Cybernetic Foundations for Psychology
Bernard Scott
Log in download the full text in PDF
> Citation
> Similar
> References
> Add Comment
Abstract
Context: The field of psychology consists of many specialist domains of activity, which lack shared foundations. This means that the field as a whole lacks conceptual coherence. Problem: The aim of the article is to show how second-order cybernetics can provide both foundations and a unifying conceptual framework for psychology. Method: The field of psychology is overviewed. There is then a demonstration of how cybernetics can provide both foundations and a unifying conceptual framework. This entails defining some key cybernetics concepts and showing how they have already permeated the field, largely implicitly, and showing how, when made explicit, they can unify the field. Results: I show how concepts from second-order cybernetics can unify “process” and “person” approaches within psychology and can also unify individual psychology and social psychology, a unification that also builds conceptual bridges with sociology. Implications: The results are of value for bringing order to an otherwise inchoate field. They afford better communication between those working in the field, which is likely to give rise to new research questions and more effective ways of tackling them. Constructivist content: Central to the article is a reliance on concepts taken from the constructivist perspective of second-order cybernetics.
Key words: First-order cybernetics, second-order cybernetics, conceptual foundations, conceptual unification, system, self-organisation, control.
Citation
Scott B. (2016) Cybernetic foundations for psychology. Constructivist Foundations 11(3): 509–517. http://constructivist.info/11/3/509
Export article citation data:
Plain Text ·
BibTex ·
EndNote ·
Reference Manager (RIS)
Similar articles
References
American Psychological Association (2015) New APA policy bans psychologist participation in national security interrogations: Association takes strong stance in response to findings of independent review. Monitor on Psychology 46(8): 8.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/09/cover-policy.aspx
American Psychological Association (2015) Report to the special committee of the board of directors of the American Psychological Association: Independent review relating to APA ethics guidelines, national security interrogations and torture.
http://www.apa.org/independent-review/revised-report.pdf
Aristotle (1920) Politics. Translated by Benjamin Jowett Oxford University Press, Oxford. Originally written between 335–323 BCE.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Arnold M., Urquiza A. & Thumala D. (2011) Recepción del concepto de autopoiesis en las ciencias sociales [English Translation]. Sociológica (México) 26(73): 87–108.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Ashby W. R. (1952) Design for a brain: The origin of adaptive behaviour. Wiley, New York. The second edition was published in 1960.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Bannister D. & Fransella F. (1971) Inquiring man: The theory of personal constructs. Penguin, Harmondsworth.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Baron P. (2015) A challenge to objective perception in hearing and seeing in counselling psychology. Kybernetes 44(8/9): 1406–1418.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Barsalou L. W. (2012) The human conceptual system. In: Spivey M., McRae K. & Joanisse M. (eds.) The Cambridge handbook of psycholinguistics. Cambridge University Press, New York: 239–258.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Becvar D. S. & Becvar R. J. (2006) Family therapy: A systemic integration. Allyn & Bacon, Boston MA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Bertalanffy L. von (1950) An outline of general systems theory. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 1: 134–165.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Bertalanffy L. von (1972) The history and status of general systems theory. In: Klir G. (ed.) Trends in general systems theory. Wiley, New York
http://cepa.info/2701
Breggin P. (2008) Brain-disabling treatments in psychiatry: Drugs, electroshock, and the psychopharmaceutical complex. Springer, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Chapman S. J. & Jones D. M. (1980) Models of man. The British Psychological Society, Leicester.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Conway F. & Siegelman J. (2006) Dark hero of the information Age: In search of Norbert Wiener, the father of cybernetics. Basic Books, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Dallos R. & Draper R. (2010) An introduction to family therapy: Systemic theory and practice. Third edition. McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Dallos R. & Urry A. (1999) Abandoning our parents and grandparents: Does social construction mean the end of systemic therapy? Journal of Family Therapy 21: 161–86.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Dreyfus H. L. & Rabinow P. (1983) Michel Foucault: Beyond structuralism and hermeneutics. Second edition. Chicago University Press, Chicago.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Ellul J. (1964) The technological society. Translated by J. Wilkinson. A. A. Knopf, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Eysenck H. J. (1966) Personality and experimental psychology. Bulletin of the British Psychological Society 19: 1–28.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Eysenck M. & Keane T. (2015) Cognitive psychology: A student’s handbook. Psychology Press, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Feist G. (2008) The psychology of science and the origins of the scientific mind. Yale University Press, Boston MA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Flaskas C. (2002) Family therapy beyond postmodernism: Practice challenges theory. Brunner-Routledge, Hove.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Foerster H. von (1960) On self-organizing systems and their environments. In: Yovits M. & Cameron S. (eds.) Self-organizing systems. Pergamon Press, London: 31–50. Reprinted in Foerster H. von (2003) Understanding understanding. Springer, New York: 1–19
