Self-organization or individual complexity: a false dilemma or a true complementarity?

Abstract

The collective decisions and patterns discussed in this section are examples of processes based upon behavioral rules of thumb [1] executed by individuals which have only limited access to global information. Most of these behavioral rules can be expressed as relatively simple “if-then” statements which correspond to stimulus-response pairs based upon a change in the internal or motivational state of the individual. These processes involve multiple interactions (the individuals or events are numerous) in the form of positive or negative feedback loops. These interactions modify the characteristics of the system and provide new stimuli for further interactions. In these systems, forms of positive feedback, such as recruitment, often involve specific behaviors by individuals; in contrast, the negative feedback often arises “automatically ” as a result of the limits or constraints in the system (e.g. the depletion of building materials or the consumption of food).