THE NEED FOR CONFLICT TOWARDS AN INTEGRAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT By

Conflict is an important dimension of global change, whether causing it, or being caused by it. A new way to explore the role of conflict, and what future consequences it might bring, is through the discourse of Integral Studies. This paper is an initial application of Integral theory in a creative manner at the level of orientating generalisations. Applying an Integral methodological pluralism to understanding conflict, relevant insights from conflict theory, needs theory, values theory, and political theory are drawn together to form the basis for a proposed Integral theory of conflict. Included is a driver-based method for determining the origin of any conflict and to aid the description of the nature of a conflict. It has significant implications for a more refined and effective determination of how to approach a conflict in order to achieve positive outcomes. The proposed Integral approach to conflict also provides an avenue of analysis that could lead to new and perhaps somewhat startling questions and conclusions about the consequences of current conflicts and approaches to them for the future. The overall intention of the paper is to act as an introductory letter of invitation to those concerned with conflict theory to investigate the usefulness of Integral theory, and to Integrally orientated futures thinkers, to investigate the merit of conflict theory, an