In The Mind and Society, Vilfredo Pareto develops a general theory of social behaviour centred on the distinction between logical and non-logical actions. He argues that people frequently act from enduring sentiments and interests, then construct explanations that make those actions appear rational. Pareto calls the underlying dispositions “residues” and the changing theories used to justify them “derivations”.

The work also develops Pareto’s theory of elites. He argues that societies are generally governed by minorities and that political stability depends partly on the composition and adaptability of ruling groups. Over time, established elites may decline while new groups rise to replace them, producing what he calls the circulation of elites.

First published in Italian as Trattato di sociologia generale in 1916, the work combines sociology, political theory and social psychology in an attempt to explain recurring patterns of belief, power and institutional change.