Integral Theory

Integral theory is Ken Wilber's attempt to place a wide diversity of theories and thinkers into one single framework. It is portrayed as a "theory of everything" ("the living Totality of matter, body, mind, soul, and spirit"), trying "to draw together an already existing number of separate paradigms into an interrelated network of approaches that are mutually enriching."

Wilber's integral theory has been applied by some in a limited range of domains. The Integral Institute publishes the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, and SUNY Press has published nine books in the "SUNY series in Integral Theory." Wilber's ideas have mainly attracted attention in specific subcultures, and have been widely ignored in academia.

The concept is also referred to as integral approach,integral consciousness,integral culture,integral paradigm,integral philosophy,integral society,integral spirituality, and integral worldview.

Ken Wilber's "Integral Theory" started as early as the 1970s, with the publication of The Spectrum of Consciousness, that attempted to synthesize eastern religious traditions with western structural stage theory, models of psychology development that describe human development as following a set course of stages of development.

Wilber's ideas have grown more and more inclusive over the years, incorporating ontology, epistemology, and methodology. Wilber, drawing on both Aurobindo's and Gebser's theories, as well as on the writings of many other authors, created a theory which he calls AQAL, "All Quadrants All Levels".

The adjective integral was first used in a spiritual context by Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) from 1914 onward to describe his own spiritual teachings, which he referred to as Purna (Skt: "Full") Yoga. It appeared in The Synthesis of Yoga, a book that was first published in serial form in the journal Arya and was revised several times since.

Sri Aurobindo's work has been described as Integral Vedanta, and psychology, as well as Integral Psychology (the term coined by Indra Sen) and the psychotherapy that emerges from it. His writings influenced others who used the term "integral" in more philosophical or psychological contexts.

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