Definition of
homeostasis
The first thing to do is establish the etymological origin of the term homeostasis. In this case, we can determine that it is a word that emanates from the Greek and it can be seen that it is made up of two clearly delimited Greek words: homowhich can be translated as “similar”, and stasiswhich acts as a synonym for “stability” and “state”.
homeostasis is he set of self-regulation phenomena that lead to the maintenance of constancy in the properties and composition of the internal environment of an organism. The concept was developed by the American physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon (1871–[1945).
- concept development
- homeostasis and physiology
- The notion applied to cybernetics
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concept development
Walter Cannon is an American physiologist who, when raising the term in question, developed or focused specifically on a concept that years ago had been established in the field of science. We are referring specifically to the idea of the internal milieu that Claude Bernard had expounded in the second half of the 19th century.
The latter was a French biologist and physician who is currently considered the true father of physiology and the founder of what would become experimental medicine.
This term transcends biology to refer to the characteristic of any system, either open or closed, which allows you to regulate the internal environment to maintain a stable condition. Stability is made possible by various self-regulating mechanisms and various dynamic adjustments.
It can serve you: Regular
homeostasis and physiology
Homeostasis is one of the fundamental principles of physiologysince a failure in this characteristic can cause a malfunction of different organs.
The biological homeostasisTherefore, it consists of a dynamic equilibrium that is reached thanks to constant changes to maintain the result of the whole. This process implies the control of the energy values that are considered normal: in case a value is out of normality, different mechanisms are activated to compensate it.
The homeostasis of the organism depends on the internal environment (with the production and elimination of certain substances, for example, through the urine) and the external medium (the relationship between the living being and the environment).
The psychological homeostasis, on the other hand, is given by the balance between the needs and their satisfaction. When needs are not met, an internal imbalance occurs. The subject seeks to achieve balance through behaviors that allow you to meet those needs.
See also: Normality
The notion applied to cybernetics
However, we cannot ignore what is known as cybernetic homeostasis either. This concept is used to refer to the ability of certain cybernetic systems to be able to maintain, in a state of dynamic or stationary equilibrium, a series of variables. This leads them to change certain parameters in regards to their internal structure.
The origin of this term and this “version” of homeostasis can be found specifically in the 20th century. And it is that in the middle of it was when the English doctor William Ross Ashby designed an electronic device known as a homeostat, which self-regulated through feedback.
Continue on: Breakeven