One of the most profound insights of the dynamic systems perspective is that new structures resulting from the developmental process do not need to be planned in advance, nor is it necessary to have these structures represented in genetic or neurological templates prior to their emergence. Rather, new structures can emerge as components of the individual and the environment self-organize; that is, as they mutually constrain each other's actions, new patterns and structures may arise. This theoretical possibility brings into developmental theory the important concept of indeterminism--the possibility that developmental outcomes may not be predictable in any simple linear causal way from their antecedents. This is the first book to take a critical and serious look at the role of indeterminism in psychological and behavioral development. * What is the source of this indeterminism? * What is its role in developmental change? * Is it merely the result of incomplete observational data or error in measurement? It reviews the concepts of indeterminism and determinism in their historical, philosophical, and theoretical perspectives--particularly in relation to dynamic systems thinking--and applies these general ideas to systems of nonverbal communication. Stressing the indeterminacy inherent to symbols and meaning making in social systems, several chapters address the issue of indeterminism from metaphorical, modeling, and narrative perspectives. Others discuss those indeterministic processes within the individual related to emotional, social, and cognitive development.

Jaan Valsiner, Alan Fogel, Maria C.D.P. Lyra

Contents: A. Fogel, M.C.D.P. Lyra, J. Valsiner, Introduction: Perspectives on Indeterminism and Development Part I:Determinacy and Indeterminacy: Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives.P. van Geert, Que Será, Será: Determinism and Nonlinear Dynamic Model Building in Development. A. Gulerce, Change in the Process of Change: Coping With Indeterminism. A. Fogel, A.U. Branco, Metacommunication as a Source of Indeterminism in Relationship Development. M.C.D.P. Lyra, T. Winegar, Proccesual Dynamics of Interaction Through Time: Adult-Child Interactions and the Process of Development. G. Butterworth, Commentary: Determinacy and Indeterminacy: Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives. Part II:Theoretical Approaches to Peer Interaction Processes.Z. de Moraes Ramos de Oliveira, J. Valsiner, Play and Imagination: The Psychological Construction of Novelty. M.I. Pedrosa, A.M.A. Carvalho, A. Império-Hamburger, From Disordered to Ordered Movement: Attractor Configuration and Development. A.L.B. Smolka, M.C.R. De Goés, A. Pino, (In)Determinacy and the Semiotic Constitution of Subjectivity. C. Lightfoot, Commentary: Transforming the Canonical Cowboy: Notes on the Determinacy and Indeterminacy of Children's Play and Cultural Development. G. Litvinovic, Commentary: The Semiotic Argument for Indeterminism in Development. Part III:Theoretical Approaches to Individual Developmental Processes.M.D. Lewis, Personality Self-Organization: Cascading Constraints on Cognition-Emotion Interaction. A. Roazzi, B. Campello de Souza, Epistemology of Cognitive Development Theory. M. Legerstee, Changes in Social-Conceptual Development: Domain-Specific Structures, Self-Organization, and Indeterminism. H. Hurme, Commentary: Cascades on an Epignetic River: Indeterminacy in Cognitive and Personality Development. H. Kojima, Commentary: Looking Backwards and Forward, and the Place for Indeterminism.