In order to make clear the important contribution to realistic sociol'al thinking contained in the sociol of G. Gurvitch, some lines of his teaching are explained & their practical application illustrated. First, attention is given to the dialectical relation between the soc group, formed by the individuals, & the relations between individuals, which Gurvitch stresses in his 'microsociol.' This view makes it possible to combine the holistic approach & the inter-individual one & to see the double aspect of soc regulation: integration of the individuals in the soc whole & harmonization of their contacts, in a synthetic view. Secondly, it is pointed out that Gurvitch's 'depth-sociol' is of a great help in developing a sociol, which takes into account the diff 'layers' with their own determinisms that can be bound in soc reality. This is illustrated in simplifying Gurvitch's scheme of 10 'layers' (couches en profondeur) to 5: the org'al apparatus, the patterns of behavior, the role-sets, the collective att's, the values of society. Finally, attention is given to the effort of Gurvitch to combine the analytical description of details & the view of the totality of soc life by introducing the concept of the 'total soc phenomenon.' The reason that he did not succeed in developing a dialectical sociol, as he wished to, is that his typological method prevented him from developing concepts to express the dynamics of soc reality. AA.
