Chaos theory in Psychology and the Life Sciences

Chaos theory in Psychology and the Life Sciences PDF

Author: Robin Robertson

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2014-07-10

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 1317780086

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This book represents the best of the first three years of the Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology conferences. While chaos theory has been a topic of considerable interest in the physical and biological sciences, its applications in psychology and related fields have been obscured until recently by its complexity. Nevertheless, a small but rapidly growing community of psychologists, neurobiologists, sociologists, mathematicians, and philosophers have been coming together to discuss its implications and explore its research possibilities. Chaos theory has been termed the first authentic paradigm shift since the advent of quantum physics. Whether this is true or not, it unquestionably bears profound implications for many fields of thought. These include the cognitive analysis of the mind, the nature of personality, the dynamics of psychotherapy and counseling, understanding brain events and behavioral records, the dynamics of social organization, and the psychology of prediction. To each of these topics, chaos theory brings the perspective of dynamic self-organizing processes of exquisite complexity. Behavior, the nervous system, and social processes exhibit many of the classical characteristics of chaotic systems -- they are deterministic and globally predictable and yet do not submit to precise predictability. This volume is the first to explore ideas from chaos theory in a broad, psychological perspective. Its introduction, by the prominent neuroscientist Walter Freeman, sets the tone for diverse discussions of the role of chaos theory in behavioral research, the study of personality, psychotherapy and counseling, mathematical cognitive psychology, social organization, systems philosophy, and the understanding of the brain.

Chaos And Complexity

Chaos And Complexity PDF

Author: Michael R. Butz

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2018-05-11

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 1351461869

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The nature of this book is to emphasize the inherent complexity and richness of the human experience of change. Now, the author believes there to be an acceptable "scientific" explanation for this phenomona. Explored here are 30 years of studies to describe nonlinear dynamics, today termed either chaos theory or complexity theory. The connotations of both theories are discussed at length. Offering social scientists validation in their attempts to describe and define phenomona of a previously ineffable nature, this book explores chaos' implications for psychology and the social sciences. It describes the benefits psychology can glean from using ideas in chaos theory and applying them to psychology in general, individual psycho-therapy, couples therapy, and community psychology, and also considers possible directions for research and application.

The Psychological Meaning of Chaos

The Psychological Meaning of Chaos PDF

Author: Frank Masterpasqua

Publisher: Amer Psychological Assn

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 9781557984296

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Annotation The Psychological Meaning of Chaos: Translating Theory Into Practice introduces practicing psychologists to the concepts, implications, and applications of the chaos theories that have revolutionized scientists' concept of the physical world over the past 30 years. This new way of seeing - variously called chaos, nonlinear dynamical systems theory, deterministic chaos, and the broader sciences of complexity - stands in sharp contrast to the linear, reductionistic models that have dominated most psychological thinking. In this new model, unpredictability and instability are accepted as intrinsic to complex systems and essential in any transformative process. Chaos is seen as a healthy and essential part of the creation process, without which new order is impossible. The implications of this new model of systems dynamics for understanding the human change process are enormous. In this book, group and family therapists, developmentalists, and researchers describe the impact that chaos and complexitytheories have on their understanding of human change and their work to promote it. Chaos theory represents the greatest challenge to scientific thinking in this century. It has great potential for psychology, because it offers a model for complex behavior that resonates more closely with psychologists' understanding of the vicissitudes of human change.

Chaos Theory in Psychology

Chaos Theory in Psychology PDF

Author: Fred Abraham

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 1995-04-25

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13:

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This is a collection on the uses of chaos theory in the whole field of psychology including: theory; experimental perception; neurophysiology; clinical, organisational, social, personality, research, therapy and literature analysis; educational, developmental and gender issues; and more.

Law, Psychology, and Justice

Law, Psychology, and Justice PDF

Author: Christopher R. Williams

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2002-01-01

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9780791451830

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A provocative critique of the relationship between the legal system and psychology that uses chaos theory to offer a more humane alternative.

