626 APPENDICES are the same for everyone and therefore predictable. However, when we “zoom in,” individual trajectories turn out to be unique and do not follow the familiar path of milestones. At the individual level, development seems to be more erratic and unpredictable. The traditional approach in developmental psychology to gain an understanding of development is through the dissection of the organism into smaller components, known as reductionism. We then speak of the development of vision, motor skills, cognition, and so on. This approach has uncovered universal milestones of development. However, it does not explain the emergence of new forms and complex behaviours from the multitude of individual components, nor does it account for the unique aspect of development. Complex system theory (CST) provides a framework in which both the universal (nomothetic) and unique (idiographic) aspects of development can be demonstrated. CST describes the order, regularity, and uniformity of development that is globally evident in all healthy individuals, while also providing an understanding of the diversity, flexibility, and asynchrony that accompany individual development. It is a paradigm that explains how local processes of perception and action in everyday life can lead to global outcomes while ensuring long-term continuity during the process of daily changes. The knowledge gained about complex systems in various fields and disciplines such as medical science, biology, natural sciences, mathematics, economics, and physics can also be applied to humans. The main characteristic of a complex system is the existence of emergent processes that distinguish complex systems from other systems. Complexity means that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. That is, properties of a complex system cannot be reduced to individual units, and conversely, new structures can emerge from individual units that cannot be explained by the separate parts. An example of this is the “wetness” of water. Individual water molecules do not have the property of “wetness”; however, when these same molecules are brought together in a certain quantity, the property of “wetness” emerges. These emergent processes are possible thanks to the ability of a complex system to self-organize. This involves the formation of new structures and patterns without the need for a leader or guiding factor in the environment or within the system itself. Examples of this include a flock of birds in flight, a school of fish in water, or the intricate construction of a termite mound. The organization of how the flock flies or the school swims occurs spontaneously (emerges), without any external intelligence or pre-programmed blueprint. Similarly, no “supervisor” is needed for the construction of termite mounds. Individual termites or birds simply follow a few local “rules.” From this limited set of rules, ingenious and complex termite mounds or beautiful bird flocks emerge. To initiate development and promote new behaviour, we employ self-organization in our method. In fact, our method is also determined by a limited number of ‘rules’,
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