Chaos has commonly been associated with disorder and imbalance . It is also regularly linked with the indeterminate. In ancient civilizations, harmony or balance between chaos and order was a value in itself, defined as the “kind of implicit order.”
It could be affirmed that the existence of chaos depends on its opposite, order , and vice versa, although science does not see it that way. And the game between both concepts becomes the leitmotif of life.
From mathematics, physics, meteorology, through philosophy , to psychology , chaos has aroused interest, because it summarizes the behavior of natural systems.
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About the so-called chaos theory
Chaos theory is a paradigm that explains how many systems, considered stable and predictable, are not in reality.
Science seeks predictability, so reaching that conclusion paved the way for understanding the behavior of complex systems. In short, the paradigm states that systems are considerably altered only by small changes in their initial conditions.
However, the notion of chaos that arises from the “chaos theory” does not imply a lack of order, but rather that reality and events do not conform to a linear pattern .
In this context, the chaotic respects certain limits. The possibilities of a system are multiple, but the results are limited and are manifested in a certain way . That is, the phenomena respond to their “attractors.” It is a curious way of understanding chaos.
The idea of chaos and the human
The theory raised above serves to clarify the various beliefs, perspectives, attitudes, thoughts or feelings of people facing the same problems in life.
Certainly, there are many circumstances that determine the behavior and way of thinking , in addition to the way of life of individuals.
Under the aforementioned paradigm, a more or less happy and peaceful life is not a guarantee of sustained mental health , or having suffered severe trauma in childhood will not necessarily determine future disorders.
Human beings are different due to their personality , socio-affective elements, cognitive and cultural abilities, and genetic disposition.
The chaos paradigm can explain why there are people who do not develop strengths or abilities while others do, in the face of the same stimuli.
It also guides why mental problems occur in some and in others not under the same adverse environmental conditions . It is also not possible to find 100% efficacy in the use of certain therapies and treatments for disorders , although most people do benefit.
And finally, it shows why two brothers, with the same type of upbringing and similar genetics, will react differently to particular stimuli and events.
Aftermath of the idea of chaos in people
As is evident, adults are marked by a behavior or the sum of values and antivalues , subject to transformation. The personality differences of individuals are given by cognitive aspects, vocational or motivational interests, emotional situation, in a given context. The personality obeys to very diverse factors.
Anxiety and underlying disorders appear because the person develops a great fear of uncertainty . The unknown and situations that are not under control are feared.
As chaos theory would explain , uncertainty – concern – arises from the impossibility of determining reliable predictions, due to the multiple dimensions of chaotic reality.
In more extreme cases, such as obsessive-compulsive personality disorders, fear of unpredictable events from intrusive thoughts stimulates anxiety and causes strong protective physiological reactions.
What is the attractor in chaos theory?
The attractor in theory is the trend marker . The genetics and culture of individuals determine certain similar behaviors. For example, the creed in a universal god or the physical ability of two brothers to run in the speed category.
However, behavior and thinking will vary in many other respects. Still, behavioral patterns and habits are also attractors. Mental disorders can recur because there is a tendency to do so.
In the complexity of the human system, it is also possible that new internal links and complementarities are produced that allow the reconstruction of the previous dysfunction, generating complete remissions of the symptoms .
Chaos and the environment of humans
Human behavior is not isolated, it depends a lot on its environment. People behave according to the group to which they belong or depending on the people who are randomly in life.
If you look at life in retrospect , it is easily detectable that chance has intervened in many aspects of your personality and life itself.
His emotional life and the family he has today is surely the consequence of a fortuitous moment, when he met his partner. The details or less important things, like running to a park, could determine your fate.
The human condition and chaos
Human beings are at the mercy of many indeterminate situations . Humans are not capable of controlling such diverse events in a given space and time.
Therefore, people must understand that dealing with chance, indeterminacy, randomness, or uncertainty is part of life.
On the other hand, there is nothing more changeable than the human condition : the thoughts, the actions that originate from them, are changeable. Life is in constant motion, but people tend to seek stability and stillness.
But in reality, it is an inexhaustible source of creativity from which another order can also emerge. Reality and its imponderables manifest themselves mentally.
The key to knowing how to take advantage of the ups and downs of life without them negatively affecting you, but instead becoming a source of well-being and creativity, will depend on your emotional intelligence and cognitive ability.
Life in balance
If it is understood that chaos is a source of problems and not growth possibilities , it can lead to health problems, financial difficulties and inconveniences in emotional relationships.
It comes from inside the person : he loses his center of force, his balance and his self-esteem . Finding a new balance, starting from inner chaos, should be a goal.
A person without emotional balance reacts badly to everything, even to the expressions of others and to exogenous factors that he does not control.
The imbalance produces bodily reactions with mild health problems, fatigue, pain, and changing symptoms.
All of the above is accompanied by an erratic sense of life, which seems to be at the mercy of circumstances and chance.
In addition, the subject experiences a hypersensitivity to any stimulus, showing nervous and stressed, which does not allow him to recognize his emotional and professional limits.
To find a new balance , several actions are proposed below: which can be very useful:
- Slow down the speed of life
- Focus on the present tense
- Optimize the senses (through relaxation and yoga)
- Relax the desires for control of your life
- Finally, break with strict habits and patterns of behavior.
The focus of interest in your life should be directed towards your inner world . In that same measure, you will earn a place in that world.
Human nature and chaos
It is a source of creation, destruction, death and rebirth at the same time. The apparent disorder, in its diversity, conceals a stable and always fickle pattern. Thus, the human organism continually reorganizes itself and, although the individual is the same, it continues to be different each time.
Considering a holistic vision of human nature, the metaphor of chaos allows us to understand that the human is made of the same matter as the universe.
The human body is made up of the particles that originated the universe, but in an orderly way. When the individual dies, these particles return to the flow of chaos, typical of the earth.
Is chaos necessary?
We want to close this post with this peculiar question. It happens that chaos is an energy that has been valued by many cultures. It is said that it is from this that creation arises, it is the antagonistic to order, the so-called manifestation of ying and yang.
It is what breaks paradigms. Without it, human beings would never come up with new ideas to order the chaotic. In short, it has a value. Although it seems that the ideas of rationality of the Western world try to suppress it , the truth is that a world without chaos does not change, which is something against nature.
It remains to say that current science begins to value the chaotic. It is about studying it, which is why ideas such as those contained in philosophy and its theory regarding the subject arise .
Alexa Clark specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She has experience in listening and welcoming in Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy. It meets demands such as generalized anxiety, professional, love and family conflicts, stress, depression, sexual dysfunction, grief, and adolescents from 15 years of age. Over the years, She felt the need to conduct the psychotherapy sessions with subtlety since She understands that the psychologist acts as a facilitator of self-understanding and self-acceptance, valuing each person's respect, uniqueness, and acceptance.