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In studying the relationship between Cybernetics and Social Science, theories and research in Sociocyber‐netics are examined. The focus is on researchers who apply Cybernetics to the study of society and its social systems and processes. References are backed by a new 300‐item bibliography of the relevant system literature, compiled for the article.

To provide an overview of the historical development of non‐reductive currents in science that underpinned the sociocybernetic movement and from that perspective assess the importance of the movement for social science.

Examines the principles of general system theory, cybernetics, and sociocybernetics, in a relevant selection of the founding literatures as an outgrowth of the long‐term development of the structures of knowledge in the modern world and as related to contemporary geopolitics and the world‐economy.

Indicates how sociocybernetics, as a holistic alternative, may be a part of the solution to the crisis of analytic approaches in applications targeting an understanding and interpretation of human reality.

Suggests how scholars may confront today's world as active agents without losing their status as producers of authoritative knowledge.

This paper seeks to apply a systemic approach to study human‐map‐space interactions that will benefit the design of a wayfinding map.

This paper presents a case study that was based on Van Bockstaele et al.'s sociocybernetic theory as a research framework to map study. Van Bockstaele et al.'s theory suggests that an individual's behaviour derives from a cognitive system that consists of latent (background thinking process) and patent (amplified language or action that communicates with the public) action. To observe and understand an individual's action, the observer must also consider cognitive systems. Applying this theory, the process of individuals using maps to solve wayfinding tasks within the City of Fremantle, Western Australia was observed. The study involved observing 30 international students who use three maps, each of which presents iconic, symbolic, and iconic and symbolic representations, to locate four destinations in the city.

Findings suggest that external systems such as maps and the actual environment affect an individual's latent and patent actions, while their behaviour affects the way they perceive the external systems.

This paper addresses the complexity of systems involved in the process of an individual using maps to solve wayfinding tasks in the actual environment.

This study provides graphic and information designers with a substantial understanding of human‐map‐space interactions based on systemic perspectives.

The application of sociocybernetics is uncommon in map studies. This paper provides a link between the two disciplines.

A principal problem of information systems (IS) development today is how to integrate the work activity and social context of users into the IS which is being designed. This paper aims to delineate a sociocybernetic approach which enlightens the relationship between IS design activity, use activity, and the embedded social context. First and second order cybernetics are employed as a general skeleton or structure for conducting the sociocybernetic approach. Approaches from social autopoiesis theory and activity theory are introduced respectively to provide the skeleton of cybernetics with flesh and blood elements of real problems. An emerging conceptual body resulting from an organic integration of the cybernetic structure and social‐psychological elements which demonstrates the relationship between IS design activity, use activity, and embedded social context is presented.

The Finnish social philosopher Arvid Aulin has made an attempt to develop a theory of social progress based on cybernetic principles. In his sociocybernetics two fundamental concepts are “self‐steering” of actors and “hierarchy” in social systems. Emancipation processes are directed towards an increase of self‐steering and a decrease of outside steering of human actors. In his “Law of the Requisite Hierarchy”, Aulin formulates a negative relationship between the production level of a society and its optimal level of hierarchy; the higher the production per capita, the lower the necessary amount of hierarchy for that society; democracy flourishes as the economy grows. In this paper his arguments for and the consequences, especially for developing countries, of this fundamental law of sociocybernetics, are discussed.

To provide a coherent theoretical framework for interdisciplinary research on happiness, integrating the psychological, physiological/biological, and social/cultural levels, permitting integration of disparate approaches within and across disciplines.

Principles and findings of cybernetics are combined to shed light on difficulties encountered by research on happiness. Using a problem‐oriented approach, the reference system is defined as a psychological information‐processing and decision‐making system. This is an actor system in the social world needing orientation to act. Bossel's systems theory of orientation is applied to emotionality as a subsystem of the psychological system. Happiness, in terms of orientation theory, can be conceived as a meta‐orientor indicating wholeness, health, and the functioning of the overall‐system.

Emotionality and rationality are complementary decision‐making systems. Conditions are identified for developing the capability for emotional orientation and happiness in individuals. These conditions are strongly dependent on the social/cultural environment. Among them are the need for diversity in real‐life experience and for psychological acceptance of both oneself and the (sociocultural) environment. They can permit (relative) stability of happiness defined as an emotional state.

Further research can produce methods to improve happiness both by coaching individuals and by developing social conditions more conducive to happiness, e.g. in education. Happiness is a subjective indicator for physical, psychological, and social wellbeing taken together, which is the definition of health of WHO.

This sociocybernetic approach, combining systems concepts with orientation theory, can serve as an integrative theoretical framework for so far separate theoretical approaches.

Summarizes some of the important concepts and developments in cybernetics and general systems theory, especially during the last two decades. Shows how they can indeed be a challenge to sociological thinking. Cybernetics is used here as an umbrella term for a great variety of related disciplines: general systems theory, information theory, system dynamics, dynamic systems theory, including catastrophe theory, chaos theory. Also considers the emerging “science of complexity”, which includes neural networks, artificial intelligence and artificial life, and discusses the methodological drawbacks of second‐order cybernetics.

The nature of sociocybernetics as a foundational science of human action, and some of the basic results in this line of research, and their consequences as to the governability, planning and control of social systems are discussed.

To present sociocybernetic models of observers in interaction with the aim of encouraging reflection on what is good practice in human communication.

Foundational cybernetic concepts of “process and product” are drawn upon to develop models of “belief”, “meaning”, “truth” and “power”.

“Belief”, following Pask and Rescher, is modelled as a coherent, self‐reproducing system of concepts. “Meaning”, following Peirce, is modelled in terms of the pragmatic consequences of holding certain beliefs to be true. The concept of “truth” is modelled as “justified true belief”, the classic ideal of the “objective sciences”. “Power” is modelled as the pragmatic consequences of social interaction.

The paper invites the members of the sociocybernetics community to reflect on the reflexive nature of these models and to critically monitor and evaluate the quality of the communication within that community.

The rapidly increasing complexity of modern society has given rise to a host of societal crises and problems. Efforts to solve such problems have, more often than not, demonstrated the non‐governability of the social processes concerned: Inflation, the arms race, etc. Cybernetics and GST have recently claimed that they can contribute to the analysis and solution of large‐scale social problems—as demonstrated by the often ambitious themes of conferences in these fields. In the following, “social cybernetics” is the general term that will be used for applications of general systems theory and cybernetics to the analysis of social processes, problems and structures. One should, however, realize that these applications have, over the past decade, had a feedback effect on GST and cybernetics themselves, and have caused the emergence of what is now often called the new cybernetics. “Sociocybernetics” is the term that will be specifically reserved for the applications of this new cybernetics to the above mentioned analysis.