title: General systems theory: implications for theory and action in occupational therapy.
abstract: This paper presents a description of the transformation of science under General Systems Theory, and the relationship of this transformation to the field of occupational therapy. Changes in scientific methods of proof and in scientific laws that underlie theory are discussed. The paper presents a scale for recognizing complexity in phenomena and for analyzing the appropriateness of theories designed to explain the phenomena. It also presents the theory of open systems as an alternative to mechanistic explanations of human behavior.
mesh_terms: D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D012586:Science; D013597:Systems Analysis