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Abstract

It is a methodological challenge to describe change processes within psychology, as
change is often characterized by both loss and growth in function. Especially compensatory
processes may be impossible to describe by conventional methods. These methods
typically detect changes in the level of functionality from one point to another, but are
unable to identify the processes that mediate the development. A micro-genetic method
that is based on high-frequency data collection, may be suitable to describe change processes
in normative populations, as well as psychopathological. As data density is greater
and the observed processes of change can be non-linear, registration, analyzes, and
interpretation of micro-genetic data do, however, challenge the conventional methods of
measurement in psychological research. Within the framework of Synergetics (a theory
of self-organization in complex dynamical systems), Günter Schiepek and colleagues
have developed a tool for registration and analysis: the Synergetic Navigation System.
This system enables close monitoring of clients’ mental state during critical development
phases and offers support for therapeutic processes. In both cases, clients’ dynamic development
processes exhibit characteristics that can be described and analyzed using
concepts and methods from Synergetics. This publication describes how the approach can
be applied in research in adult development of emotion regulation and how it may be
useful in a clinical setting.