Unified Motives

Unified Motives (Lust, Self-Serving Activity, Idealized Co-Creation and Conscious Participation) reflect the balance between the masculine and feminine versions of each level (Instinctive, Intellectual, Idealized and Intuitive). A lack of Projections indicates a openness and acceptance of others as they are which is known as Conscious Participation. The Unifying Motives reflect a state of Unity where we see both our Being (feminine) and Becoming (masculine). Each of these Unifying Motives is a greater stepping-stone (from the bottom to the top) in the integration of our Creative Nature. Each one increases the capacity for us to direct our Intent into the World. In this way it is about acknowledging our capacity to be powerful without ego. This comes from developing our Creative Nature and being able to affirm it in a whole way. This is the secret to making conscious choices and implementing them.

These Unifying Motives usually reflect that we are in transition to a higher, more complete expression of ourselves. For example, Lust is what emerges on the Instinctive level between Greed and Arrogance. We cannot do Lust for long without becoming jaded, bored and disconnected from ourselves. It whets our appetite for something more stable and meaningful. This leads us to move into the Intellectual Motives of Personal Dominion and Personal Achievement. Self-Serving Activity is the unifying Motive at this level, which teaches us that we can have time for ourselves and do not have to lose ourselves in others. The more we become irritated by Self-Serving Activity with others, the more we learn to get over our self-centered nature and start to see others as opportunities for investment.

Idealized Trust and Unity are where we begin to work on idealized levels and deepen ourselves into a more complete understanding of who we are by investigating our Defenses and shadow sides. While we may be still superficially attracted to individuals who agree with us and our direction in life, this is actually a time of Transformation (Emotions and Thoughts) and Transfiguration (Emotions and Feelings). Until we confront these deeper issues we still hold onto the premise that we can make relationships work just by picking the right person and investing in it to a certain degree. This reflects our Idealized Co-Creation, which helps us unify into a place of realistic expectations about what we need to do to maintain and grow a relationship over time. This opens the door to the more Intuitive Motives of Universal Dominion and Mutual Accomplishment that create new experiences for us in relationships and work. Until we recognize that everything needs to be aligned to our Creative Nature, it is hard to engage Conscious Participation with others because we are still fighting ourselves.

The Unifying Motives framework helps us to align our intentions with the intentions of others. If others are committed to the same level of relationship, this process will occur more naturally. If others are committed to a different level of relationship, problems will keep emerging where the investments and expectations will be different and opposing. Although it is possible for one person to hold space for the other to catch up, it is also extremely difficult because the responsible party may not be seen by their partner during this time. In business situations it is much easier to spend time with others at different levels of Motive embodiment because we can understand where they are coming from and, appropriate times, invite them into our way of seeing things as well. The key difference is that we have more choices and time to regenerate with business associates.

Every time we are able to locate others on the Motives chart, it tells us what their strength and weaknesses are. It also indicates how much effort it will take to maintain a relationship with this individual. For example, if you were at the Idealized level and someone else is at the Instinctive it is unlikely they would be able to meet us in any way, and hopefully, we will understand that trusting them is a matter of recognizing that they will do what they want to do, no matter what. It is also interesting to recognize where their strengths. That is, do they have more development in the masculine or feminine Motives. That can be an easier way of connecting with them, because they have more resourcefulness in these areas. Of course, we would always appreciate their engagement of more Unifying Motives because these are the final arbiter in their consciousness with others. It is also interesting to recognize how much they are identified with their gender or defensive identities. This will tell you whether or not they would consider thinking outside of their comfort zone.