Relate's secret purpose

There is a greater purpose behind Relate that is about more than just making people happier. We live in an incredibly fast-changing, complex, and uncertain world. A world that demands a different mindset and a higher level of consciousness from us as human beings in order to navigate and thrive together.

We have a close collaboration with Harvard psychology professor Robert Kegan, who has helped us understand that there are five different levels of human consciousness and meaning-making. Unfortunately, 70% of us never move past the third level that Kegan calls "the Socialized Mind" - when the image of ourselves is primarily shaped by how we want others to perceive us. A way of thinking that constantly compares us to others which often leads to anxiety and depression, while reducing our ability to handle the complexity and uncertainty we increasingly live in today.

Using personal development tools, such as personal values, our goal and greater purpose is to help people move into the fourth level of consciousness and meaning-making, which Kegan calls "the Self-Authoring Mind". A way of thinking where instead of comparing ourselves to others, we become more grounded in ourselves, have our own moral compass, and evaluate our actions based on our inner values.

Our ambission is therefore not only that Relate will help people achieve higher well-being through better relationships, but also that it can contribute to developing our consciousness and meaning-making to a more mature level, by helping more people reflect on their life, become more self-aware and value-anchored in how they live. In order to better navigate and thrive in the world we live in, which ultimately is what we believe is needed to achieve the UN's global goals for a sustainable future.

Read more about Relate’s co-founder Jan’s project Inner Development Goals here.