General Systems Theory Beginning with Wholes

Front Cover
Taylor & Francis, 1995 - Psychology - 152 pages
Though general systems theory is currently the prevailing paradigm in family therapy and social work, there is no accessible text that treats its basic concepts. This book fills the gap by presenting the central ideas of general systems theory in clear and simple language, with a focus on the social sciences.
 

Contents

Context
19
Causality
37
Change
55
Content
73
Communication
91
Emotion
105
Definitional Deficit and Definitional Equality
112
Moving Ahead
121
Annotated References
139
Annotated Bibliography
145
19
151
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Page 143 - In short, the pseudo-mutual relation involves a characteristic dilemma: divergence is perceived as leading to disruption of the relation and therefore must be avoided; but if divergence is avoided, growth of the relation is impossible.
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