http://cepa.info/1593
Foerster H. von (eds.) (1974) Cybernetics of cybernetics. BCL Report 73.38. Biological Computer Laboratory, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana IL. Republished in 1995 by Future Systems, Minneapolis MN.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Foerster H. von, Mead M. & Teuber H. L. (1953) A note from the editors. In: Cybernetics: Circular causal and feedback mechanisms in biological and social systems, transactions of the eighth conference, 15–16 March 1951. Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, New York NY: xi–xx
http://cepa.info/2709
Ford N. (2008) Web-based learning through educational informatics. Hershey, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Foucault M. (1980) Truth and power. In: Gordon C. (ed.) Power/knowledge. Selected interviews and other writings. Pantheon Books, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Freeman W. H. (2000) Brains create macroscopic order from microscopic disorder by neurodynamics in perception. In: Arhem P., Blomberg C. & Liljenstrom H. (eds.) Disorder versus order in brain function. World Scientific, Singapore: 205–220
http://cepa.info/2702
George F. H. (1976) Cybernetics (Teach yourself). Hodder and Stoughton, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Gholson B., Shadish W. R., Neimeyer R. A. & Houts A. C. (1989) Psychology of science: Contributions to metascience. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge MA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Glasersfeld E. von (1984) An introduction to radical constructivism. In: Watzlawick P. (ed.) The invented reality: How do we know what we believe we know? W. W. Norton, New York: 17–40
http://cepa.info/1279
Goethals G. R. (2007) A century of social psychology: Individuals, ideas, and investigations. In: Hogg M. A. & Cooper J. (eds.) The SAGE handbook of social psychology. Sage, London: 3–23.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Gross R. (2010) Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour. 6th Edition. Hodder Education, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Haken H. (2006) Information and self-organization. A macroscopic approach to complex systems. Third enlarged edition. Springer, Berlin.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Hayes N. (2000) Foundations of psychology: An introductory text. Third edition. Cengage Learning EMEA, Andover.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Hearnshaw L. S. (1979) Cyril Burt: Psychologist. Cornell University Press, Ithaca NY.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Heidegger M. (1977) The question concerning technology and other essays. Translated by William Lovitt. Harpes & Row, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Heims S. J. (1991) Constructing a social science for postwar America: The cybernetics group, 1946–1953. MIT Press, Cambridge MA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Hesse M. B. (1966) Models and analogies in science. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame IN.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Ho M. W. (1995) Bioenergetics and the coherence of organisms. Neuronetwork World 5: 733–750.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Hollingsworth J. R. & Müller K. H. (2008) Transforming socio-economics with a new epistemology. Socio-Economic Review 3(6): 395–426.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Illich I. (1977) Disabling professions. In: Illich I., Zola I. K., McKnight J., Caplan J. & Shaiken H. (eds.) Disabling professions. Marion Boyars, London: 11–39.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Ioannidis J. P. A. (2005) Why most published research findings are false. PLoS Medicine 2(8): E124.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
John L. K., Loewenstein G. & Prelec D. (2012) Measuring the prevalence of questionable research practices with incentives for truth telling. Psychological Science 23(5): 524–532.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Johnstone L. (2000) Users and abusers of psychiatry: A critical look at psychiatric practice. Routledge, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Joynson R. B. (1974) Psychology and common sense. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Kagee A. & Lund C. (2012) Psychology training directors’ reflections on evidence-based practice in South Africa, South African Journal of Psychology 42(1): 103–113.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Kelly G. A. (1977) The psychology of the unknown. In: Bannister D. (ed.) New perspectives in personal construct theory. Academic Press, London: 1–19.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Koch S. (1976) Language communities, search cells, and the psychological studies. In: Arnold W. J. (ed.) Nebraska symposium on motivation. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln NE: 447–559.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Lambek M. (2014) Recognizing religion: Disciplinary traditions, epistemology, and history. Numen: International Review for the History of Religions 61(2/3): 145–165.