A theory of change

On complexity, liberation psychology, and why the container matters as much as the message

As a scholar of transformative social change, this is my theory of change.

I also have a degree in the psychology of addictions, which is, in many ways, the psychology of human change. I have spent years studying what makes people change — and within that field my particular obsessions are three: complexity science, peace and justice studies, and liberation psychology. Those three sit underneath everything that follows, so I will name what each one gives me before I make the argument.

Complexity science tells me that in a system with many interacting parts, outcomes emerge from local interactions rather than from anyone’s intention (Anderson, 1999; Johnson, 2001). Peace and justice studies tells me that the means and the ends are not separable, and that the imagination required to build peace is a practical discipline rather than a sentiment (Lederach, 2005). Liberation psychology tells me that psy…