The person-centered systems theory (German: Personzentrierte Systemtheorie) is a multi-level concept for the understanding of processes in psychotherapy, counseling, coaching and clinical psychology under consideration of the interrelation of different levels – namely body, psyche, interpersonal and social processes . The concept has been developed by the German psychologist and psychotherapist Jürgen Kriz.  Person-centered systems theory focuses on the necessity to reduce the   incomprehensible complexity of (physical-chemical) stimuli by means of developing meaningful structures, patterns and rules in order to create acomprehensibly simple lifeworld. In this context, the question of stability as well as adaptive transition of the patterns is essential.Moreover, the historic perspective plays an important role because it provides the only access to an understanding of cultural patterns of explanation, metaphors, narrations     as well as principles of reasoning. Here, Kriz introduces the term 'meaning attractor' (German: Sinnattraktor) , which he describes as reduction of the vast possibilities of understanding and communication providing certainty and stability while limiting change, adaptation and creativity. Accordingly, it is an essential objective of person-centered systems theory to explain the effects of psychotherapy – and clinical processes in general    – across various methods and schools of thought. The systems theoretical (meta-) perspective of the person-centered systems theory refers to the systems-theoretical concepts of Gestalt psychology as well as humanistic psychotherapy (Carl Rogers' person-centered approach in particular) on the one hand and the relations to modern interdisciplinary systems theory (especially concepts of self-organization and synergetics)on the other . Contrary to the common systems approach in psychotherapy – as in systemic and family therapy -, person-centered systems theory does not primarily focus on patterns of interactions and communication respectively but it takes into account the individual (the person in the sense of person-centered psychotherapy)   as well as the underlying somatic processes and the cultural embedding of meaning processes . After all, central aspects like sense, mind, meaning or coherence are related to   the level of personal processes – even if these are substantially affected in their biographical and historical dynamic by social processes . A social system can define and /or prescribe something as meaningful – however, experiencing it as something meaningful is an intrinsic process of that person (first person perspective). According to the model  of synergetics, the patterns at each process level can be stable (for a given time) or show phase transitions. The former comes along with the positive aspects of predictability, familiarity and security, but the negative aspects of rigidity, solidification and non-adaptation. The latter is experienced as leaving old and inadequate patterns behind in order to reach new and better adapted ones. This has the positive aspects of novelty, creativity and uniqueness, but the negative aspects of instability, uncertainty and chaos. In the life-course of individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations, both phases of stability and of pattern transitions are necessary. Many symptoms and problems are related to over-stabilization of patterns, which have been good solutions to some requirements but are no longer adequate or functional due to the fact that the requirements have changed   . The  person-centered systems theory describes the systemic effects of communication between humans (couples, families, organizations) as well as their interrelations through internal processes (perception, thinking, feeling)in its complex, non-linear interaction both bottom-up and top-down. Kriz (2017) provides a comprehensive presentation and discussion of the person-centered systems theory   . Kriz, Jürgen (2017). Subjekt und Lebenswelt. Personzentrierte Systemtheorie für Psychotherapie, Beratung und Coaching (Subject and lifeworld. Person-centered systems theory for psychotherapy, counseling and coaching). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht . . Kriz, Jürgen (2013). Person-Centred Approach and Systems Theory. In: Cornelius-White, M., Motschnig, R. Lux, M. (eds.) : Interdisciplinary Handbook of the Person-Centered Approach: Research and Theory. New York: Springer 261-276 Kriz, Jürgen (2009). Cognitive and Interactive Patterning: Processes of creating meaning. In: Jaan Valsiner, Peter C. M. Molenaar , Maria C. D. P. Lyra Nandita Chaudhary(eds.) : Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences. New York: Springer, 619-650 Kriz, Jürgen (2008). Self-Actualization: Person-Centred Approach and Systems Theory. PCCS-books. Ross-on-Wye, UK  Cornelius-White, Jeffrey H.D. %DIFDELCMD < & %%%  Kriz, Jürgen (2008). The Formative Tendency: Person-centred Systems Theory, Interdependence and Human Potential. In: Brian Levitt(ed.) : Reflections on human potential: The person-centred approach as a positive psychology. Ross-on-Wye (UK): PCCS-books, 116-130 Kriz, Jürgen (2001). Self-Organization of Cognitive and Interactional Processes. In: Matthies, M. , Malchow, H. %DIFDELCMD < & %%%  Kriz, J. (eds.) : Integrative Systems Approaches to Natural and Social Dynamics. Heidelberg: Springer, 517-537 Kriz, Jürgen (  1991). Mental Health: Its Conception in Systems Theory. An Outline of the Person-Centered System Approach. In: Pelaez, M.J.(ed.) : Comparative Sociology of Family, Health & Education XX, (Malaga, Espania), 6061-6083 External links Interview with Jürgen Kriz on the topic of Self- Actualization and Rogerian Person Centered Psychotherapy. Towards a Synthesis: Person-Centered Systems Theory. English translation of the last chapter of Jürgen Kriz: Grundkonzepte der Psychotherapie (Essential concepts of psychotherapy). Weinheim: Beltz/PVU 1985, rev. edition 1989. List of English publications by Jürgen Kriz - mostly dealing with person-centered systems theory.
