Relationships, Functionally
The core idea of understanding behavior in terms of its function, exploring the view of behavior controlled as by the process of “reinforcement learning” based on B. F. Skinner’s theory of “Radical Behaviorism” a.k.a. “Operant Conditioning,” discussed through analogy to evolution.
Within the “reinforcement learning” paradigm, the function of “punishment” to create “avoidance.” How this shows up in and shapes relationships in (typically undesirable) ways, and thoughts about how to confront these negative effects
The theory of “predictive coding” from neuroscience, which describes an analogous process to reinforcement learning, with some differences in emphasis that can be useful.
Emotion and Attachment in Relationships
Discussion of what emotions are and how they work, functionally speaking. An overview of attachment theory, and how emotions triggered by the state of attachment relationships function to organize those relationships.
- Discussion of “self-parenting” as a working metaphor for the task of “emotional management” and interactions between the management of one’s own emotional “inner child,” and various efforts to manage a partner’s emotional experience
Relationships, Systemically
Overview of core concepts of feedback loops, homeostasis, and the sensor-controller-actuator model of cybernetic systems. “Systemic Thinking” as distinct from “reductionist” thinking, and advantages to looking at your relationships that way.
Relationship Structure
The core idea of the function of a system being determined by its structure. Behaviors themselves and the overall relationship can be thought of as systems and subsystems, with function determined strucute-in-context. Applications from Structural Family Systems.
Complexity
Complexity
Overview of the “theory of complex systems” including concepts of self-organization, emergence, order/chaos, nonlinearity, and attractor states. Tying back to “behavioral-evolution” the concept of relationship as ecosystem.
The Ecology of Relationship
The “level of complexity” in a system is synonymous with “diversity,” the parallel to the concept of “biodiversity” in ecosystems, the conditions under which it develops, and those under which it is threatened. The idea that behaviorally “diverse” relationships are desirable because they make it easy to “be yourself,”… and inversely how “being yourself” is a good way to promote diversity.
Stories and Performance
Relationship Stories
“Story” as a quintessentially human technology, and its function in human relational behavior, focusing on both the shared “story of us” that may function to structure relationships and also provide cognitive components of “attachment,” as well as the function of individual “storytelling” behavior in the interpersonal interaction
Theater of Relationship
Exploration of Social Performance Theory as the “acting out” of stories from participants’ psychologies and sociocultural context. The performance of “roles” which can be either credited or discredited, and the function of the particular definitions of these roles as assigned by participants.
Rules, Games, and Strategy
Strategic Relatedness
Game Theory, and the function of rules and incentives in structuring “strategic” behavior. Relational interaction as a “game.” The related field of Mechanism Design, and the practical question of “engineering rulesets” to incentivize a given behavior.
Government and Economics
Relationship AgreementsThe “rules” of a relationship as a social contract, and the technology of agreements to structure the behavioral ecosystem much like a society. Questions of power and decision-making.