Soft SD Modeling about the characteristics of Ouroboros effects

우로보로스 효과(Ouroboros Effect)와 그 네트워크의 인과적 특성 연구

This article deals with a Causal-Loop analysis of the characteristics of Ouroboros effects. The meaning of the effects is that solutions to problems are usually intended as final fixes, but more often than not, while solving one problem, they generate more problems. It means 'to worsen through attempts to make better.' The Ouroboros effects are very dangerous because they are regarded as a kind of self-destructive mechanisms. While existing researchers recognize the risks of the effects, they are not able to solve the systematic problem but only to describe the symptom. Such a way to deal with the effects results in difficulty to clarify the cause-and-effect relationship within the system. Thus the authors are focusing on explaining the effects by SD (System Dynamics), which are considered as the sole methodology to do effectively so far since SD is a great tool to discover structural causes. To solve the self-destructive problem of the effects, the authors analyze the characteristics of several cases of the effects in elaborating the CLD (Causal Loop Diagram) for each case. The analysis reveals the structural characteristics of the effects and how to correct them towards maintaining the sustainability of systems.