Chaos and Complexity in Psychology

Chaos and Complexity in Psychology PDF

Author: Stephen J. Guastello

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2008-11-10

Total Pages: 1020

ISBN-13: 1139867261

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While many books have discussed methodological advances in nonlinear dynamical systems theory (NDS), this volume is unique in its focus on NDS's role in the development of psychological theory. After an introductory chapter covering the fundamentals of chaos, complexity and other nonlinear dynamics, subsequent chapters provide in-depth coverage of each of the specific topic areas in psychology. A concluding chapter takes stock of the field as a whole, evaluating important challenges for the immediate future. The chapters are written by experts in the use of NDS in each of their respective areas, including biological, cognitive, developmental, social, organizational and clinical psychology. Each chapter provides an in-depth examination of theoretical foundations and specific applications and a review of relevant methods. This edited collection represents the state of the art in NDS science across the disciplines of psychology.

Chaos and Order in the World of the Psyche

Chaos and Order in the World of the Psyche PDF

Author: Joanne Wieland-Burston

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-06-18

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 1317404181

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‘I don’t know what’s the matter with me – everything’s upside down; the whole world seems chaotic’ Chaos may erupt in our lives in many different ways – through death, divorce, conflict with family, friends or colleagues. It is a frightening and negative experience, destabilizing the individual and provoking feelings of insecurity. Originally published in English in 1992, the author, through her work as a Jungian analyst, frequently acted as a companion, support and guide to those whose lives were in chaotic turmoil. She describes how therapy helps people to meet chaos, to accept and see it in a different way – as a starting point for a new kind of order in their lives. This ‘organic’ order is better suited to their own personal needs and personality and provides the strong and flexible basis necessary to meet the chaos that belongs to life. Drawing upon the myths, tales and rites of ancient cultures, upon modern chaos theory, and upon her experience as an analyst the author shows the way through the chaos to a fuller, happier and more satisfying life.

Putting A New Spin on Groups

Putting A New Spin on Groups PDF

Author: Bud A. McClure

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2005-01-15

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1135615187

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Putting a New Spin on Groups: The Science of Chaos, Second Edition continues to challenge orthodoxy and static ideas about small group dynamics. A primary goal is to offer an alternative model of group development that addresses three factors: *The model integrates old ideas from previous models of group development with new concepts from chaos theory and the work of Arthur Young. *The book emphasizes the importance of conflict in group development and recognizes that group growth--while progressive--is neither linear or unidimensional. *Particular attention is focused on how groups change, evolve, and mature. In addition, this book highlights certain group phenomena that have been given only cursory attention in many group textbooks, including women in authority, group metaphors, regressive groups, and the transpersonal potential of small groups. This book has been revised in response to feedback from reviewers and colleagues and includes new ideas, applications of chaos theory in social sciences, and thinking about group behavior. It is an intellectually challenging read with just the right amount of world application.

Chaotic Logic

Chaotic Logic PDF

Author: Ben Goertzel

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-04-17

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1475721978

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This book summarizes a network of interrelated ideas which I have developed, off and on, over the past eight or ten years. The underlying theme is the psychological interplay of order and chaos. Or, to put it another way, the interplay of deduction and induction. I will try to explain the relationship between logical, orderly, conscious, rule-following reason and fluid, self organizing, habit-governed, unconscious, chaos-infused intuition. My previous two books, The Structure of Intelligence and The Evolving Mind, briefly touched on this relationship. But these books were primarily concerned with other matters: SI with constructing a formal language for discussing mentality and its mechanization, and EM with exploring the role of evolution in thought. They danced around the edges of the order/chaos problem, without ever fully entering into it. My goal in writing this book was to go directly to the core of mental process, "where angels fear to tread" -- to tackle all the sticky issues which it is considered prudent to avoid: the nature of consciousness, the relation between mind and reality, the justification of belief systems, the connection between creativity and mental illness,.... All of these issues are dealt with here in a straightforward and unified way, using a combination of concepts from my previous work with ideas from chaos theory and complex systems science.