Applying a systematic approach to the development of fundamental acmeology

St.-Petersburg’s school of acmeology has gone the way of fruitful development from the original understanding of its subject field as a psychological discipline to its foundation as a fundamental science. On the basis of the dialectical and synergistic replenishment of its central notion “acme” with the polar notion of “kate” acmeology expanded not only due to a new direction - katabology but it also obtained the benefits of dialectical completeness. Instead of a temporary alternation of anabolic and catabolic poles there comes understanding of their penetration into each other, like any other “pair” of dialectical oppositions. As S.D. Pozharsky puts it, acmeology describes development as an alternation of ascents and slumps, the ascending line and descending line, progress and regress. However, it isn’t possible to have an adequate description of the development only by the alternation of higher stages of maturity (acme) and its low-lying phases (kate). Overcoming such a theoretical “circle” requires the consideration of the problem in the context of the methodological paradigm of structural-functional approach. This allows us to reveal own influence of the acme point on the qualitative changes in various types of structures. We formulate a conclusion that the degree of influence of the acme point on its subsystems is a measure (criterion) of the level of Acme itself that is everything that is applied to a wide range of objects.