Chaos Theory: Self-Organization and Symbolic Representation in Family Systems

Abstract

Nonlinear dynamics, or as thefield is sometimes referred, chaos and complexity, has been an area of study in family therapy since the early 1980s. The way in which these dynamics are applied through symbolically represented experiences in afamily is described. Symbols or metaphors in the process of transformation connote meaning, and amid nonlinear dynamics, they assist therapists to understand thefamily's development. Therefore, an integration is proposed that illustrates these dynamics through a case example weaving together contemporary science and human development in the context offamily therapy.