INTEROCEPTION
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1761 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
Self perception by a system of its own invironment.
In order to maintain itself a system must be able to maintain its dynamic stability, which is possible only if it has a sufficient control over its internal state and remains autopoietic. Well integrated systems possess a number of devices which allow them to exercise the needed controls or regulations, by some kinds of internal “knowledge”.
In biological systems such a “knowledge” does not necessarily reaches the level of consciousness.
This seems to be also the case in social systems, at least in a collective sense, since in some cases, individuals duly perceive some abnormal internal state but are not able to awake the global attention of the group. This could be called the “Cassandra syndrome”.
See also
Adaptability, General adaptation syndrome, Leveling mechanisms