The person-centered systems theory (German: Personzentrierte Systemtheorie) is a multi-level concept aiming at the reconstruction and explanation of human experience, action and interaction processes in such a way that inappropriate reductions to the focus of individual therapeutic schools of thought are avoided as far as possible. It has been developed by the German psychologist and psychotherapist Jürgen Kriz. The approach takes into account findings and aspects from different discourses – especially from humanistic psychotherapyRogers, Carl R. (1961). On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. London: Constable. ISBN 1-84529-057-7.Excerpts. Retrieved 2020-07-03.Gendlin, Eugene T. (1982/2007). Focusing. 2nd rev. ed., New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-55327-833-0, synergeticsHaken, Hermann (1983). Synergetics. An Introduction. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-88340-8., Gestalt psychologyKoffka, Kurt (1935). Principles Of Gestalt Psychology. New York: Harcourt, Brace. Retrieved 2020-06-25., biosemioticsUexküll, Jacob von (2010). A Foray Into the Worlds of Animals and Humans: With a Theory of Meaning. Translated by Joseph D. O'Neil, Minneapolis/London: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-816-65900-1 as well as evolutionary psychologyDunbar, Robin (1998). The social brain hypothesis. Evolutionary Anthropology, 23, 178–190.. Person-centered systems theory is, as Kriz emphasizes, neither a method nor a toolbox of methods. Its aim is to provide a theoretical foundation for integrating the valuable contributions of individual "schools" with more recent findings from other scientific disciplines. Four process levels At the center of the person-centered systems theory is the human being in their everyday world with the necessary interest in creating a tangible, meaningfully organized world from the incomprehensible complexity of a (physico-chemical) stimulus world. Kriz assigns the multitude of relevant processes to four process levels. However, he underlines that this is a purely analytical distinction, because influences from all four process levels on living and acting are effective at every moment. In addition, further processes may be distinguished depending on the respective question. The following four levels are to be regarded as the minimum of what must be taken into account in order not to systematically disregard essential effects. a) Psychological processes This is the main level on which people generate meaning and significance. Humans are connected to the world through perceptions and actions; through thought and emotive processes they evaluate these processes and can observe themselves. b) Interpersonal processes This level deals with micro-social structures of couples, families or teams for whom face-to-face communication is typical. Terms such as "interaction patterns" or "communicative structures" indicate that the meaning of expressions and their contribution to mutual cooperation are negotiated in joint interaction. Everybody believes to know the expectations of the others and is influenced or even guided by these expectations.Mead, George Herbert (1925). The Genesis of Self and Social Control. International Journal of Ethics 35, 251–277. The Mead Project. Retrieved 2020-07-04. It is a network of mutual insinuations that stabilizes "reality" even when much of it is not true. Since these tacit assumptions are rarely talked about, the chances of correction are rather low. Everyday experience, as well as research, show how people often experience themselves as victims of others or of circumstances, although they themselves (unconsciously) contribute to maintaining this pattern. Psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching usually look at the processes on levels (a) and (b) and often also at their interactions. However, the influences of two other process levels are largely neglected: c) Cultural processes Usually, people have not – neither individually nor interpersonally – invented the meaning of words and sentences, the expectations of fellow human beings, the inner images, "how living together works", and so on. Rather, different cultures and subcultures convey meanings that significantly influence the processes of (a) and (b). Clues about the meaning of events in the "here and now" are deduced from the media, conversation with colleagues at work, and from other non-family sources. These influences remain to a large extent unconscious. The impact of the cultural level, which constantly affects people, is by no means limited to cultural events – i.e. to what is happening in organizations, in legislation, or in the mass media. Rather, the socio-cultural aspects essentially concern the way in which persons see and understand themselves, their fellow human beings, and the "world". This becomes particularly clear when considering the interdependencies of levels (a) and (c): If human beings want to understand themselves in their feelings, thoughts and actions, then they have to use the "cultural tools" of their social environment. This is especially true when it comes to their very own, innermost "subjective" processes (affects, perceptions, etc.) . The effects of the cultural process level remain largely hidden from everyday consciousness. They are, however, essential components of the structures in human expectations of the world and of others as well as their own expectations of what others expect of them. d) Bodily processes In accordance with Ciompi's affect logic, Kriz highlights that at any given moment both cognitive-psychic and affective processes occur simultaneously in the human organism. Because of the slower change of biochemical parameters, the affective processes form the framework for the rapidly changing cognitive processes with their bioelectric basis. Furthermore, the implicit knowledge of the human organism, which originates from early experiences as well as from evolutionary preformations, is of great relevance. This has long been underestimated, but is now discussed under the term "social brain" . Humans are hardly aware of many of these structuring effects of the bodily processes on what is described under (a) and (b). Nevertheless – or precisely because of this – these processes have a very strong effect. Stability, instability, and the interaction of the four process levels Kriz understands symptoms and problems with which people come into psychotherapy, counseling, or coaching as over-stable process patterns. These were mostly appropriate and functional in earlier stages of development, but have not adapted to new conditions. This is because human development – both at the level of the individual and in social systems – consists of repeatedly abandoning effective process patterns whenever new developmental challenges arise. For example, different patterns of interaction are required at the family level depending on whether a child has just been born, is in kindergarten or school, reaches puberty, is starting professional training, and so on. The same applies to the organization of the psychological processes of the child itself. Also, companies have to change their structure and processes because the business environment is constantly evolving.In organizations and management, this is discussed under the collective term of change management . Meaning attractors For psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching, the question of stability – or over-stability – as well as change and new adaptation is essential. The model for understanding these phenomena is the interdisciplinary systems theory of synergetics, which in turn derives from the theory of non-linear dynamic systems. It deals with self-organization processes in which a large number of components form orders or patterns which then react upon the further developmental dynamics of the components. Such dynamic stabilities or orders are called attractors. Person-centered systems theory though is not concerned with phenomena for which energetic processes are important. Rather, it is about psychosocial phenomena of the natural sciences for which sense and meaning are essential. Kriz, therefore, uses a structural-scientific version of synergetics as a model basis.Kriz, Jürgen; Tschacher, Wolfgang (2013). Systemtheorie als Strukturwissenschaft: Vermittlerin zwischen Praxis und Forschung (Systems theory as structural science: mediator between practice and research). Familiendynamik, 38 (2), S. 12–21. He specifies the attractors as meaning attractors (German: Sinnattraktor), which he describes as reduction of the vast possibilities of understanding and communication providing certainty and stability while limiting change, adaptation, and creativity. Accordingly, the task of psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching would be to support the change of over-stable meaning attractors (which show up as symptoms and problems in psychological and interactive processes) in their adaptation to developmental tasks. This takes place in a phase transition – a transition from one state of order to another. Symptomatic or painful orders are destabilized so that new orders can emerge that are better able to cope with the new conditions. Bottom-up und Top-down Stability, instability, and order-order transitions (phase transitions) can be described in detail within the framework of synergetics. Self-organized orders or attractors thus arise from feedback processes between a micro and a macro level. In terms of perception, this has been illustrated by Gestalt psychology already a hundred years ago using the phenomenon of a "melody". A melody emerges "bottom-up" from tones. At the same time, however, this melody affects the perception of the tones "top-down". For example, one and the same physical tone is perceived either as a "soothing tonic" or as a "tension-laden dominant", depending on the context of the melody. Similarly, words create certain meaningful connections with another person (bottom-up), whereby the meaning of further words is understood in the context of these