The Further Reaches of Adult Development: Thoughts on the ‘Self-Transforming’ Mind

Robert Kegan’s theory of adult meaning-making has influenced theory and practice internationally across multiple disciplines. In a special RSA event, he considers: is it really possible to grow beyond the psychological independence of the “self-authoring mind,” so often seen as the zenith of adult development?

Robert Kegan has spent a lifetime studying the development of adult meaning-making or consciousness. His theory of an evolving succession of increasingly encompassing “mindsets” has influenced theory and practice in multiple disciplines on every continent. In a special talk at the RSA, he will address what he has learned about the highest stage in his model, the “self-transforming mind.”

Is it really possible to grow beyond the self-possession and psychological independence of the “self-authoring mind,” so often seen as the zenith of adult development?  Is this the province only of a select few human exemplars, or might such capacities be more widely present?  What difference does such capacity actually make? And how much does the world need it?

Speaker: Robert Kegan, Meehan Professor of Adult Learning and Professional Development at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education

 Chair: Jonathan Rowson, director, RSA Social Brain Centre.