Conceptual frameworks and the philosophical foundations of general living systems theory

The continued expansion and fragmentation of biological disciplines impede education, communication, and efficient advance of biological research. Reversing these trends may require a unification of theories and concepts from all levels of biological organization. One form of this unification is the statement of generalizations that apply to all living systems. We explore the philosophical foundations of general theories of living systems by analyzing conceptual frameworks as they apply to biology. This analysis examines the relation of empirical observation, theories, and conceptual frameworks within the context of an individual scientist's conceptual continuum. Also presented are a small set of translevel generalizations that articulate our conceptual framework of living systems in terms of organismic system organization, the environmental system-organismic system dyad, system capacity, and system incorporation. A set of procedural rules are stated which suggest minimum criteria for the evaluation of the explanatory adequacy of biological theories. The relation of this work to other similar analyses and syntheses of biological knowledge is discussed.     

Preparing the school-age child for adoption.

The development of an adoptive relationship for children who have been in the limbo of foster care is a continuous process. It is unrealistic to expect these families to live happily ever after. Agencies must begin developing regular services to meet the special needs of the families being created. To a large extent the issues that will have to be worked through relate to the stages of preparation outlined in this paper. Each stage in the child's growth may activate unresolved issues around the grief at the biological parents' rejection, confusion about identity or difficulty in working through problems. Future adoptive home recruitment must take this into account by providing training and other supports to families considering adopting the older child.     

Urbanization and Patterns of Juvenile Delinquency in New South Wales

A comparison of urban and rural patterns of juvenile delinquency in N.S.W. showed that, among boys, there were more charges of breaking entering and stealing, assault, robbery, and truancy in the metropolitan area, and more charges of stealing, receiving, malicious damage, offences against good order, and ‘complaints’ (C.W. Act) in country areas. More boys aged 15 to 17 were charged in the metropolitan area and more aged 12 to 14 in country areas. Similar urban-rural differences were found among girls; however, except for truancy and being uncontrollable, they were not significant. Additionally, in rural areas 12-year-old girls were charged more often with criminal offences and selected ‘complaints’.     

Sunshine Isn't Everything!

In recent years the decline in morale among Australian teachers has been reflected in the high drop-out rate of teacher trainees. In an attempt to account for this situation, a pilot study was conducted with a sample of experienced teachers in New South Wales. An overview is given of the hierarchical importance which the respondents ascribed to a number of professional, educational and social considerations.     

Urban Dispersal in Australia

In a recent issue of the Journal, Professor R. E. Lonsdale argued that the relatively successful American experience of decentralization suggests serious difficulties in attempting a comparable programme in Australia. His comparisons, while illuminating many of the problems which must be faced by a realistic regional development policy, are unduly pessimistic in their assessment of the Australian situation. The barriers to urban dispersal in Australia lie less in economic and social conditions than in political attitudes and governmental structures.