[Chaos theory and psychoanalysis: the fluid nature of the soul].

Abstract

Progress in the new science of chaos has made it possible for scientists of several different disciplines to extend their understanding of complex systems and to quantify some phenomena which are called transition states. These transitions occur when the nature of system changes noticeably, for example when a fluid changes from a laminar to a turbulent flow. Nonlinear systems (which are best modelled by chaos) are described in this article and are compared to the psychoanalytic model of the soul. Some psychoanalytic phenomena are examined with methods of the chaos principles. The author claims that a sufficient number of interrelations between operative models in the disciplines which have profited from the application of chaos principles and psychoanalytic models of the soul exist in order to justify theoretical and experimental efforts to use these principles. These efforts could enrich our understanding of the soul and suggest a new methodology for psychoanalytic research.