Examples of mechanisms at different system levels (Westhorp, p49)8
| Construct of mechanism | Psychological | Social—Groups | Social—Institutions | Material |
| 1. Powers and liabilities | Learnt, eg, motivation | Group agreements | Laws | Photosynthesis |
| 2. Forces | Love | Peer pressure | Laws and regulations | Gravity |
| 3. Interactions | Reasoning and resources | Contracts | New technologies | Gunpowder explosion |
| 4. Feedback/forward processes | Attachment style | Negotiation | Stock market crash | Genetic inheritance |
| 5. Reasoning and resources | Affective response | ‘Group think’ | Cultural assumptions | Neurons firing |