Causal Loop Diagrams: A Short Handbook - read and draw causal loop diagrams effectively

Oct 26, 2026

Upload by Marglet

Systems mapping uses graphical techniques to clarify mental models, improve understanding, and communicate system knowledge. This handbook explains how to read and draw causal loop diagrams (CLDs), emphasizing that CLDs capture feedback loops shaping key system behaviours. It introduces elements and connection types, distinguishes positive, negative, and multifactor feedback loops, and provides step-by-step instructions. It also includes real-world examples, addresses common sources of confusion, and guides effective use of the tool.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

Elements

Connections

Positive feedback loops

Negative feedback loops

Multifactor feedback loops

Step-by-step instructions

Example 1: the security dilemma

Example 2: the arctic ice albedo feedback

Example 3: solutions that backfire

Recommended resources

Interventions for Rapid Global Change Causal Loop Diagrams: A Short Handbook Michael Lawrence, Polycrisis Research Fellow [www.cascadeinstitute.org](www.cascadeinstitute.org) Summary “Systems mapping” encompasses various graphical techniques that help us to think through our mental model of a system, increase our understanding of a system, and 1 communicate our knowledge to others. A causal loop diagram is just one type of systems map, but an especially useful one, because it captures the feedback loops that constitute the basic structure of the system and shape its key behaviours. Causal loop diagrams (CLDs) do not require any specialized knowledge but can be counterintuitive in some respects. This handbook explains how to read and draw causal loop diagrams, clarifies some common sources of confusion, and offers advice for using this tool most effectively. Like many other forms of systems diagrams (and network diagrams), CLDs are composed of elements and connections. But unlike many others, CLDs also include feedback loops that connect elements in a circular pattern. This handbook explains each of these three features, provides step-by-step instructions for drawing CLDs, then presents three examples of CLDs that elucidate crucial real-world phenomena. 1 For an excellent survey of different system mapping techniques, see: Barbrook-Johnson and Penn, 2022, in the Recommended Resources section below. Contents Elements: .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Connections: ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Positive feedback loops: ...................................................................................................................... 6 Negative feedback loops: .................................................................................................................. 10 Multifactor feedback loops: ............................................................................................................... 13 Step-by-step instructions: ................................................................................................................... 16 Example 1: the security dilemma: ...................................................................................................... 19 Example 2: the arctic ice albedo feedback: ................................................................................. 20 Example 3: solutions that backfire: ................................................................................................. 22 Recommended resources: ............................................................................................................... 24 ELEMENTS Elements are the key variables in a system—that is, the causal factors that are most central to its behaviours. They might encompass “stocks”(such as available resources),“levels”(such as the amount of trust in government),“shocks” to the system (such as extreme weather events), or myriad other relevant causal factors. The one major constraint the CLD methodology imposes on the identification of elements is that these variables must be able to increase and/or decrease. A given actor—say, the Canadian government, for example—would not fit as an element in a CLD, but the Canadian government’s power and its budget would both fit, as they can rise and fall over time in relation to other causal factors. Elements are presented as words in a CLD, often inside shapes, and connected by arrows. If helpful, you can use different shapes and colors to distinguish different types of elements. CONNECTIONS Causal loop diagrams involve two types of connection: positive causal relationships and negative causal relationships. The Figures below (including those in the sections on p

FAQs

What is a causal loop diagram (CLD) used for?

A CLD is a type of systems map that captures feedback loops forming the basic structure of a system and shaping its key behaviours.

How do positive and negative causal relationships differ in CLDs?

Positive relationships change in the same direction (an increase leads to an increase; a decrease leads to a decrease). Negative relationships change in opposite directions (an increase leads to a decrease; a decrease leads to an increase).

What does this handbook teach readers to do with CLDs?

It explains how to read and draw CLDs, clarifies common confusion, and provides step-by-step instructions plus worked examples to show real-world phenomena.

Oct 26, 2026

Upload by Marglet