The systemic is related to the entirety of a system.
The adjective systemic is used to name that which is linked to the entirety of a system . Systems , meanwhile, are sets of elements ordered and related to each other .
The idea of systemic, in this framework, is usually used in opposition to local . It is important not to confuse systemic with systematic : while systemic is related to an entire system, systematic is that which adapts to a system or is frequently repeated.
The systemic in medicine
In the field of medicine , the notion of systemic refers to what affects the entire body , and not just an organ or part. Systemic diseases , therefore, affect the body in general: an example is the flu.
Likewise, a systemic infection is present in the bloodstream. On the other hand, a localized infection only affects one part of the body.
A type of approach
The systemic approach , on the other hand, is a vision that involves approaching phenomena as members of a whole. This perspective understands that the elements cannot be analyzed separately and maintains that the whole of them is not equal to the sum of the parts.
According to the systemic approach, the interaction between the elements generates new realities that transcend the qualities that are obtained simply by adding the components. This can be clearly understood when thinking about a group of human beings: knowing the characteristics of each individual and adding them to a list does not reflect the same result as grouping them, having them interact for a while, and then evaluating them again.
At first glance, we could say that the systemic approach is the "open" one and methodological individualism (which is sometimes mentioned as its counterpart) is the "closed one." However, the first one does not work better in all cases, so they do not have intrinsic value but rather their results must be judged in each particular case. The method called methodological individualism is used in the field of social sciences and states that any phenomenon can be explained based on the individual elements that compose it.
Systemic risk
In the field of finance , finally, the notion of systemic risk is used. One possible interpretation of this concept is the lack of stability of a financial system that arises as a result of idiosyncratic events or issues regarding intermediaries, and which can end in catastrophe.
A systemic disease affects the body as a whole, and not a particular part of the body.
In other words, it is the risk caused by the interdependencies present in a market or a system , in which an error caused at a given point can unleash a chain reaction capable of destroying the entire system. For this reason it is called "systemic", because the effect of one of its elements can affect the stability of all the others , so that this type of risk could not be explained or take place if all of them were studied separately.
One of the most feared characteristics of systemic risk is the difficulty of predicting it, since it is not enough to analyze each element separately but we must take into account their interdependencies. Furthermore, just because one of them goes through a terrible situation does not always mean that those who are linked to him also suffer from it, or at least not to the same extent. This degree of complexity in monitoring and forecasting means that any anomaly generates a state of panic in the system.