connections (top-down) . Complex interaction The basic conditions for self-organized orders (i.e. the attractors) are set by the environment of a system. In person-centered systems theory , the environmental conditions are represented on each level by the respective other levels, which results in a complex interaction of all levels. Complementarity of objective and subjective perspectives Kriz emphasizes the relevance of a distinction between objective and subjective perspectives and at the same time highlights their complementarity. In natural science, objects have neither the ability to reflect and interpret their situation nor to act accordingly. Hence, scientific synergetics is primarily concerned with the relationship between a self-organizing system and its environment. This is fundamentally different when dealing with humans. Therefore, the question always arises whether it is about environmental conditions, as described by observers (or scientists, therapists), or about those conditions as experienced by the clients themselves. This question of perspective was already discussed by biosemiotics a century ago and, in relation to the world of animals, led to the distinction between environment and Umwelt. For the human realm, however, the term "Lebenswelt" (lifeworld) is preferred to Umwelt.Husserl, Edmund (1936/1970). Die Krisis der europäischen Wissenschaften und die transzendentale Phänomenologie (The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology). Hamburg: Meiner. Lebenswelt is characterized above all by an inexhaustible supply of intersubjectively agreed symbols, which makes the human being an "animal symbolicum".Cassirer, Ernst (1953–57). Philosophy of symbolic forms. 3 vol. English translation. New Haven: Yale University Press (Original German title: Philosophie der symbolischen Formen, 1923–29). The different perspectives explain why objective findings of diagnostics often have little to do with the subject's sensitivities. This also applies to the objectively determined (or officially prescribed) requirements of a person as opposed to what someone feels that it is needed. Both perspectives are important for understanding and cannot be played off against each other. Kriz criticizes that many concepts such as "stress" or "resources" are often described primarily on the basis of "objective" factors such as noise or money, while actually other aspects like lack of appreciation may be relevant to the subject's experience and actions . Kriz, Jürgen (2017). Subjekt und Lebenswelt. Personzentrierte Systemtheorie für Psychotherapie, Beratung und Coaching (Subject and lifeworld. Person-centered systems theory for psychotherapy, counseling and coaching). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht , ISBN 978-3-525-49163-8. Kriz, Jürgen (2013). Person-Centred Approach and Systems Theory. In: Cornelius-White, Jeffrey H.D.; Motschnig, Renate; Lux, Michael, eds. : Interdisciplinary Handbook of the Person-Centered Approach: Research and Theory. New York: Springer , 261–276. Kriz, Jürgen (2009). Cognitive and Interactive Patterning: Processes of creating meaning. In: Valsiner, Jaan; Molenaar, Peter C. M. ; Lyra , Maria C. D. P. ; Chaudhary, Nandita, eds. : Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences. New York: Springer, 619–650. Kriz, Jürgen (2008). Self-Actualization: Person-Centred Approach and Systems Theory. PCCS-books. Ross-on-Wye, UK . Cornelius-White, Jeffrey H.D. %DIFDELCMD < & %%% ; Kriz, Jürgen (2008). The Formative Tendency: Person-centred Systems Theory, Interdependence and Human Potential. In: Levitt, Brian E., ed. : Reflections on human potential: bridging the person-centered approach and positive psychology. Ross-on-Wye (UK): PCCS-books, 116–130. Kriz, Jürgen (2001). Self-Organization of Cognitive and Interactional Processes. In: Matthies, M. ; Malchow, H. %DIFDELCMD < & %%% ; Kriz, J. , eds. : Integrative Systems Approaches to Natural and Social Dynamics. Heidelberg: Springer, 517–537. Kriz, Jürgen ( 1993). Pattern Formation in Complex Cognitive Processes. In: Haken, Hermann; Mikhailov, A., eds.: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Nonlinear Complex Systems. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer, 161–175. Kriz, Jürgen ( 1991). Mental Health: Its Conception in Systems Theory. An Outline of the Person-Centered System Approach. In: Pelaez, Manual J., ed. : Comparative Sociology of Family, Health & Education . Vol. 20, Malaga, Spain: University of Malaga, 6061–6083. References
R
for the understanding of processes in psychotherapy, counseling, coaching and clinical psychology under consideration of the interrelation of different levels – namely body, psyche, interpersonal and social processes . The concept
aiming at the reconstruction and explanation of human experience, action and interaction processes in such a way that inappropriate reductions to the focus of individual therapeutic schools of thought are avoided as far as possible. It
A
