The Atlas of Social Complexity. Chapter 13: Human psychology as dynamical system

As I stated in my previous post, the second major content theme in The Atlas of Social Complexity is the Dynamics of Human Psychology. In my previous post I provided a quick summary of the theme.

 

The focus of this post is the first chapter in this theme, Human psychology as dynamical system (Chapter 13).

 

 

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER

Our theme on human psychology begins with the basic question: How best should we view the human condition? Is there really a definitive answer to this question? No, there is not. But, for sure, at least for the purposes of scientific inquiry, some answers seem better suited or more applicable, particularly for helping us out of certain path dependencies in thinking and treating people.

 

Dynamical systems theory is just such an answer, as it not only provides a different view of human psychology, but it also overcomes many of the limitations in thinking that current conventional approaches in statistical and qualitative methods cannot, on their own, get past.

 

Still, as we have already indicated, that does not mean it lacks its own problems. For mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike, dynamical systems theory is by no means an easy-going field of study. Some of its areas of research – chaos theory, swarm behaviour, complexity science – have certainly become part of mainstream culture, and the visualisation of these ideas is amazingly intuitive, allowing non-experts access to some of its key ideas. But serious study of human behaviour as an evolving dynamic system is hard work that requiring significant transdisciplinary engagement amongst mathematicians and social scientists working together at the intersection of complexity, methods, and psychology. Otherwise, this field can fall prey to many of the traps created by the thirteen challenges – in fact, in many ways, it is presently struggling with these challenges, as we shall see in a moment. The research we will review here, then, points to an adjacent possible, a potential way out.

 

This chapter first introduces the main the mathematical concepts central to the field, from bifurcation points to continuous dynamical systems; and, second, surveys dynamical psychology’s nine core realities about human psychology. The goal is to point readers toward the most promising research in this transdisciplinary area of social complexity.

 

 

KEY WORDS: Dynamical systems theory, dynamical psychology, differential equations, continuous dynamical system, differential equations, synergetics and psychology.