1.1.3. The principle of purposefulness

It states that the system is purposeful – it has functional tendency which is directed on a system’s reaching of some state expressed by a purpose – a future useful result of the motion (change of the state of system). According to this principle the examinee’s actions directed on carrying out of a diagnostic task should be of a purposeful character, i.e. to Follow the purpose formulated by the experimenter.

According to the postulate of choice, the system has the ability of choosing the behavior and, therefore, the ability of predicting the actions. That’s why some individual differences in achieving one and the same purpose in the process of the procedure of the diagnostics represent an independent diagnostic value.

1.1.4. The principle of purpose conditionality

It states the primacy of purpose. A system should be formed so that it reaches the purpose. During the process of functioning the purpose may change and according to it the structure and the ways of functioning should also change. In a system there should be a mechanism estimating the degree of reaching the purpose.

This principle, first of all, tells about the necessary of revealing the purpose of functioning of any system under study (social group, psychic process, characteristics of nervous system, etc.). Secondly, it tells about the necessity of systematic current diagnostics which may help to estimate the effectiveness of the promotion to the purpose (training, education, correction, etc.).

1.1.5. The principle of controllability

States that the system should be controlled, i.e. to change its motion (structure, state, and the way of functioning) under the influence of controlling actions.

At first, the diagnostics of the effectiveness of controlling (correcting, regulating and self-regulating) influences can be carried out according to the results of the analysis of the consequences of these actions which are expressed by the modification of structure, state, the way of functioning of the appropriate psychic functions (professionally important qualities, skills, etc.). Secondly, you should take into account the peculiarities of ontogenesis of the object of research for adequate interpretation of the diagnostic data. Because the ontogenesis, reflecting the history of controlling influences, helps to understand the peculiarities of individual development of the investigated characteristics.

1.1.6. The principle of relativity

Treats one and the same collection of element both as an independent system and as a part (subsystem) of another, great system, which is included into. In its turn, the same collection of elements can be considered as a big system in relation to the parts which are included in it.

So, the systems, enclosed into each other, are hierarchical. The components in the hierarchy are ordered: according to the levels – by subordination (on the vertical), inside of the levels – by coordination (on the horizontal).

In system diagnostics this principle, firstly, testifies about the necessity of limitation of any research by particular frameworks. Because it is impossible to investigate absolutely everything, even theoretically. Secondly, it helps to separate more significant parameters from less significant ones to build a necessary strategy of the diagnostics.

1.1.7. The principle of efficiency

Testifies that the changes of motion of a controlled system should take place in time, i.e. in real time. Taking into account that the real time of macrosystems is more than the real time of microsystems, the changes in a controlled macrosystem are slower than the changes in microsystem. In this connection the qualities which are on the top hierarchical levels of a person’s structure are changed more slowly than the qualities of lower levels. Besides the amplitude of changes of the qualities which are placed on top levels differs from those on lower levels. I should be taken into account in a person’s system diagnostics, especially when you interpret the results.

§ 2. The components of system approach

and their use in a person’s system diagnostics

The components of system approach are: system-structural, system-functional and system-genetic approaches.

1.2.1. System-structural approach means the description of the elements of the structure of this or that system and the correlations between these elements.

The structure is understood as a form of expression of a system’s contents, regular connections between the elements which is defined by a functional purpose of the system.

In system-structural approach there may be distinguished horizontal (parity) and vertical (hierarchical) structures. In horizontal structures one-serial qualities, i.e. qualities which have no essential differences according to the criteria of difficulty and significance, are joined. In vertical structures multi-serial qualities, i.e. the qualities which differ from each other by significance and difficulty, are joined. The mutual relation between these qualities is built according to the principle of hierarchy and subordination. More significant and difficult qualities occupy dominating, higher hierarchical position in relation to the less significant and less composite qualities.

The use of system-structural approach, first of all, provides necessary entirety of the diagnostics, because it gives the idea of all the elements of investigated system. Secondly, in case you need to make a sample research system-structural analysis helps to reveal the most important qualities, i.e. it gives the idea of their hierarchical position.

1.2.2. System-functional approach corresponds with the concept of function. Function is a contents of the system consisting in the exchange of substance, energy and information with the environment. That’s why this component of system approach means the description of the system’s exchange of substance, energy and information with the environment.

The use of system-functional approach, firstly, provides the validity of the methods of the diagnostics due to the revealing of functional essence of investigated quality. Because a distorted comprehension of functional essence (which is not always on the surface) naturally entails the distortion (non-validity) of the corresponding diagnostic method (to get a more detailed information, se 2.1, chapter 1). Secondly, system-functional approach is a theoretical basis of the methods of functional diagnostics. Thirdly, it helps to make an adequate interpretational of internal and external correlations of investigated parameters, which essentially depend on their functional peculiarities.

1.2.3. System-genetic approach describes the appearance, origin and the development of alive nature (philogenesis) and individual organism (ontogenesis).

The use of system-genetic approach , first of all, justifies the ideas about a hierarchical position of investigated quality taking into account its philo-ontogenesis. It is known that in earlier stages of both philo- and ontogenetic development the qualities of lower hierarchical levels were formed, and in later stages – the qualities of higher hierarchical levels. That’s why the height of hierarchical position of this or that quality is proportional to the period of its philo-ontogenetic development.

Secondly, system-genetic analysis helps to understand the peculiarities of the development of investigated quality. Particularly it helps to understand the tempos of the development and the frequency of distribution of quality in population of people. So, we have made a comparative analysis of some peculiarities of philogenetic development of organs of vision and hearing which has shown why the achromates are as rare phenomenon as the people with absolute high-pitch hearing. The reason of it is the peculiarities of philogenesis of interior measurement standards of electromagnetic and sound oscillations perception. The successful interaction of a man with environment requires the absolute measurement standards for the perception of color and relative (comparative) measurement standards – for the perception of the pitch of a sound (Yu. A. Tsagarelly, 1989).