ABSTRACT
Regulation theory can be operationalized by using a construct incorporating specific elements in a flexible overarching theoretical system. This operational construct might be described metaphorically as constituting a developmental algorithm. This developmental algorithm consists of seven overlapping and complementary domains of knowledge: modern metaphor theory; attachment theory; self psychology with intersubjectivity theory and relational psychoanalysis; cognition; contemporary psychoanalytic developmental psychology; complexity theory; and neurobiology with narrative theory. Unlike classical metaphor theory which locates metaphor in words and language, modern metaphor theory, due directly to neurobiological research findings, locates metaphor in body functionality and body tissues. The chapter looks at the subject from P. Tyson’s perspective, who in a scholarly article, addressed the difficult task of integrating long-held psychoanalytic principles with nonpsychoanalytic domains of knowledge. It examines Joe Palombo’s construct it is helpful to clarify what is meant by scientific realism and scientific pluralism. The chapter discusses case formulation using selected dimensions from the domains to form a comprehensive explanatory hypothesis.
