Order in disorder : an exploration of psychopathology using chaos theory

M.Sc.This thesis is a meeting of two disciplines: Chaos theory and psychopathology. Chaos theory developed out of mathematics, it aims to explain what is called a 'Chaotic system'. This is a system in which small changes lead to large effects: it is unstable, complex, and in continuous interaction with elements both within and outside of itself. According to this definition, human beings are inherently Chaotic systems. Psychopathology is the study of psychological disorder of human beings, including descriptions, etiologies and treatments. In the past, psychopathology was viewed as a 'modernist' science, seeking one-to-one relationships between cause, effect, symptom and treatment. With the rise of postmodernism, many theorists have criticised this view and sought out a more integrative, context-driven approach to understanding disorder. Although in its infancy, one of these approaches is the application of Chaos theory. In this thesis, the two disciplines meet around a theoretical analysis, and an exploration of a case study of Susan -a 'patient' diagnosed as having Bipolar Mood Disorder. Through exploring the life-story of Susan within the context of Chaos theory, we discover a new, integrative way of looking at 'disorder'1 its manifestations and our reactions to it. This thesis does not aim to give a definitive perspedive of Susan's life-story, or even of the two disciplines. Rather it aims to provide an academic framework for an application of Chaos theory to psychopathology. The thesis concludes that Chaos theory is a useful analogy in constructing a meaning and interpretation of psychopathology