SACCADE as a Structural Model Supporting Complexity Theory

This preprint positions SACCADE as a structural model that supports and clarifies complexity theory by making the prior conditions for complex behavior explicit. While complexity science effectively describes emergence, nonlinearity, and adaptation, it often leaves the structure that sustains those behaviors undefined. SACCADE introduces an invariant developmental sequence—Signal → Arrival → Context → Constraint → Adaptation → Distribution → Evolution—that specifies the order in which system boundaries, containment, and constraints must be established for complex behavior to persist. Using cross-domain case studies spanning planetary systems, archaeology, healthcare infrastructure, and institutional design, the paper demonstrates that complex behavior remains intelligible only when constraints are established early enough to stabilize flow. This work does not replace complexity theory or domain-specific mechanisms. It operates upstream of behavioral description, clarifying why emergence is sustainable in some systems and why others collapse despite continued energy exchange.