ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how simulations can be used to model the complex ways in which social networks influence emergent goal striving processes and system outcomes. It reviews some basic network concepts and provides an overview of dynamic network theory and how it is different from traditional network theories. The chapter gives the importance of emergent phenomena and demonstrates how a rudimentary computational model can be derived from concepts in the theory to simulate emergent network power in a person's goal striving, which represents strong social networks mobilized to assist in dynamic goal pursuit. It also introduces network goal graphing, which sets the stage to create computational simulations to forecast and visualize the ways in which social networks dynamically impact emergent outcomes in real-world goal striving. The chapter considers dynamic network theory to computationally explore how social networks are involved in human goal striving processes over time and in complex environments.
