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Article: Systems theory and its application to research on human sexuality.(The Use of Theory in Research and Scholarship on Sexuality)
- Article from:
- The Journal of Sex Research
- Article date:
- February 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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General systems theory (GST) is a Transdiscipline field of study as well as a conceptual approach that has emerged most notably in the second half of the twentieth century. The term system refers to "a set of elements standing in interrelation among themselves and with the environment" (von Bertalanffy, 1975, p. 159). Researchers and theorists apply this concept to study systems in a variety of fields (e.g., families, biology, communication, and defense technology).
Not only has general systems theory been applied across fields, but it also has roots in many disciplines, such as the natural sciences, the social sciences, mathematics, and technology. Some of its ...