The approach takes into account findings and aspects from different discourses – especially from humanistic psychotherapyRogers, Carl R. (1961). On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. London: Constable. ISBN 1-84529-057-7.Excerpts. Retrieved 2020-07-03.Gendlin, Eugene T. (1982/2007). Focusing. 2nd rev. ed., New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-55327-833-0, synergeticsHaken, Hermann (1983). Synergetics. An Introduction. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-88340-8., Gestalt psychologyKoffka, Kurt (1935). Principles Of Gestalt Psychology. New York: Harcourt, Brace. Retrieved 2020-06-25., biosemioticsUexküll, Jacob von (2010). A Foray Into the Worlds of Animals and Humans: With a Theory of Meaning. Translated by Joseph D. O'Neil, Minneapolis/London: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-816-65900-1 as well as evolutionary psychologyDunbar, Robin (1998). The social brain hypothesis. Evolutionary Anthropology, 23, 178–190..
R
focuses on the necessity to reduce the
is, as Kriz emphasizes, neither a method nor a toolbox of methods. Its aim is to provide a theoretical foundation for integrating the valuable contributions of individual "schools" with more recent findings from other scientific disciplines.
A
Four process levels
A
At the center of the person-centered systems theory is the human being in their everyday world with the necessary interest in creating a tangible, meaningfully organized world from the
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(physical-chemical) stimuli by means of developing meaningful structures, patterns and rules in order to create acomprehensibly simple lifeworld. In this context, the question of stability as well as adaptive transition of the patterns is essential.Moreover, the historic perspective plays an important role because it provides the only access to an understanding of cultural patterns of explanation, metaphors, narrations
a (physico-chemical) stimulus world. Kriz assigns the multitude of relevant processes to four process levels. However, he underlines that this is a purely analytical distinction, because influences from all four process levels on living and acting are effective at every moment. In addition, further processes may be distinguished depending on the respective question. The following four levels are to be regarded as the minimum of what must be taken into account in order not to systematically disregard essential effects.
A
a) Psychological processes
A
This is the main level on which people generate meaning and significance. Humans are connected to the world through perceptions and actions; through thought and emotive processes they evaluate these processes and can observe themselves.
A
b) Interpersonal processes
A
This level deals with micro-social structures of couples, families or teams for whom face-to-face communication is typical. Terms such as "interaction patterns" or "communicative structures" indicate that the meaning of expressions and their contribution to mutual cooperation are negotiated in joint interaction. Everybody believes to know the expectations of the others and is influenced or even guided by these expectations.Mead, George Herbert (1925). The Genesis of Self and Social Control. International Journal of Ethics 35, 251–277. The Mead Project. Retrieved 2020-07-04. It is a network of mutual insinuations that stabilizes "reality" even when much of it is not true. Since these tacit assumptions are rarely talked about, the chances of correction are rather low. Everyday experience,
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principles of reasoning. Here, Kriz introduces the term 'meaning attractor' (German: Sinnattraktor) , which he describes as reduction of the vast possibilities of understanding and communication providing certainty and stability while limiting change, adaptation and creativity. Accordingly, it is an essential objective of person-centered systems theory to explain the effects of psychotherapy – and clinical processes in general
research, show how people often experience themselves as victims of others or of circumstances, although they themselves (unconsciously) contribute to maintaining this pattern.
A
Psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching usually look at the processes on levels (a) and (b) and often also at their interactions. However, the influences of two other process levels are largely neglected:
A
c) Cultural processes
A
Usually, people have not
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across various methods and schools of thought.
neither individually nor interpersonally – invented the meaning of words and sentences, the expectations of fellow human beings, the inner images, "how living together works", and so on. Rather, different cultures and subcultures convey meanings that significantly influence the processes of (a) and (b). Clues about the meaning of events in the "here and now" are deduced from the media, conversation with colleagues at work, and from other non-family sources. These influences remain to a large extent unconscious.
