Conflicts and Stages

"The psychologist Erik Erikson even proposes a theory of the psychological stages of development. A fundamental conflict characterizes each phase. When this conflict is correctly resolved, we move on to the next phase. If this conflict is not resolved, it may fester and even cause regression to an earlier period. Similarly, the psychologist Jean Piaget showed that early childhood mental development is also not a smooth process of learning, but is actually typified by abrupt stages in a child's ability to conceptualize. One month, a child may give up looking for a ball once it has rolled out of view, not understanding that an object exists even if you can no longer see it. The next month, this is obvious to the child.

This is the essence of dialectics. According to this philosophy, all objects (people, gases, the universe itself) go through a series of stages. Each stage is characterized by a conflict between two opposing forces. The nature of this conflict, in fact, determines the nature of the stage. When the conflict is resolved, the object goes to a higher stage, called the synthesis, where a new contradiction begins, and the process starts over again at a higher level."


- From 'Hyperspace' by Michio Kaku