The Atlas of Social Complexity. Content Theme 2: The Complex Dynamics of Human Psychology

As I stated in my previous post, the first major content theme in The Atlas of Social Complexity is Cognition, Emotion and Consciousness. This first theme includes six chapters, which I have so far blogged on. Chapter 6 addresses autopoiesis. Chapter 7 turns to the role of bacteria in human consciousness. Chapter 8 explores how the immune system, just like bacteria and cells, is cognitive – and the implications this has for our wider brain-based consciousness. Chapter 9 explores a complexity framing of brain-based cognition, emotion and consciousness. Chapter 10 explores the complex multilevel dynamics of the Self. Chapter 11 is about human-machine intelligence.

 

The second content theme concerns the dynamics of human psychology. Here is a quick summary of the theme.

 

COMPLEX PSYCHOLOGY

There is no defined field of study called complex psychology. There are only somewhat different areas of research that could be connected – although, there is the whisper of a theoretical framework, namely dynamical systems theory. This lack of explicit awareness and synthesis puts the study of psychological complexity at a disadvantage because most psychologists and complexity scientists draw on only parts of the field. Our tour seeks to remedy this problem by taking readers on a journey through this research and synthesising them into a working complex psychology.

 

This theme is comprised of four chapters:

• Human psychology as dynamical system (Ch 13)
• Psychopathology of mental disorders (Ch 14)
• Healing and the therapeutic process (Ch 15)
• Mindfulness, imagination and creativity (Ch 16)

 

These chapters follow, in order, four key questions these scholars ask in their work. Chapter 13 begins with the most fundamental: How best should we view the human condition?  Chapter 14 asks: What is a mental disorder and how best should we measure and assess it? Chapter 15 asks: What does complexity have to say about the healing and therapeutic process? And, finally, Chapter 16 asks: What can the study of social complexity say about the positive aspects of our human psychology, and the power and healing potential of mindfulness, imagination, and creativity?

 

CLICK HERE to purchase the book, or to request it for your library.

 

 

KEY WORDS: dynamical psychology, symptom networks, dynamics of therapy, psychopathology, mindfulness, creativity.