R
systems theoretical (meta-) perspective of the person-centered systems theory refers to the systems-theoretical concepts of Gestalt psychology as well as humanistic psychotherapy (Carl Rogers' person-centered approach in particular) on the one hand and the relations to modern interdisciplinary systems theory (especially concepts of self-organization and synergetics)on the other
impact of the cultural level, which constantly affects people, is by no means limited to cultural events – i.e. to what is happening in organizations, in legislation, or in the mass media. Rather, the socio-cultural aspects essentially concern the way in which persons see and understand themselves, their fellow human beings, and the "world". This becomes particularly clear when considering the interdependencies of levels (a) and (c): If human beings want to understand themselves in their feelings, thoughts and actions, then they have to use the "cultural tools" of their social environment. This is especially true when it comes to their very own, innermost "subjective" processes (affects, perceptions, etc.)
R
Contrary to the common systems approach in psychotherapy – as in systemic and family therapy -, person-centered systems theory does not primarily focus on patterns of interactions and communication respectively but it takes into account the individual (the person in the sense of person-centered psychotherapy)
The effects of the cultural process level remain largely hidden from everyday consciousness. They are, however, essential components of the structures in human expectations of the world and of others as well as their own expectations of what others expect of them.
A
d) Bodily processes
A
In accordance with Ciompi's affect logic, Kriz highlights that at any given moment both cognitive-psychic and affective processes occur simultaneously in the human organism. Because of the slower change of biochemical parameters, the affective processes form the framework for the rapidly changing cognitive processes with their bioelectric basis. Furthermore, the implicit knowledge of the human organism, which originates from early experiences
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the underlying somatic processes and the cultural embedding of meaning processes
from evolutionary preformations, is of great relevance. This has long been underestimated, but is now discussed under the term "social brain"
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After all, central aspects like sense, mind, meaning or coherence are related to
Humans are hardly aware of many of these structuring effects of the bodily processes on what is described under (a) and (b). Nevertheless – or precisely because of this – these processes have a very strong effect.
A
Stability, instability, and the interaction of the four process levels
A
Kriz understands symptoms and problems with which people come into psychotherapy, counseling, or coaching as over-stable process patterns. These were mostly appropriate and functional in earlier stages of development, but have not adapted to new conditions. This is because human development – both at
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personal processes
the individual and in social systems
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even if these are substantially affected in their biographical and historical dynamic by social processes
consists of repeatedly abandoning effective process patterns whenever new developmental challenges arise. For example, different patterns of interaction are required at the family level depending on whether a child has just been born, is in kindergarten or school, reaches puberty, is starting professional training, and so on. The same applies to the organization of the psychological processes of the child itself. Also, companies have to change their structure and processes because the business environment is constantly evolving.In organizations and management, this is discussed under the collective term of change management
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A social system can define and /or prescribe something as meaningful – however, experiencing it as something meaningful is an intrinsic process of that person (first person perspective).
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According to the model
Meaning attractors
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For psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching, the question of stability – or over-stability – as well as change and new adaptation is essential. The model for understanding these phenomena is the interdisciplinary systems theory
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the patterns at each process level can be stable (for a given time) or show phase transitions. The former comes along with the positive aspects of predictability, familiarity and security, but the negative aspects of rigidity, solidification and non-adaptation. The latter is experienced as leaving old and inadequate patterns behind in order to reach new and better adapted ones. This has the positive aspects of novelty, creativity and uniqueness, but the negative aspects of instability, uncertainty and chaos. In the life-course of individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations, both phases of stability and of pattern transitions are necessary. Many symptoms and problems are related to over-stabilization of patterns, which have been good solutions to some requirements but are no longer adequate or functional due to the fact that the requirements have changed
which in turn derives from the theory of non-linear dynamic systems. It deals with self-organization processes in which a large number of components form orders or patterns which then react upon the further developmental dynamics of the components. Such dynamic stabilities or orders are called attractors. Person-centered systems theory though is not concerned with phenomena for which energetic processes are important. Rather, it is about psychosocial phenomena of the natural sciences for which sense and meaning are essential. Kriz, therefore, uses a structural-scientific version of synergetics as a model basis.Kriz, Jürgen; Tschacher, Wolfgang (2013). Systemtheorie als Strukturwissenschaft: Vermittlerin zwischen Praxis und Forschung (Systems theory as structural science: mediator between practice and research). Familiendynamik, 38 (2), S. 12–21. He specifies the attractors as meaning attractors (German: Sinnattraktor), which he describes as reduction of the vast possibilities of understanding and communication providing certainty and stability while limiting change, adaptation, and creativity. Accordingly, the task of psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching would be to support the change of over-stable meaning attractors (which show up as symptoms and problems in psychological and interactive processes) in their adaptation to developmental tasks. This takes place in a phase transition – a transition from one state of order to another. Symptomatic or painful orders are destabilized so that new orders can emerge that are better able to cope with the new conditions.
