ABSTRACT
Everyday action consists of a succession of dynamical systems at the point of intersection between the person and the environment. This fact has profound implications for its analysis in psychological terms. At least one way to get “beyond the metaphor” of dynamical systems theory is to take it literally as a theory of behavior. As a theory, it then does precisely what good theory is supposed to do: It identifies variables and new phenomena that one had, under the assumption of other viewpoints, simply overlooked. Occasionally, it elevates a phenomenon thought trivial from another theoretical viewpoint to a more centrally important place. Occasionally, it frames a theoretical or empirical issue thought important from other theoretical viewpoints as in fact a triviality.
