processtheoretical

Processtheoretical is a conceptual stance in which phenomena are explained primarily by the processes that generate and transform them, rather than by static properties or fixed essences. In practice, a processtheoretical approach seeks to model change, development, and interaction over time, emphasizing temporality, sequence, feedback, and emergence as the key drivers of outcomes.

It is a portmanteau that appears across disciplines, drawing on process philosophy and process thought, as well as systems theory and dynamic modeling. While not a single unified school, processtheoretical work tends to share an emphasis on becoming, relational causation, and the context sensitivity of mechanisms.

Core ideas include the primacy of process over substance, mechanisms explained through causal chains and transformations, and the use of time-structured data. Researchers may employ qualitative process tracing, event history analysis, agent-based simulations, or process calculi to formalize the dynamics being studied.

Applications span organizational studies, sociocultural anthropology, ecology, information systems, and the history of science, wherever change and development are central concerns. Proponents argue that processtheoretical analysis yields more robust explanations of how outcomes come about, while critics caution that the approach can become vague without clear criteria for mechanisms and generalization.

See also: process philosophy, process theology, process theory, process tracing, dynamic systems theory, emergence.