Abstract

Integralism is simultaneously an epistemology, psychology, sociology of change and theory of history. As used here it provides the theoretical underpinnings of Sorokin’s general sociology and later works on altruism and social reconstruction. This paper explores the evolution of the concept from Social and Cultural Dynamics through his later works on the crisis of modernity, and the studies of social reconstruction at the Harvard Research Center in Creative Altruism. The results of this evolving chain of analysis was an integrated conceptual statement on the nature of humanness, knowledge, conflict resolution, altruism, and prosocial forms of human organization. Sorokin’s model along with selected themes from the writings of John Paul II sharpens their shared insights into the resolution of social problems.