ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how in the twentieth century an intellectual tradition predicated on non-linear relational dynamics evolved. It presents the key ideas in the development of complexity, describes the nature of complex adaptive systems, and reflects on how those principles can be applied in healthcare. The chapter presents the principal developments of complexity in a chronological sequence in order to build up a picture of the paradigm developing in a wide range of increasingly related disciplines – biology, mathematics, ecology and computing. A receptive context implies a potentiality for coherent action, a set of values complexity in primary care through which coherent action can be expressed, the presence of leadership to initiate complex responsive processes, and the potential to engage other agents to co-create and adapt the system. The chapter discusses the key features of complex systems and has introduced the notion of period doubling in systems, which can be described using self-referencing logistic equations.
