Hope for a “magic pill” is the most valuable thing for a man - the illusory ability to solve complex situations is simple. And what does “difficult” mean? Having components that are connected in one way or another. But this does mean that the situation has a structure that can be regarded as a system. So, we can apply a systematic approach to solving the problem . This method helps to make the question easier, but without compromising the effectiveness of the measures taken.
A systematic approach is the consideration of an object or phenomenon in a variety of relationships that allow you to predict changes in the object of consideration. Elements of systems can be very many, and their connections are ambiguous. And yet there are principles that help make a scientist's life easier. They are called "principles of a systems approach." With their help, you can overcome the "curse of complexity." We illustrate ideas with examples from psychology.
The principle of determination : the system does everything to achieve the goal, even if circumstances change. As we see, this principle can easily explain such a complex phenomenon as the conservatism of personality. The fact is that goals are not formed by the most powerful aspects of our psyche, so flexibility is not to be expected.
The principle of tolerance: only those systems that are able to tolerate some deviations from their convenient parameters are viable. In practice, this is manifested in the fact that the level of achievement of a person is associated with his ability to endure discomfort. So do not complain about the inconvenience - you need to learn to tolerate or eliminate them, but not to despair. A systematic approach argues that tolerance is highly paid.
The principle of emergence - each system has properties that cannot be deduced from the properties of individual elements and the relationships between them. When two personalities form a family, something like a new psyche is formed, common to family members (it is not for nothing that it is believed that the spouses are given a new angel - the guardian of the family). And the "spirit" of such a new family may be unlike the "spirit" of each individual family member.
The principle of agreement - the goals of the system and subsystems should at least not contradict, ideally, coincide, although this almost never happens. Hence the mass of disagreement in everyday life. For example, the goals of parents are to give their son a higher education, and the goals of their son are to get the most out of life. And when it becomes a choice between entertainment and evening work, systemic contradictions begin. This is a conflict of values.
The principle of causality - any change is necessarily associated with other changes. Take as an example a complete woman: until there is enough reason to lose weight, she will not take up the matter. And many live like this for years.
The principle of determinism - the system changes only due to external reasons. And do not fool yourself. Goals are set "outside." Take the problem of self-education. A person reads additional books not because he set a goal for himself, but because he realized that he lacks knowledge. That is, the reason is still external, but how to solve the problem - by reading the literature, the person himself decided. By the way, the existence of God follows from this principle. But this is a separate issue.
The principle of diversity - the stability of the system due to the diversity of the characteristics of the elements. Of course, if there is no contradiction. According to this principle, a family of very different people is more likely to cope with a variety of problems than a family of similar people with similar problems.
The principle of entropy - an isolated system dies. Of course it sounds sad. But the fact is that if a person loses touch with his environment, he will degrade. Remember that goals are set externally and externally controlled. The system overcomes its imperfections. And if there is no interaction, then degradation is inevitable. So, if a person loses interest in life, then his mental activity gradually or immediately fades.
There are other principles, but those stated above are fundamental for understanding what a systematic approach is.