Understanding Systems: A Comprehensive Overview

Posted on Aug 22, 2024 in Psychology and Sociology

A system is an organized set of interconnected and interdependent parts that work together to form a unified and complex whole.

Inputs: Resources that enter the system, such as materials, human resources, or information. These constitute the initial power of the system.
- Serial Input: The result of a previous system directly related to the system under study.
- Random Input: Potential inputs to a system, often used in a statistical sense.
Outputs: The results of the system’s operation, such as products, services, or information. These represent the purpose for which the system exists.

Process: The mechanism that transforms inputs into outputs.
White-Box Process: A process where the internal workings are fully understood and designed by the administrator.
Black-Box Process: A process where the internal workings are not fully understood.
Feedback: The reintroduction of some of the system’s outputs back into the system as input, creating a loop that can influence future behavior.

Relationships: The connections that bind together the objects or subsystems within a complex system.
- Symbiotic Relationship: A relationship where connected systems cannot operate independently.
  - Unipolar/Parasitic Symbiotic Relationship: One system cannot survive without the other.
  - Bipolar/Mutual Symbiotic Relationship: Both systems rely on each other for survival.
- Synergistic Relationship: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Superfluous Relationship: Relationships that repeat other relationships and are not essential for the system’s function.
Attributes: Characteristics of the system or its components.
- Defining Attributes: Essential characteristics that define the entity.
- Concomitant Attributes: Non-essential characteristics that do not affect the entity’s definition.

Background: The set of objects outside the system.
Focus: The specific element isolated for study within the system.
Limit of Interest: A more concrete boundary than the focus, defining the scope of the study.
Range: A ranking of structures based on their complexity, distinguishing systems from subsystems.

Variables: Elements that exist within the systems and subsystems and can change over time.
Parameter: A variable that remains constant under specific circumstances.
Traders: Variables that activate others and significantly influence the system’s processes.

Homeostasis: The ability of an open system to regulate its internal environment to maintain stability and constancy.
Entropy: The tendency towards disorder in a system. It occurs in both living and non-living systems.

Permeability: The degree to which a system interacts with its environment.
Integration: The interconnectedness of subsystems within a system, where changes in one subsystem affect others.
Centralization: A system where a central core controls all other subsystems.
Adaptability: The ability of a system to learn and modify its processes in response to changes in its environment.
Optimization: The achievement of the system’s initial purpose.
Sub-optimization: When a system fails to meet its objectives and must prioritize essential goals.
Limits: The boundaries that define the relationship between a system and its context.
Emergent Properties: Properties that arise from the complex interactions within a system and are not present in its individual components.
Isomorphism Systemic: Structural similarities between different systems.
Complex Adaptive System: Systems that develop, benefit from disruption, and exhibit a variety of behaviors.

Differential Systems Approach: An approach that emphasizes the analysis of wholes rather than isolated parts.
Servo: A feedback communication subsystem that alters the system’s output based on a set standard.
Negentropy: The energy used to counteract entropy and maintain order.
Recursion: The phenomenon where an object is composed of parts that are themselves similar to the whole.
Homomorphism: A simplified representation of a system that may not perfectly reflect reality.
Teleology: Actions or behaviors directed towards a specific end goal.
Equifinality: The ability to reach the same outcome through different paths.
Will-power: An individual’s desire for power to ensure survival.
Eternal Return: The concept of actions repeating endlessly or an individual’s desire for immortality.
Superman: A subject capable of upholding Judeo-Christian values.
Libido: Sexual energy.
Sublimation: The transformation of sexual energy into cultural creation.
Superstructure: Cultural conditions that influence the infrastructure.
Infrastructure: The combination of production relations and power production.
Yield Strength: The elements used in production.
Relations of Production: The connections between the means of production and human roles (e.g., owner, consumer, worker).