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Laurillard D. (2002) Rethinking university teaching: A conversational framework for the effective use of learning technologies. Second edition. Routledge, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Leary D. E. (ed.) (1990) Metaphors in the history of psychology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge MA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Luhmann N. (1982) Interaction, organization, and society. Translated by Stephan Holmes and Charles Larmore. In: Luhmann N., The differentiation of society. Columbia University Press, New York: 69–89. German original published as: Luhmann N. (1975) Interaktion, Organisation, Gesellschaft. In: Soziologische Aufklärung 2: Aufsätze zur Theorie der Gesellschaft. Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen: 9–20.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Luhmann N. (1984) Soziale Systeme: Grundriß einer allgemeinen Theorie. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main. English translation: Luhmann N. (1995) Social systems. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Luhmann N. (1986) The autopoiesis of social systems. In: Geyer F. & van der Zouwen J. (eds.) Sociocybernetic paradoxes. Sage, London: 172–192
http://cepa.info/2717
Luhmann N. (1990) Political theory in the welfare state. Translated by John Bednarz Jr. Berlin-New York, Walter de Gruyter. German original published as: Luhmann N. (1981) Politische Theorie im Wohlfahrtsstaat. Olzog, Munich.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Luhmann N. (1990) The autopoiesis of social systems. In: Luhmann N., Essays on self-reference. Columbia University Press, New York: 1–20. Originally published in 1986
http://cepa.info/2717
Luhmann N. (1995) Social systems. Translated by John Bednarz Jr, with Dirk Baecker. Stanford, Stanford University Press. German original published as: Luhmann N. (1984) Soziale Systeme. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Luhmann N. (2012) Theory of society Vol. 1. Translated by Rhodes Barrett. Stanford University Press, Stanford. German original published as: Luhmann N. (1997) Gesellschaft der Gesellschaft. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Martin R. J. (2015) The role of experience in the ASC’s commitment to engage those outside the cybernetics community in learning cybernetics. Kybernetes 44(8/9): 1331–1340.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Maturana H. R. (1970) Biology of cognition. BCL Report No. 9.0. University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. Reprinted in: Maturana H. R. & Varela F. J. (1980) Autopoiesis and cognition. Reidel, Dordrecht: 5–58
http://cepa.info/535
Maturana H. R. (2002) Autopoiesis, structural coupling and cognition: A history of these and other notions in the biology of cognition. Cybernetics & Human Knowing 9(3–4): 5–34
http://cepa.info/685
McCann J. T., Shindler K. L. & Hammond T. R. (2004) The science and pseudoscience of expert testimony. In: Lilienfeld S. O., Lynn S. J. & Lohr J. M. (eds.) Science and pseudoscience in clinical psychology. Guilford Press, London: 77–108.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Mead M. (1968) Cybernetics of cybernetics. In: Foerster H. von, White J., Peterson L. & Russell J. (eds.) Purposive Systems, Spartan Books, New York NY: 1–11
http://cepa.info/2634
Meyer W. F., Moore C. & Viljoen H. G (2008) Personology: From individual to ecosystem. Fourth edition. Heinemann, Sandown.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Mills C. (2013) Decolonizing global mental health: The psychiatrization of the majority world. Routledge, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Newell A. (1990) Unified theories of cognition. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Pask G. (1960) The natural history of networks. In: Yovits M. C. & Cameron S. (eds.) Self-organising systems. Pergamon Press, London: 232–261.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Pask G. (1963) The use of analogy and parable in cybernetics, with emphasis upon analogies for learning and creativity. Dialectica 17(2/3): 167–202.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Pask G. (1970) The meaning of cybernetics in the behavioural sciences. In: Rose J. (ed.) Progress of cybernetics. Volume 1. Gordon and Breach, London: 15–44
http://cepa.info/1847
Pask G. (1979) Against conferences: The poverty of reduction in sop-science and pop-systems. In: Proceedings of the silver anniversary international meeting of the Society for General Systems Research. SGSR, Washington: xiii–xxv.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Pask G. (1980) The limits of togetherness. In: Lavington S. H. (ed.) Information processing ‘80. North-Holland, Amsterdam: 999–1012.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Pask G. (1981) Organisational closure of potentially conscious systems. In: Zelany M., (ed.) Autopoiesis. North Holland Elsevier, New York: 265–307
http://cepa.info/2703
Pask G. (1987) Conversation and support. Research Programme Ondersteuning Overleving & Cultuur (OOC). Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam: 5–43.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Pask G. (1996) Heinz von Foerster’s self organization, the progenitor of conversation and interaction theories. Systems Research 13(3): 349–362
http://cepa.info/2706
