Dorothy Johnson
Background
- Dorothy E. Johnson is
well-known for her “Behavioral System Model,” which was first
proposed in 1968. Her model was greatly influenced by Florence Nightingale’s
book, Notes on Nursing. It advocates the fostering of efficient and effective
behavioral functioning in the patient to prevent illness and stresses the
importance of research-based knowledge about the effect of nursing care on
patients.
- Johnson’s theory defined Nursing as “an external regulatory
force which acts to preserve the organization and integration of the patients
behaviors at an optimum level under those conditions in which the behavior
constitutes a threat to the physical or social health, or in which illness is
found.”
- It also states that “each individual has patterned, purposeful,
repetitive ways of acting that comprises a behavioral system specific to that
individual.”
Key Concepts &
Definitions
1. Behavioral system
Man is a system that
indicates the state of the system through behaviors.
2. System
That which functions as
a whole by virtue of organized independent interaction of its parts.
3. Subsystem
A minisystem maintained
in relationship to the entire system when it or the environment is not disturb
- Johnson’s behavioral
model is clearly an Individual-oriented framework. Its extent to consider
families, groups and communities was not considered.
- In her model, the
focus is with what the behavior the person is presenting making the concept
more attuned with the psychological aspect of care in.
- Categorizing
different behaviors in seven subsystems divided the focus of nursing
interventions. In turn quality of care given by the nurse may be lessened
because of fractionalized care which does not support seeing the individual as
a whole adaptive system.
- A lack of an
authenticated schematic diagram by Johnson which is seen necessary was not
presented. Johnson has developed multiple concepts thus a diagram showing each
and every concepts relationship might be helpful.
Major Concepts
1. Person
- Johnson (1980) views
human beings as having two major systems: the biological system and the
behavioral system. It is the role of medicine to focus on the biological
system, whereas nursing’s focus is the behavioral system.
- The concept of human
being was defined as a behavioral system that strives to make continual
adjustments to achieve, maintain, or regain balance to the steady-state that is
adaptation.
2. Nursing
- Seen as “an external
regulatory force which acts to preserve the organization and integration of the
patient’s behavior at an optimal level under those conditions in which the
behavior constitutes a threat to
physical or social health, or in which illness is found.”
3. Environment
- Not directly defined,
but it is implied to include all elements of the surroundings of the human
system and includes interior stressors.
4. Health
- Seen as the opposite
of illness, and Johnson defines it as “some degree of regularity and constancy
in behavior, the behavioral system reflects adjustments and adaptations that
are successful in some way and to some degree… adaptation is functionally
efficient and effective.”
References:
Dorothy E. Johnson’s
Behavioral System Model (Online) Available at
http://nurseslabs.com/dorothy-e-johnsons-behavioral-system-model/ Accessed:
September 11, 2016
Dorothy E. Johnson –
Theoretical Foundations of Nursing (Online) Available at http://nursingtheories.weebly.com/dorothy-johnson.html
Accessed: September 11, 2016
Image
from http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/diglib/sc_diglib/biopages/djohnson.html
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