ABSTRACT
In keeping with systems language, an extension of this sort requires an inquiry into the dysfunctional aspects of system operations, or more generally, an examination of dysfunctional processes in human behavior and development. Dysfunctional occurrences are simply a subset of these processes which are generating effects less than those intended or desired. Numerous dysfunctional patterns have been reported in which the appropriate actions and events are happening, but in an inappropriate manner. Accordingly, dysfunctional processes are characteristically found among an array of other such processes that are simultaneously going on. Consequently, syndrome descriptions are typically confined to a representation of those dysfunctional processes thought to be of importance to understanding and/or controlling the condition. The foregoing discussion serves to illustrate some of the ways in which a living systems framework of analysis can be applied to the study of dysfunctional aspects of human behavior and development.