Pask G., Scott B. & Kallikourdis D. (1973) A theory of conversations and individuals (exemplified by the learning process in CASTE). International Journal of Man-Machine Studies 5: 443–566.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Popper K. (1963) Conjecture and refutations. Routledge and Kegan Paul, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Ross L., Lepper M. & Ward A. (2010) History of social psychology: Insights, challenges, and contributions to theory and application. In: Fiske S. T., Gilbert D. T. & Lindzey G. (eds.) Handbook of social psychology. 5th Edition. Wiley, Hoboken.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Sanford F. H. (1966) Psychology: A scientific study of man. Second edition. Wadsworth, Belmont CA.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Schiepek G., Ludwig-Becker F., Helde A., Jagfeld F., Petzold E. R. & Kröger F. (2005) Synergetics for practice: Therapy as encouraging self-organized processes. In: Bohak J. & Možina M. (eds.) Contemporary flows in psychotherapy. Slovenian Umbrella Association for Psychotherapy, Rogla: 25–33.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Schiepek G., Picht A., Spreckelsen C., Altmeyer S. & Weihrauch S. (2005) Computer-based process diagnostics of dynamic systems. In: Bohak J. & Možina M. (eds.) Contemporary flows in psychotherapy. Slovenian Umbrella Association for Psychotherapy, Rogla: 34–51.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Schlötter P. (2005) Vertraute Sprache und ihre Entdeckung. Systemaufstellungen sind kein Zufallsprodukt – der empirische Nachweis. Carl-Auer Verlag, Heidelberg.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Scott B. (1993) Working with Gordon: Developing and applying Conversation Theory (1968–1978) Systems Research 10(3): 167–182
http://cepa.info/295
Scott B. (2001) Conversation theory: A dialogic, constructivist approach to educational technology. Cybernetics & Human Knowing 8(4): 25–46
http://cepa.info/1803
Scott B. (2001) Gordon Pask’s conversation theory: A domain independent constructivist model of human knowing. Foundations of Science 6(4): 343–360
http://cepa.info/1806
Scott B. (2002) Cybernetics and the integration of knowledge. In: Encyclopaedia of life support systems. EoLSS Publishers, Oxford. Web publication
http://cepa.info/1801
Scott B. (2006) Reflexivity revisited: The sociocybernetics of belief, meaning, truth and power. Kybernetes 35 (3–4): 308–316
http://cepa.info/1797
Scott B. (2009) Conversation, individuals and concepts: Some key concepts in Gordon Pask’s interaction of actors and conversation theories Constructivist Foundations 4(3): 151–158
http://constructivist.info/4/3/151
Scott B. (2011) Explorations in second-order cybernetics. Reflections on cybernetics, psychology and education. Edition echoraum, Vienna.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Scott B. (2012) Ranulph Glanville’s Objekte. In: Glanville R., The black b∞x. Volume 1: Cybernetic circles. Edition Echoraum, Vienna: 63–76. Originally published in 2005
http://cepa.info/1786
Scott B. (in press) Reflections on the sociocybernetics of social networks. In: Lisboa M. (ed.) Complexity and social actions: Interaction and multiple systems. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Simmons J. P., Nelson L. D. & Simonsohn U. (2011) False-positive psychology: Undisclosed flexibility in data collection and analysis allows presenting anything as significant. Psychological Science 22(11): 1359–1366.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Soldz S. (1990) The therapeutic interaction: Research perspectives. In: Wells R. A. & Giannetti M. J. (eds.) Handbook of the brief psychotherapies. Plenum Press, New York NY: 27–53.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Sommerfeld P., Hollenstein L., Calzaferri R. & Schiepek G. (2005) Real-time monitoring: New method for evidence-based social work. In: Sommerfeld P. (ed.) Evidence-based social work: Towards a new professionalism? Peter Lang, Bern: 199–232.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Stevens S. S. (1936) Psychology: The propaedeutic science. Philosophy of Science 3(1): 90–103.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Šugman Bohinc L. (in press) Social work: The science, profession and art of complex dealing with complexity. In: Mešl N. & Kodele T. (eds.) Co-creating processes of help: Collaboration with families in community. Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Tavris C. (2004) The widening scientist-practitioner gap. In: Lilienfeld S. O., Lynn S. J. & Lohr J. M. (eds.) Science & pseudoscience in clinical psychology. Guilford Press, London: ix–xviii.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Tyler I. (2013) Revolting subjects: Social abjection and resistance in neoliberal Britain. Zed Books, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Varga M. v. K. & Sparrer I. (2016) Ganz im Gegenteil. Tetralemmaarbeit und andere Grundformen Systemischer Strukturaufstellungen – für Querdenker, und solche die es werden wollen. Carl Auer Verlag, Heidelberg.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Vorhemus U. (2015) Systemische Strukturaufstellungen – Systemisch – Konstruktivistisch – Phänomenologisch. Systmedia Verlag, Aachen.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Werbert A. (1989) Psychotherapy research between process and effect: The need of new methodological approaches. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia 79(6): 511–522.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
White M. & Epston D. (1990) Narrative means to therapeutic ends. W. W. Norton, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
White M. (2011) Narrative practice: Continuing the conversations. W. W. Norton, New York.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Wiener N. (1948) Cybernetics: Or control and communication in the animal and the machine. MIT Press, Cambridge MA. The second edition was published in 1985.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Wittgenstein L. (1953) Philosophical investigations. Basil Blackwell, Oxford.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Yovits M. & Cameron S. (eds.) (1960) Self-organizing systems. Pergamon Press, London.
▸︎ Google︎ Scholar
Comments: 0
To stay informed about comments to this publication and post comments yourself, please log in first.