The Complexity of Human Behaviour: A New Paradigm for Physiotherapy?

AbstractPhysiotherapy lacks a paradigm appropriate for the definition of the profession and the reasoning of clinical practice. In this review the central nervous system (CNS) is reconsidered as a complex adapting system (CAS), offering a model of behaviour based on self-organization. Neuroplasticity is explored as the means by which agents in the system interact, with population coding and models of processing being the mechanisms through which behaviour is achieved. Complexity theory is used to construct a holistic model of human behaviour; the total integration model (TIM). Physiotherapy is placed as a 'weighted' stressor within a homeodynamic system, with emergent client behaviour reflecting the aggregate influence of all stressors. TIM is proposed as a new paradigm for physiotherapy.