Matthijs Koopmans, Hofstra University and York College, New York, NY

Abstract: In spite of the fact that nonlinear dynamical models have been used for almost half a century in the area of family process theory, an appreciation of the potential of chaos models is a relatively recent development. The present paper discusses the shift of focus in our understanding of family processes resulting from Prigogine's chaos framework, and outlines a chaos approach to family interaction. It is argued that this approach allows us to more effectively address one of the central outstanding questions in the field, namely, how self-regulatory behavior can contribute to structural transformation of the family system.

Keywords: Key Words: chaos, family systems, self-regulation