SELF-IDENTITY AND THE OPEN-SYSTEM SELF: A TAOIST/SYSTEMS PARADIGM (CHINA)

The dissertation develops a model of the self, synthesizing systems theory and Chinese Taoism. The model assumes that the self is an open system: that it is hierarchically organized, dynamic, inseparably related to environment, and an active agent in pursuing goals or purposes. The experience of self-identity in the open-system self is examined in terms of psychological boundaries.;The methods of inquiry of classical Western science are reviewed and compared with the methods of inquiry utilized by Taoism. Taoist and systems theory models of human systems are presented as models which acknowledge the inclusion of subjective evidence. Arguments are presented that subjective experience produces data that are essential to the development of a comprehensive model of the self.;A detailed comparison is made between the fundamentals of systems theory and Taoist thought. The Taoist concepts of "chi," "the self," and "following nature" are examined in terms of the systems view of the world. The systems concepts of "boundary," "boundary permeability," "order through fluctuation," "self-organization," and "self-transcendence" are used to describe the Taoist approach towards change and transformation in human experience. The systems terms "optimization" and "resiliency" and the Taoist term "wu-wei" are compared as qualitative measures of whole-system functioning and survivability. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of author.) UMI.;The concept of the self-as-open-system is explored through a discussion of various theoretical concepts of the self: the nature of self as a unity, divisions within the self, and processes of the self in relation to other. The open-system self model is clarified by a description of the processes through which a sense of identity is formed. These processes are shown to include both the differentiation of self from other and the erection of boundaries which both limit and stabilize the self. The functions of these boundaries in perceptual selectivity, in the operation of psychological defense mechanisms, and in the growth process are examined in terms of relevant psychological literature. The concept of "tension-at-the-boundary" is discussed as a qualitative method of measuring the experience of identity. This type of observation studies the selective permeability of the bondaries of the self in relationship to various matter-energy and information inputs. The potential for self-transcendence in the open-system self is also explored in terms of boundary processes.