Horizontal Development Versus Vertical Development

Your baseline or center of gravity is where you are when life is neither great nor bad/nResonating with different stages throughout life is normal/nDistinguish between horizontal development (expansion within the same structure) and vertical development (changing the structure of reality and sense of self)/nMost self-help material focuses on horizontal growth because it is safer for the ego/nVertical growth is more difficult and requires more depth, time, and effort/nMoving up one vertical stage generally takes five years of consistent work/nMany people do not engage in any self-improvement work/nGrowth beyond the conventional stages is rare and not widely marketed/nThe levels in this model alternate between differentiation and integration of the ego self/nBecoming too individualized can be painful and lead to a desire for integration