Integral is:
A map
A perspective
A broad level of development
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The Integral Map
Integral theory is an evolutionary theory of everything, from solar systems to species to cultures to individuals, most interestingly, you. You "have" a body and a mind, but when you actually go about your day, you "are" a body and mind. Only when you reflect on it does it seem like you "have" a body and mind...but then, what is it that's doing the reflecting? This is not a head game, but only to say that you are, essentially, embodied consciousness that develops. Body and mind develop from birth, but contrary to all previous psychological theories, adulthood is not the endpoint of development during a lifetime. It's not all there is. That's good news (there's new adventure ahead) and bad news (you're relatively mature, and you're relatively immature, and we don't see an end in sight).
When we age, the body degrades and dies. Arteries harden and we don't think as well. But there is one, nonphysical, part that doesn't necessarily wither - consciousness itself, devoid of any content. Can you feel it, that simple feeling of being?
The Integral Perspective
Imagine that you are basically embodied consciousness reading this page. You are not aware (until now) that your unconscious is there too. Although you don't know what's going on in there, it's you, and it's your best friend, monitoring everything, sometimes throwing up coded information to your conscious awareness, sometimes confusing past and present, but always trying to keep you safe and happy.
What Integral theory adds is the fundamental need, hard-wired into the core of your being, to grow, develop, evolve. Over the long run, everything alive evolves - biologically, psychologically, socially, as a culture, as a species, as an Earth life form, in a planetary system, in a universe, in...in..., all co-evolving. In general:
We are happiest when we are evolving.
A Broad Level of Development
What is is that we can grow to? Think of the most mature person you can imagine. Perhaps it is someone famous. What is the person like (even if it's in your imagination)? How content with life does the person seem? How does he or she handle adversity? Is the person very smart, or do they show intuition, earthy wisdom and common sense? Are they spiritual? Do they experience appreciation, awe or wonder? Are they discerning rather than naive? No one is perfect, so after slipping up, how might the person deal with that? What might their philosophy of life be?
We have some ideas about super-mature people, based on research and clinical studies since the 1960's and earlier. Abraham Maslow is a good resource, and you can find some references in the Readings and References page on this site.
It is extremely rare for a person to reach such refined maturity without also having developed either subtler states of consciousness from meditation or contemplative practices, or from spiritual or religious development along with psychological development. It's the blend of these two which uniquely describe the Integral perspective.
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