levenslooop

Levenslooop is a term encountered mainly in discussions of life-course modelling and systems thinking. It denotes a hypothetical or conceptual model in which life trajectories are viewed as cyclical or looping, with individuals potentially revisiting earlier life states or phases rather than following a strictly linear progression from education to work to retirement. The term is not part of established scholarly literature and is often treated as a neologism or a misspelling of levensloop, the Dutch word for the life course.

Core idea and features include nonlinearity, feedback, and path dependence. In a levenslooop framework, transitions between life stages can be re-entered or repeated, driven by factors such as policy incentives, health fluctuations, caregiving demands, or economic shocks. Such loops emphasize that time spent in one phase can influence the likelihood and timing of returning to or reconfiguring previous phases.

Modelling approaches for levenslooop can employ state-space representations, Markov chains with looping transitions, or system-dynamics simulations that incorporate reinforcing feedback. These approaches allow researchers to explore scenarios where individuals cycle through education, employment, or caregiving multiple times, rather than following a single, unidirectional path.

Applications and limitations: the term is largely informal and used in theoretical or pedagogical contexts. It has limited acceptance in formal peer-reviewed literature and is sometimes conflated with levensloop. When used, it serves to illustrate the complexity and variability of life trajectories beyond linear models.

See also: levensloop, life course, system dynamics, feedback loop.