Original scientific paper
CHAOS AND NON–LINEAR DYNAMICS – NEW APPROACHES WITHIN THE SYSTEMS THEORY
Aleksandar Halmi
; Faculty of Law, Zagreb, Study Social Work Centre
Abstract
In this article the author examines the possibility of the application of the theory of chaos and complexity – two sub–disciplines in the framework of non–linear dynamics – in the field of applied social disciplines, especially of social work. Within social science that deal with human behaviour, it has become obvious that some processes and phenomena could not be explained any more from the aspect of traditional positivistic methodology. Linear and deterministic relations and their causative models, by means of which the functioning of micro and macro systems has been tried to be explained for decades, gradually ceded their place to mew perspectives which have been given by the theory of the so–called “deterministic chaos”. These specific approaches that have appeared only recently within the framework of the systems theory, the author tries to apply in the field of family and group social work, and the social work of organising community.
Keywords
determinism; non–linear dynamics; social system; theory of chaos
Hrčak ID:
141688
URI
Publication date:
15.5.1999.
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