organization could be based on the fact that all knowledge represented the interior and exterior of individuals and collectives: the 4 dimensions, the 4 quadrants.

By sticking to the belief that all knowledge was true but partial Wilber realized that all things happen in each of these dimensions, and each affects and is affected by the other. He quickly realized that this framework could be a powerful tool, helping one to be as complete and in-depth as possible in any endeavor.

Essentially, employing Integral theory is a simple commitment to include as much knowledge about reality as possible, in a sophisticated, yet simple and pragmatic way. It is a method of deploying knowledge from the full spectrum of established disciplines and fields of study in a way that addresses the important and fundamental dimensions of reality. One touches base with as many important areas of research or perspectives as possible and returns quickly to the specific issue and application at hand.

The Quadrants

The 4 quadrants can be seen as Consciousness (What the individual experiences), Behavior (What the individual does), Culture (What the group experiences), and Systems (What the group does).

The four quadrants always arise simultaneously, as distinct dimensions of reality. Each is an indispensable domain, interconnected with and affecting the others. No matter what the focus is there is always an individual experiencing the occurrence and that individual is at all times connected to a community.

The Consciousness quadrant looks at the person or event from the inside and includes the individual’s thoughts, feelings, intentions, beliefs, emotions and conditionings that shape their attitude (which then influences behavior). This dimension illuminates what an individual experiences and why he or she does something.

The Behavior domain looks from the outside and consists of the way biology, health, brainwaves, actions or behavior, the individual-exterior forces, influence the occurrence. This is seen as what the individual does.

The Culture dimension represents all the realms and reasons that influence a group’s experience of each other and their world. It covers the cultural worldviews made up of values, practices, perceptions, morality and ethics that are shared. The shared dispositions of families, friends, and demographics make up the underlying pressures that, in turn, influence the individual’s consciousness and behavior. The Culture domain sees what a group collectively experiences and why a group thinks and does things together.

The domain of Systems is the exterior-collective map encompassing all systems and physical environment. This covers the objective descriptions and explanations of how social, economic, political, and ecological systems work, including physical structures, architectural styles, transportation and information transfer. This dimension also considers the social structures, such as families, businesses or nations; as well as socio-economic structures and population size. By illuminating what a group does, how the collective actions and systems affect the other dimensions is revealed.

Application

Integral Theory goes far beyond this introductory explanation, offering much more insight into applying the theory to real life uses. Yet in it’s simplest form, the 4-quadrant form, it is highly accessible and relevant. The theory is being adopted and expanded into psychology, business and leadership, medicine and nursing, criminology, sustainability, politics and art. The applications are vast and complete and still in their infancy. As human complexity increases so to do the number of perspectives humans consider and value. The 4-quadrant framework provides the tool to maximize this emerging comprehension of reality.

I have been intrigued with how to apply this comprehensive tool to film, the creation of stories and the marketing of products and ideas. I see it as a way to get in deeper and widen the applicability and resonance of creating art or pitching a product. It is a tool that helps to dig up the hidden and underlying perspectives of the customer wanting to know what the thing will do for them; and works to dissolve fragmentation between information and research or team members and departments.

The more that is known about the influences of consciousness, behavior, culture and systems present in a project, the more effectively campaigns or productions can be designed and implemented. I have found that this approach strengthens the ability to handle increasingly complex situations, hold contrasts, synthesize positions, create connections between ideas, and access information beyond the rational or traditional or conventional mind and approach. And frankly, I think it’s fun.