Historic Introduction & Review
From “Contributions of The Formal Theory of Behavior” (1977)
By William Gray, M.D., F.A.P.A. (1972)
Fellow, American Psychiatric Association – Pioneer of General Systems Theory
A landmark new theory in behavioral science
Once in a while, a new theory appears that marks a major advance in our understanding of the material with which psychiatry and the behavioral sciences deal. Such theories help us see familiar matters in a new perspective and reveal aspects of the phenomenological world that were previously hidden by the biases inherent in older theories.
As with all major theoretical shifts, innovative concepts arise from the author’s life experiences—often at personal cost. An innovator must challenge accepted norms and endure discomfort to offer new insights. We are indebted to such Odysseys.
However, creativity alone does not guarantee value. Theories must be tested against reality, particularly those dealing with human behavior. They must navigate between triviality and unrestrained ingenuity.
An epistemic community advancing perspectivistic truths
Drawing from Lee Thayer’s concept of “epistemic communities” and Ludwig von Bertalanffy’s “perspectivistic worldview,” Gray notes:
“There is no absolute truth, only perspectivistic truths. Some epistemic communities are better than others based on their service to the individual and society.”
The Formal Theory qualifies as a new such community. It elegantly combines continuity and discontinuity with previous theories—neither “total newness” nor “total knownness,” but a dynamic integration.
Bridging humanities and science
“The Formal Theory bridges the here-and-now with man’s long behavioral history, with predictive accuracy and opportunity for variability and change.”
It reconciles longstanding divides, including:
Cognitive vs emotional schools
Psychoanalysis vs learning theory
Jean Piaget vs neo-Freudians
Psychology vs sociology
It does so by bringing logic and mathematics into harmony with behavioral science, applying the methodology of "hard sciences" alongside human experience.
Role Relations & Mathematical Group Theory
Levis defines roles as formal relations, possessing:
Symmetry
Transitivity
Correlation
These may be graphically portrayed and quantified and correspond to Kleinian group transformations:
Identity – Negation – Reciprocity – Correlation
“Levis integrates behavior and mathematical group theory… the Kleinian operations apply both intra-psychically and interpersonally.”
He correlates passive–active poles into role bipoles, demonstrating that a lifetime evolves through three cyclic stages:
Role oppression → role assumption
Anticipated role reversal → counterphobic assumption
Role reversal → compromise assumption
These cycles carry transgenerational implications, with phase relationships bridging generations.
Restoring “energy” to psychiatry
Recent trends abandoned psychic energy, but:
“It has taken the genius and courage of Levis to bring psychic and social energy back into essentialness.”
Formal Theory proposes:
Psychosocial continua exist
Energy is the subject matter
Quasi-closure allows conservation of energy
Under intense emotional relationships, systems become energetically stable, echoing mathematical group structure.
Cross-cultural contributions
From analysis of three archetypal father-son forms (Judaic/equalitarian, Oriental/subordinancy, Greek/dominance), Levis shows how relational patterns are transmitted intergenerationally and may be transformed by modifying energetic states toward greater openness.
A diagnostic revolution: relational logic & role typology
Replacing propositional logic with relational logic, Levis simplifies diagnostic understanding:
Relational ModalityExpressionSubmissive-CooperativePassive-dependentSubmissive-AntagonisticPassive-aggressiveDominant-CooperativeActive-dependentDominant-AntagonisticActive-aggressive
This defines a continuum of health and illness, guides therapeutic structure, and clarifies transference and treatment goals.
Graphic representation of conflict dynamics
“His diagramming—ellipses, circles, and vector forms—uniquely portrays the forces of cooperation (clockwise) and antagonism (counterclockwise), including intensity using scalar elements.”
The Formal Theory quantitatively analyzes conflict using social and psychic variables, visually representing them through this geometric system.
Final endorsement
“I predict this theory will bring much clarity and growth to our presently rather muddled formulations. It accommodates other theoretical forms and elevates them to a new degree of elegance and productivity. This is the essence of Levis' Formal Theory of Behavior.”
“An introduction is but a recommendation—a promise of pleasures to come. The book itself is the real meal that follows.”
“We who read this work will be indebted to Albert Levis for the labor and genius put into its creation.”
—William Gray, M.D., F.A.P.A. (1972)