Relational Systems Theory: Drift Dynamics and Thresholds in Coupled Relational Ecologies

Relational Systems Theory (RST) extends Truth Stabilization Theory (TST) by shifting the unit of analysis from positions within a single relational system to an interacting ecology of systems (institutions, platforms, infrastructures, species, or other coupled subsystems). Each system i∈N carries its own representational misalignment di(t), structural-distance loading λi, epistemic capacity κi, and sphere of influence Si. RST introduces an explicit cross-system coupling matrix A, allowing misalignment generated in one system to propagate into others as imported distortion. This yields a minimal drift dynamic and an ecological threshold criterion: when the spectral radius of the induced ecology update matrix exceeds unity, the coupled system-of-systems enters a drift-amplifying regime, even if many individual subsystems would be stable in isolation. We present a networked simulation demonstrating how a single highly influential and weakly stabilized subsystem can dominate total ecological drift and induce cascading misalignment across otherwise resilient nodes, and we illustrate how node-level interventions in λ and κ reduce (but need not eliminate) ecological drift under coupling.