You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
In this paper the author, an analytical psychologist, suggests that chaos theory may be a useful way to think about human relationships when they are in difficulty. He also links chaos theory to many of Jung's ideas about the psyche. His main theory is that ‘healthy systems do not want homeostasis. They want chaos.’ In this way growth and development are fostered.
The first section deals with the background of the theory. He gives the example of initiation rites whereby they can be understood as symbolically annihilating the old; a ritual death that has to happen before a rebirth. In the intervening period there can be a return to chaos. He notes Jung's positive attitude towards chaos and its importance in the development of personality. This can ensue with the eruption into consciousness of what was previously unconscious. In Jung's view, to control too much of this experience decreases the possibility of growth. The author continues that chaotic processes are represented in the symbols and rituals of many religions. Science has however traditionally looked for refining patterns and stability. There is now a shift away from that towards the opposite perspective—that of deterministic chaos.
The fundamentals of deterministic chaos are iteration, sensitive dependence on initial conditions, bifurcations, and attractors. For the non-mathematically minded reader,