Commentary: fish, foxes, identity, and emotion

Summary

Paul Van Geert's chapter provides a lucid explanation of the dynamic systems approach that will be invaluable in orienting the reader to the other contributions in this volume. Dynamic systems theory was developed to explain the organization and maintenance of physical and biological systems that appear to defy the second law of thermodynamics (i.e. the law of entropy). The editors of this volume hope to demonstrate that dynamic systems theory can provide a framework for understanding one's “identity” or “self” as a stable system that may yet change over time in a lawful manner. They propose that this system emerges from the interaction of component elements, including cognition, emotion, and contextual experience.

If the dynamic systems approach is to be a guiding framework for studying the development of self and identity, then it should offer novel solutions to old problems or redefine what constitutes a problem. Only the experts who study these phenomena can determine whether it does so. We would like to highlight certain issues raised by Van Geert's description of the characteristics of dynamic systems that should be kept in mind during such evaluation.

Van Geert begins by emphasizing that dynamic systems involve a set of component elements. This seemingly obvious fact is actually quite important because several features of dynamic systems might also seem applicable to phenomena conceived as unanalyzable wholes. Thus, one who views identity as a unitary phenomenon might observe that it develops in a discontinuous fashion and assumes a limited range of values within a particular time period.