At the heart of the Integral Research process is the GENE method for identifying a research topic, refining the topic into a viable research question and then, ultimately, researching the question using the fourfold Integral Research/social innovation trajectory, with the goal of developing an innovative solution to the problem being researched. The Four-world archetype provides a philosophical framework for understanding the world and, as such, suggests that various societies of the world have become, overtime, characterized by certain culturally pervasive traits. It is important to note that even though each of these four methodological elements builds upon each other, it is not always a linear or chronological process. Critical Theory is a multi-disciplinary methodology that from its inception has had as a goal the development of a comprehensive, systemic theory of society that is capable of addressing and solving the key social, political, and economic problems of a given era.