The person-centered systems theory (German: Personzentrierte Systemtheorie) is a multi-level concept aiming at the reconstruction and explanation of human experience, action and interaction processes in such a way that inappropriate reductions to the focus of individual therapeutic schools of thought are avoided as far as possible.
Its aim is to provide a theoretical foundation for integrating the valuable contributions of individual "schools" with more recent findings from other scientific disciplines.
However, he underlines that this is a purely analytical distinction, because influences from all four process levels on living and acting are effective at every moment.
This level deals with micro-social structures of couples, families or teams for whom face-to-face communication is typical.
However, the influences of two other process levels are largely neglected: Usually, people have not – neither individually nor interpersonally – invented the meaning of words and sentences, the expectations of fellow human beings, the inner images, "how living together works", and so on.
Rather, the socio-cultural aspects essentially concern the way in which persons see and understand themselves, their fellow human beings, and the "world".
This becomes particularly clear when considering the interdependencies of levels (a) and (c): If human beings want to understand themselves in their feelings, thoughts and actions, then they have to use the "cultural tools" of their social environment.
Furthermore, the implicit knowledge of the human organism, which originates from early experiences as well as from evolutionary preformations, is of great relevance.
Kriz understands symptoms and problems with which people come into psychotherapy, counseling, or coaching as over-stable process patterns.
This is because human development – both at the level of the individual and in social systems – consists of repeatedly abandoning effective process patterns whenever new developmental challenges arise.
For example, different patterns of interaction are required at the family level depending on whether a child has just been born, is in kindergarten or school, reaches puberty, is starting professional training, and so on.
This question of perspective was already discussed by biosemiotics a century ago and, in relation to the world of animals, led to the distinction between environment and Umwelt.
[10] Lebenswelt is characterized above all by an inexhaustible supply of intersubjectively agreed symbols, which makes the human being an "animal symbolicum".
Kriz criticizes that many concepts such as "stress" or "resources" are often described primarily on the basis of "objective" factors such as noise or money, while actually other aspects like lack of appreciation may be relevant to the subject's experience and actions.