William S. Chao | Search arXiv

arXiv2026

Structure-Behavior Coalescence and the Limits of Traditional Systems Theory

This paper examines a foundational assumption in traditional systems theory, namely that structure (the organization of components) and behavior (the evolution of system activity over time) can be treated as separable analytical dimensions. It argues that this separation contributes to persistent difficulties in explaining system identity, particularly in cases involving change, emergence, and boundary specification. To address this issue, the paper introduces Structure-Behavior Coalescence (SBC) as a reframing principle. SBC proposes that structure and behavior should not be understood as independently existing entities that are subsequently related through modeling constructs, but as mutually constitutive aspects of a single systemic process. From this perspective, system identity is understood as arising from the sustained co-determination of structural organization and behavioral dynamics, rather than from their external correspondence or alignment. This reframing provides a unified way of understanding system identity, emergence, and boundary formation within a cybernetically informed systems perspective.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2026

What Is a System? An Interaction-Based Account of Structure-Behavior Coalescence in General Systems Theory

The question of what constitutes a system remains fundamental to General Systems Theory. Existing definitions commonly characterize a system in terms of elements, relationships, boundaries, functions, or interactions, but these perspectives do not always provide a unified account of how system structure and system behavior constitute one another. This paper proposes Structure-Behavior Coalescence (SBC) as an interaction-based account of what a system is. From the SBC perspective, a system is not merely a collection of elements or relationships, nor is it adequately characterized by behavior considered independently of structure. Rather, a system is a structured entity whose behavior arises through interactions among its constituent entities, with those interactions simultaneously contributing to both its structural organization and behavioral realization. The paper develops this perspective by distinguishing system structure, interaction, and behavior while treating them as inseparable aspects of a unified system representation. It argues that interactions provide the essential link through which structural relationships become behavioral processes and through which behavioral processes reveal and instantiate system structure. This perspective provides a basis for representing systems in a manner that maintains consistency between what a system is and what a system does. The paper further considers the implications of SBC for General Systems Theory, particularly for system identity, system boundaries, behavioral emergence, and the representation of complex systems. SBC is presented as a general conceptual foundation that complements existing systems theories by placing the coalescence of structure and behavior through interaction at the center of the definition of a system.

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