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General Systems Theory - Beginning With Wholes [Paperback]

Barbara G. Hanson (Author)

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Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 1995

Though general systems theory is currently the prevailing paradigm in family therapy and social work, there is no accessible text which treats its basic concepts. This book fills the gap by presenting the central ideas of general systems theory in clear and simple language, with a focus on the social sciences. The most important traditional ideas of systems theory are considered along with new ideas running into the 21st Century.;It begins with Aristotle's notion that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. These emergent wholes become the focus of attention in order to study things which are joint productions, like the arms race and intimate relations. Thinking in systems terms means seeing that change in one part changes all parts, like the thaw of the Cold War leading ultimately to the Gulf War. It allows a fresh analytic stance without the necessity of blame that made things worse, such as the retributive policy toward Germany after World War 1, or DDT. New language like feedback gives a way to view social phenomena in terms of systems processes, which may magnify or distort the ultimate effects of actions on a system.; Human systems suggest adding several characteristic

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } Though general systems theory is currently the prevailing paradigm in family therapy and social work, there is no accessible text which treats its basic concepts. This book fills the gap by presenting the central ideas of general systems theory in clear and simple language, with a focus on the social sciences. The most important traditional ideas of systems theory are considered along with new ideas running into the 21st Century.;It begins with Aristotle's notion that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. These emergent wholes become the focus of attention in order to study things which are joint productions, like the arms race and intimate relations. Thinking in systems terms means seeing that change in one part changes all parts, like the thaw of the Cold War leading ultimately to the Gulf War. It allows a fresh analytic stance without the necessity of blame that made things worse, such as the retributive policy toward Germany after World War 1, or DDT. New language like feedback gives a way to view social phenomena in terms of systems processes, which may magnify or distort the ultimate effects of actions on a system.; Human systems suggest adding several characteristic

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Product Details

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 1 edition (June 3, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1560323469
ISBN-13: 978-1560323464
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,928,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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› Visit Amazon's Barbara Gail Hanson Page

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First Sentence:
Aristotle came up with the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
definitional deficit, cybernetic causality, more interrelated parts, contextual emotion, general systems theory approach, human group behavior, emergent wholes, relational wholes, relational units, intimate contexts

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Soviet Union, Gulf War, World War, Cold War, Great Lakes, Humpty Dumpty, New York City, Saddam Hussein, North America, Persian Gulf

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Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 21 books:

Sanity, Madness and the Family: Families of Schizophrenics (Penguin Psychology) by R. D. Laing on page 65, and page 100
Underground Clinical Vignettes: Behavioral Science: Classical Clinical Cases for USMLE Step 1 Review by Vikas Bhushan on page 138, and Back Matter
Anne Of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery on page 108
War of the Worlds( in German) by Wells on page 40
The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells on page 40

See all 21 books this book cites

1 book cites this book:

The Complete Guide to Systems Thinking & Learning by Stephen G. Haines in Back Matter

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