Self as a System: A Second Order Cybernetic Perspective

Abstract

The concept of self is explored from the perspective of systems theory and cybernetics. Using ideas as components, it is suggested that the self, like the family, is a legitimate autonomous system; i.e., a unity with organization and structure that functions in a manner that is always self-referential. The concepts of organizational closure and structural coupling (taken from Maturana and Varela) are employed to describe how the self and the family represent non-intersecting systems that nevertheless have a tremendous amount of mutual influence. Finally, implications of this distinction are discussed relative to treatment concerns.