Date of Award

1986

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art

First Advisor

Samuel Zibit

Second Advisor

James Swift

Third Advisor

Ruth Bebermeyer

Abstract

This thesis explores the emergence of a new paradigm in understanding health, grounded in the scientific principles of self-organization and systems theory. Gail Dahl Schomaker presents a comprehensive examination of the shift from the traditional Newtonian mechanical worldview to the dynamic, process-oriented perspective rooted in the theory of dissipative structures as formulated by Ilya Prigogine. Central to this new worldview is the conceptualization of living organisms, including humans, as open systems that maintain and increase order through continual interaction with their environment.

The paper is structured to introduce key theoretical models from systems theory, cybernetics, and holistic health, progressively building a layered understanding of how living systems function. It discusses fundamental concepts such as entropy, negentropy, and morphogenesis, applying them to both micro-level individual stress management and macro-level healthcare systems, particularly hospital information infrastructures. By integrating perspectives from physics, biology, and spirituality, the work argues for a more interconnected and process-based view of reality—one in which health is understood not simply as the absence of disease, but as a dynamic state of organized complexity.

Chapter highlights include an examination of systems terminology, the role of information and feedback in living systems, and the application of these ideas to personal and institutional health practices. The thesis advocates for a holistic integration of mind, body, and environment, suggesting that such a model better reflects the realities of human experience and offers a path toward more effective health interventions.

Overall, Schomaker’s work is a multidisciplinary contribution that bridges science, philosophy, and health studies, offering a framework to reconceptualize human health in light of emerging scientific insights into the nature of complexity and organization.

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