Dynamic System Theories as a Meta-Theoretical Frame for Personality Research

Složenost i dinamika osobnih i društvenih pojava davno su uočene pojave u psihologiji, ali je njihovo zahvaćanje u okvirima tradicionalne metodologije oduvijek predstavljalo ozbiljan izazov za istraživače. Perspektiva teorija dinamičkih sustava, iako je relativno nova u istraživanju ličnosti, pa tako i ostalim granama psihologije, pruža mogućnost preciznog zahvaćanja upravo onih pojava koje tradicionalnom metodologijom nije moguće zahvatiti, poput pojave emergencije i nastajanja globalnih faktora ličnosti, te međusobnog utjecaja okolinskih i osobnih faktora na oblikovanje ličnosti. U ovom su članku opisani temeljni koncepti teorija dinamičkih sustava, kao i primjeri primjene istih u empirijskim istraživanjima konstrukata na različitim razinama psihološke stvarnosti, ali i koristeći računalne simulacije. Na kraju, navedeni su neki od istaknutijih dinamičkih modela ličnosti temeljenih na konceptima teorija dinamičkih sustava.For a long time, the complexity and dynamics of personal and social phenomena have been the subject of psychological research, but their presence in the framework of traditional methodology has always presented a challenge for researchers. The perspective of dynamic systems theories, although relatively new in personality research, as well as in other areas of psychology, provides the possibility of accurately capturing the exact phenomena that were not possible using traditional scientific methodology, e.g. phenomenon of emergence of personality factors, and mutual influence of innate and environmental factors on personality development. This article presents key concepts of dynamic systems theories, as well as examples of their application in simulations and in empirical research of constructs on different levels of description. Finally, the article outlines several relevant dynamic personality models based on the concepts of dynamic systems theories