Worldview and Development

The dance between change and continuity has been at play throughout history. Today, we see a rapid rate of change that is calling on people to consider their worldview and to develop different identities and ways of engaging with the world. It is clear that navigating life in the twenty-first century will require not simply the acquisition of new skills, but also the intentional cultivation of novel states of mind (Kegan, 1994; Gardner, 2004). Among those skills most essential for success in this new era of global connectivity will be greater cognitive flexibility, comfort with unfamiliarity, appreciation of diverse perspectives, agility in the face of rapidly changing circumstances, ability to hold multiple perspectives simultaneously, and a capacity for discernment that relies equally on intellect and intuition. These skills don’t spring as much from what we know but instead from how we know it, and how we view the world. It is our contention in this essay that worldview literacy can help foster those skills in broad audiences. As world views transform, they adapt to include increasing levels of awareness of how people are interrelated to the world around them. It is in individual and shared mind-sets where psychological, physiological, and cultural forces may engage one another to promote social consciousness and to develop prosocial perceptions and actions.