Types of Systems
Surrounding systems interact with the system of interest in various ways. For example, for a passenger vehicle, the surrounding systems include the driver and passenger, as well as the road, pedestrian, and so on. There are systems in the immediate surroundings and in the more distant surroundings. The systems in the immediate surroundings, together with the system of interest, form the supersystem. In our example, a trip includes not only the vehicle but also the driver and passenger. Systems in the more distant surroundings are those that interact with the system of interest during its operation. For example, the road and pedestrians.
The subsystems[1] are the parts of the system of interest. For a passenger vehicle, the subsystems are the engine, cabin, chassis, and so on. Subsystems are physically part of the system of interest, and in turn, the system of interest is a subsystem of the supersystem.
As a result, the chain of subsystem–system of interest–supersystem represents the system levels. Follow the arrows in the diagram: from "Subsystems," the arrow "enters" the "System of Interest," and the "System of Interest" "enters" the "Supersystem." For example, the engine is part of the vehicle, and the vehicle is part of the household.
The system-creator, which consists of creation systems, is not included in the system levels. It has a different relationship with the system of interest—a relationship of creation or development. As you already know, the relationship between the system of interest and the supersystem is one of nestedness, or a "part-whole" relationship.
All three main systems have subsystems, but unless otherwise specified, we always assume we are referring to the system of interest. ↩︎