A
Bottom-up und Top-down
A
Stability, instability, and order-order transitions (phase transitions) can be described in detail within the framework of synergetics. Self-organized orders or attractors thus arise from feedback processes between a micro and a macro level. In terms of perception, this has been illustrated by Gestalt psychology already a hundred years ago using the phenomenon of a "melody". A melody emerges "bottom-up" from tones. At the same time, however, this melody affects the perception of the tones "top-down". For example, one and the same physical tone is perceived either as a "soothing tonic" or as a "tension-laden dominant", depending on the context of the melody. Similarly, words create certain meaningful connections with another person (bottom-up), whereby the meaning of further words is understood in the context of these connections (top-down)
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The
Complex interaction
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The basic conditions for self-organized orders (i.e. the attractors) are set by the environment of a system. In
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describes the systemic effects of communication between humans (couples, families, organizations) as well as their interrelations through internal processes (perception, thinking, feeling)in its complex, non-linear interaction both bottom-up and top-down.
, the environmental conditions are represented on each level by the respective other levels, which results in a complex interaction of all levels.
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Kriz (2017) provides a comprehensive presentation and discussion of the person-centered systems theory
Complementarity of objective and subjective perspectives
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Kriz emphasizes the relevance of a distinction between objective and subjective perspectives and at the same time highlights their complementarity. In natural science, objects have neither the ability to reflect and interpret their situation nor to act accordingly. Hence, scientific synergetics is primarily concerned with the relationship between a self-organizing system and its environment. This is fundamentally different when dealing with humans. Therefore, the question always arises whether it is about environmental conditions, as described by observers (or scientists, therapists), or about those conditions as experienced by the clients themselves. This question of perspective was already discussed by biosemiotics a century ago and, in relation to the world of animals, led to the distinction between environment and Umwelt. For the human realm, however, the term "Lebenswelt" (lifeworld) is preferred to Umwelt.Husserl, Edmund (1936/1970). Die Krisis der europäischen Wissenschaften und die transzendentale Phänomenologie (The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology). Hamburg: Meiner. Lebenswelt is characterized above all by an inexhaustible supply of intersubjectively agreed symbols, which makes the human being an "animal symbolicum".Cassirer, Ernst (1953–57). Philosophy of symbolic forms. 3 vol. English translation. New Haven: Yale University Press (Original German title: Philosophie der symbolischen Formen, 1923–29).
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The different perspectives explain why objective findings of diagnostics often have little to do with the subject's sensitivities. This also applies to the objectively determined (or officially prescribed) requirements of a person as opposed to what someone feels that it is needed. Both perspectives are important for understanding and cannot be played off against each other. Kriz criticizes that many concepts such as "stress" or "resources" are often described primarily on the basis of "objective" factors such as noise or money, while actually other aspects like lack of appreciation may be relevant to the subject's experience and actions
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. Vol. 20, Malaga, Spain: University of Malaga, 6061–6083.
D
External links
R
Interview with Jürgen Kriz on the topic of Self- Actualization and Rogerian Person Centered Psychotherapy. Towards a Synthesis: Person-Centered Systems Theory. English translation of the last chapter of Jürgen Kriz: Grundkonzepte der Psychotherapie (Essential concepts of psychotherapy). Weinheim: Beltz/PVU 1985, rev. edition 1989. List of English publications by Jürgen Kriz - mostly dealing with person-centered systems theory.
References