The Unified Field
by Peter Shepherd
An individual is situated within the wide context of his world and life, and this consists of six different levels of operation at which learning and change can take place:
Spiritual identity. This is the deepest level, where we consider and act out the great metaphysical questions: Why are we here? What is our purpose? This spiritual level guides and shapes our lives, and underpins our existence.
Personal identity. This is the body-mind self, the core of imprinted values, the structure of character and the drive to survive.
Beliefs. The various ideas we think are true, and use as a basis for daily action. Beliefs can be both permissions and limitations; they are the basis for feelings.
Capability. These are the general and specific skills that we use in life.
Behaviour. The specific actions we carry out, regardless of our capability and whether they are conscious or automatic, forced upon us or self-determined.
Environment. What we react to, our surroundings, the other people we meet.
The environment is multi-faceted: there are eight domains which make up the unified field of life. Surrounding one's own identity, involvement in life grows to include: one's sexual partner and family along with other close friendships; groups which one leads or supports; sense of belonging to the human race; concern and interest in various forms of life in the world; knowledge and mastery of the sciences and mechanics of existence; communication between people on a spiritual level, through empathy and through art, music and other shared aesthetics; and finally awareness of a universal source of spirituality - the Godhead, All-That-Is, Implicate Order, or however you conceive such a quality.
These levels interact. How I behave may change some belief about myself; however change in belief will definitely change how I behave. It is difficult to make a change at the level of identity without the beliefs and capabilities to support you. The spiritual viewpoint selects a personal identity, which selects beliefs, which select capabilities, which select behaviours, which in turn directly affects the person's environment. Choices on one level may conflict with choices on another, e.g. a capability may be highly rewarded by the environment yet clash with one's beliefs or identity. Or there may be a conflict of choice on one level, e.g. on a trivial behavioural level, the conflict between choosing to stay in and watch television or to go and visit friends.
The levels are often confused. Behaviour is often taken as evidence of identity or capability, and this is how confidence and competence are destroyed in the classroom. Getting a sum wrong does not mean you are stupid or that you are poor at maths. To think this is to confuse logical levels, equivalent to thinking that a 'No Smoking' sign in a cinema should apply to the characters in the film.
For example, I might misspell a word. I could put this down to the environment: people are rushing me,. I could leave it at the level of behaviour: I got this one word wrong. I could generalise and question my capability with words and feel bad about that. I could start to believe I need to do more work to improve my spelling (which may be a rational belief!), or to believe that the English language is poorly designed (probably irrational). Or I could call my identity into question by thinking I am not a writer.
The way we view time is important. A problem may have to do with a past trauma, which has continuing repercussions in the present. On the other hand hopes and fears for the future can paralyse you in the present state, where personal history and possible futures converge. The unified field may be viewed in a further dimension, on a time line stretching back into the past and forward into the future. You can use this model to understand the balance and relationship of the different elements in yourself and others. The key is balance. Problems arise from a lack of balance and the unified field enables you to identify which elements have assumed too great an importance, and which are absent or too weak.
The Unified Field model closely ties in with the Transformational Psychology system and also Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; we can extend Maslow's model by differentiating Self-Esteem and the higher function of Self-Acceptance, and by adding the transpersonal levels of Self-Actualisation and Self-Transcendence above Self-Realisation. (The corresponding physiology is indicated in brackets in the following outline). It also links with all other realistic development models, such as Piaget's and Leary's imprint programs.
At Level 1 - Survival Needs: The environment is perceived through the filter of traumatic experiences of the past, and this affects the felt needs for health, safety and security. (Brain arousal is increased or reduced to an optimum range). This handles the bio-survival program, and relates to the stage of sensori-motor intelligence.
At Level 2 - Acceptance Needs: One's ability to receive and offer communication is intrinsic to behaviour, and the needs for mastery and acceptance. (By reducing the repression of material in the right brain, communication between the hemispheres is enhanced). This handles the emotional-territorial program and relates to the stage of pre-logical intelligence.
At Level 3 - Self-Esteem Needs: Capability is significantly enhanced, and how one feels about oneself (through the demonstration of competence), the issue of self-esteem. (Here we are making both sides of the brain fully functional in their specialised modes and integrated). This is the semantic program and relates to the stages of concrete thought and formal operations (scientific reasoning).
At Level 4 - Self-Acceptance Needs: Belief systems are analysed, so that by knowing where one stands, the need for self-acceptance may be satisfied. (The mind-body split is healed, opening up the links to the lower brain).This handles the socio-sexual program and relates to fully developed formal operations (requiring a high level of mental maturity).
At Level 5 - Self-Realisation Needs: Achieving integrity of the real Self, the need for self-actualisation is achieved on the mind-body level. (The whole-brain is integrated). This is the holistic program and the stage of mature intuition (a point at which a person has become sufficiently self-aware to attempt to direct his own course of mental evolution).
At Level 6 - Self-Actualisation Needs: Integrating the spiritual Self with the mind-body, true self-actualisation is achieved. (Linking the spirit with the brain).
At Level 7 - Self-Transcendence Needs: Self-actualisation is expanded to actualisation throughout the Unified Field (transcending the mind-body).
Move on to Telic Stress.
Return to Transforming the Mind - Contents.