A 7 level model of the self,

based on the sufi model, seven levels of nafs

In this model of self there are a number of levels or stages, each with a potential for being developed and expressed, and a potential for one of these levels being more expressive at any time. Hopefully, higher levels will become more developed and expressive, rather than the lower level holding on to its dominance. In our present model we have seven levels, but like most models it could be possible to expand these general distinctions into more numerous divisions.

At the lowest level is the desire self. We see this clearly with younger children. They are always wanting this or that, for me, me, me. Everything is about me and my wants. Later we begin to grow out of this first stage, but only partially. For we know by experience that many adults are me-me I-want centered. Hopefully though, this first stage of self development with not always dominate. Most of the lower level desires can be classified into one of three kinds: a) physical necessity desires, b) sensual-pleasure desires, and c) material possession desires (that is, acquiring possessions; toys, real estate, money, slaves, etc)

The next level is the social self. This has some relation to the previous one in that it also involves desire in a way. This social self wants to be loved, or at minimum it wants to be socially accepted. Social acceptance can become a central issue for the self, though later on in life the mature self feels secure about itself enough that it does not worry about this. For many adults the height of social acceptance and social love is high esteem and fame given by others; that is, many people passionately seek fame and high esteem from others. In addition, the social self uses its innate developing intelligence to figure out how to get social acceptance and love. The desire self, as well, uses intelligence to get what it wants; so with both of these levels we often see intricate intelligent strategies for getting one’s desires met, some of which may involve subtle manipulations of others.

Now it is a good time to point out that these lower levels of self should not be considered merely as bad. We listed them as lower, but this should not be construed as bad. For there is nothing ethically or spiritually bad about the desire self or the social self. There is nothing wrong with having desires for various pleasures and possessions; nothing wrong with wanting to be accepted and loved. The potential negativity of these levels is in their possible exaggeration, excessiveness, obsessiveness, and dominance of all other levels of self.

The third level of self is a development of our thinking capacity. We can call it the critical thinking self. At this level one begins to critically evaluate oneself and circumstances in the world. An exaggerated form of this would be a teenager who is critical about so many things, though we know as adults that this criticalness continues. Being critical can be a negative trait if it becomes an exaggerated pattern, such as a person who is always criticizing something or other. Yet, critical observation and thinking can also be very positive in life. Societies and politics would never evolve into better forms if there were no critical thinking and no criticism. And we would not evolve a moral beings if we were not self-critical at least some of the time. So let us not naively view criticism as a bad thing. Rather, let’s understand the value of critical thinking and self-criticism. But first of all, let us remember that self-criticism does not have to involve beating oneself up or hating oneself, anymore than being critical of others has to involve meanness or hatred towards the other person.

So what we are speaking about here is constructive criticism. And let us firstly consider this in relation to our own self, because it is too easy to merely find faults with others or with society. If we are not self-critical, to some degree, but only critical of others; then we are lost in a common negative pattern of this level. The value of this critical self is in becoming observant of negative or exaggerated patterns of our desire and social self. So this level of self, the critical self, becomes a kind of check-balance on the two previous levels of self. In fact, without at least some degree of critical observation and critical thinking about oneself, the desire and social self will probably become more and more exaggerated and domineering. The self-critical part of self, then, is very significant in moving up to higher levels of self; it is like a bridge or a pivot point. Though the negative potential for this self is to become overly critical and judgmental about oneself and others.

The fourth level is the ethical self. This self is concerned with right and wrong, justice, and doing good in the world; and this consideration can be done from a simple feeling sense or from an ethical reasoning. The ethical self seeks the greater good, rather than just my own good (as it is with the lower desire self). Moreover, this ethical self is related to the critical self, because it provides the higher values from which the critical self evaluates its own obedience. So as the ethical self develops, the critical self is able to refine its evaluations and hold the lower self in scrutiny. A negative potential of this self is to become overly fixated on certain ideas about right and wrong.

The ethical self seeks to know what is good and do the good. But in addition we may seek to know the truth of our self, and the real from the false. This could be called the learning self. One wants to learn about oneself, the reality and truth of oneself. So there begins some degree of self-contemplation and some rudimentary attempts to study some form of psychology or spiritual teachings. One will also be interested in learning about others as well, because this helps teach us about our self. Also fundamental to this level of self is a drive to learn what is good and true, both in the world and within oneself. This doesn’t merely mean to learn facts or how to do things; acquiring information and practical know-how is simply a part of any practical life. Alternatively, what we mean by the learning self is one who is enthusiastic and intentional in finding answers about the more profound questions of life; such as the purpose of life, the true values of life, how to distinguish good from bad, and what are the truest and deepest qualities of myself. The questions we should be asking are: What do I want to really learn about? Or, what is most important to learn? And in consequence of this deep questioning we enter into the learning self.

The fifth level is the serving self. At this level of self, service and loving generosity is the highest value, and one has a strong dedication to serving others or the planet. This self truly seeks to give to others and life, and to serve the highest need. There are many ways to serve others and life. Some people are in the healing field, others are in the teaching field, others are in the leadership field, others are in the field of science or technological invention, others serve through the arts or music, others serve by protecting our rights and our lives, and some serve society by building or fix things. Almost every job could be considered a form service, as long as it helps the greater good and does no harm. But this level of serving self is not merely about people who have this or that job as a trade or profession; it’s not just a matter of going to work. The serving self is one who is consciously, intentionally, and passionately seeking to serve through some means or another. This level, subsequently, is opposite to the selfish desire level of self.

The sixth level is the spiritually aspiring self. At this level, one aspires to know and experience God, The Universal Self, the One in Whom we live, and our True Being. One aspires to know, experience, and become consciously at one with the Almighty, the Infinite Light and Love. In the beginning one does not know much about what is being aspired to, yet one feels an inner need or has a vision of there being an ultimate goal. The tools for this aspiration are meditation, prayer, and earnest seeking.

The seventh and final stage is self-in-union, or annihilated self. Here there is only the Universal Self in experience and manifestation; though of course we are speaking only about a microcosmic reflection of God, for in any particular self of God there is always some limitation of the whole God totality. There is no use in further explaining this level, except that it is the culminating goal of the aspiring self. Also, once here, there can still be ordinary activity and some personality features; in other words, the person does not simply disappear into nirvana. Other levels of self may still manifest at times. In fact, most often there is a fluctuation between levels, rather than a person forever leaving behind previous levels once a next level is achieved.