This article presents a formula for calculating dyadic complexity in groups, families, and other organizations and relational systems. Illustrations of increased dyadic complexity as a function of the increase in organization size are presented as well as a discussion of the dyadic concept as the foundational unit of communication within systems. The article concludes with a discussion of the utility of the dyadic complexity formula as a research tool.
Becvar, R.J., Canfield, B.S., & Becvar, D.S. (1997). Group work: Cybernetic, constructivist, and social constructionist perspectives. Denver, CO: Love Publishing.
2.
Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. New York: Jason Aronson.
3.
Cook, W.L. (1994). A structural equation model of dyadic relationships within the family system. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62(3), 500-509.
4.
Juni, S. (1992). Familial dyadic patterns in defenses and object relations. Contemporary Family Therapy, 14(3), 259-268.
5.
Kenny, D.A. (1988). The analysis of data from two-person relationships . In S. W. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships (pp. 57-77). New York: Wiley.
6.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
7.
Olson, D.H., Sprenkle, D.H., & Russell, C.S. (1979). Circumplex model of marital and family systems: 1. Cohesion and adaptability dimensions, family types, and clinical applications . Family Process, 18, 3-28.
8.
Trost, J. (1996). Family structure and relationships: The dyadic approach. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 27(2), 395-409.
9.
von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General system theory. New York: George Braziller Publishing.
10.
von Foerster, H. (1984). On constructing a reality. In P. Watzlawick (Ed.), The invented reality (pp. 41-61). New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
