Chaos Theory
Chaos theory is often as difficult to explain as it is to comprehend. While more traditional thinking looks at cause and effect in fairly simplistic terms, chaos theories deals with complex interactions between forces which interact in unpredictable and often fascinating ways.
The Mandelbrot Set, for example is an example of complex interactions at work. It's generated by plotting point by point on a graph. The X-axis value is the real component of a complex number, and the Y-axis value is the imaginary component of the same number. For each point on the grid, a complex process takes place which determines the final color of the point in question.
One might think that a purely mathematical process would yield results neither beautiful nor interesting. However, this is far from the truth. The image shown to the right is clearly the result of a complex process, the sort of thing which one might actually think
was created by some form of intelligence.
One of the things that we've learned by studying complex dynamic systems is that chaos and order are not separate and distinct aspects of reality-- they interact in ways we might never expect. As we develop a better understanding of the systems in which involve ourselves, we find that our answers are not necessarily more complete but instead more complex.
Family systems can be viewed within the context of systems theory. When a therapist functions as a counselor for a family system, there are many approaches which can be taken. However, the approach I favor also involves chaos theory. Think of the family as a dynamic group which interacts in a fashion which is neither simple nor mechanistic. Even when dealing with a couple, it is easy to fall into a pattern of assuming direct cause and effect. I.e., one partner takes an action which causes the other to respond in some fashion. However, the reality is that we're often dealing with feedback loops. I.e., one family member participates in a pattern which helps reinforce the patterns in which others are engaging. Then others resopond as part of a pattern which reinforces the first member. No one is entirely at fault for the nature of the family's interactions, nor is anyone completely without impunity, because they're all participating in a repeating cycle.
An even better example is a drum circle. Within each individual within a drum circle, there is a different concept of rhythm and dynamics. Each individual participating plays with a different style and a different sense of what sounds right. So as these musicians interact, their varying levels of expertise and senses of rhtyhm form a more complex melody. When a percussionist plays alone, it can be very complex or very simple, depending on the nature of the specific percussionist. When you add a second percussionist, you can develop something much more dynamic-- their changes in rhythm, tempo and volume interact in ways neither can accurately predict. However, if their interaction is effective, they develop music which creates tension and then resolves it, intertwining and interweaving. If you add a third person, especially if they're playing an instrument which is associate with a different pitch range than the other two, you develop further interactions which can increase the level of complexity.
Furthermore, the individual pitches of those drums interact in terms of the harmonics they create, and how their sounds resonate off of one another and the room around them, creating an even more complex system. As the system evolves, interesting things can be observed. As a single player deviates from the rhythmic cohesion which has been developed, that deviation can be dealt with in many ways. The rest of the group can hold tighter to their current rhythm, bringing the other player into line. Or they can move to form within the group a new rhythmic pattern, evolving into something different, some new territory. The latter is, of course, the riskier of the options. However, with that risk and unpredictability comes a new evolution within the group, creating sounds and patterns previously unknown.