Jean Gebser's Five Structures of Consciousness
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= "Gebser identified five structures of consciousness (archaic, magic, mythical, mental-rational, and integral-arational) and showed that mutation of the currently dominant mental-rational structure into the last, “fifth structure” gathered momentum at the turn of the last century." [1]
Characteristics
From ChatGPT:
"Jean Gebser's stages of consciousness and their dimensions represent increasing complexity and integration of human awareness:
- Archaic Structure: Zero-dimensional. Pure, undifferentiated awareness, merging with the environment without any distinction.
- Magic Structure: One-dimensional. Emergence of a basic sense of self, characterized by a mythical, animistic view of the world where events and objects are interconnected in a linear way.
- Mythic Structure: Two-dimensional. Development of symbolic thinking and dualistic perceptions, creating narratives and myths that explain the world through opposites and relationships.
- Mental Structure: Three-dimensional. Dominated by rationality, logic, and analytical thinking. It introduces linear time and spatial awareness, allowing for abstract thinking and individualism.
- Integral Structure: Four-dimensional. Integrates previous stages, transcending dualities and embracing a holistic, non-linear, and non-dualistic consciousness that perceives multiple dimensions and interconnectedness simultaneously.
Each stage builds upon the previous one, adding more layers of complexity and integration to human consciousness."