Human psychology as dynamical system

This chapter explores the value of dynamical systems theory for studying complex human psychology. It provides an alternative view of human psychology and overcomes many of the field’s limitations in thinking, which the current conventions of statistical and qualitative methods cannot, on their own, get past. Still, the rigorous study of human behaviour as a complex and evolving dynamic system is mathematically and conceptually challenging, requiring significant transdisciplinary engagement amongst mathematicians and social scientists. This chapter first introduces the main mathematical concepts central to the field, from bifurcation points to continuous dynamical systems; and, second, surveys dynamical psychology’s nine core realities about human psychology. The goal is to point readers toward the most promising research in this transdisciplinary area of social complexity.