ABSTRACT
Chaos theory and other nonequilibnum dynamics orientations are providing important insights into the process of change. The chapter concerns symbol formation, emphasizing the positions of two very different thinkers, psychiatrist Carl Jung and contemporary psychologist Larry Vandervert. Jung's work is used to emphasize the use of symbols as dynamic emotional expressions, whereas Vandervert's concept of Neurological Positivism is used to focus on symbols as algorithmic expressions of a new order, forming deep in the mind. Neurological Positivism's (NP) most fundamental concept is the underlying algorithmic organization of the brain. Although NP centers on the mathematical algorithmic properties of the brain-mind system, Vandervert's most recent descriptions of NP bring to mind concepts from Jung's analytical psychology, such as archetypes, symbols, and the relation between the personal and collective unconscious, all in relation to the idea of algorithmic organization.
