Introduction

This chapter examines the properties of the dynamic self-structure contextualized in an ever-changing developmental life cycle framework. Emphasis is placed on one of the most complex phases, the transition from late adolescence into young adulthood. The regulation processes are manifold and include all biopsychosocial-spiritual forces in interaction in a human systems context. As development unfolds, these processes need to be adjusted and modulated in different modes of coordination as the organism adapts to change and adversity. The chapter focuses on two themes first articulated in The Transformational Self: Attachment and the End of the Adolescent Phase. It explores of regulation processes placing selected ones in a developmental context. The chapter demonstrates that the theoretical usefulness of using a set of interlocking theories to form a developmental algorithm, a formula to operationalize regulation theory and illustrate its therapeutic efficacy through an extended case example.