Dorothy E. Johnson was a nursing theorist known for her work on the “Behavioral System Model” or “Johnson’s Behavioral System Model of Nursing.” This model was developed to explain and guide nursing practice by focusing on the behaviors and responses of individuals to stressors in their environment. Johnson’s theory emphasizes the importance of understanding how individuals adapt and maintain balance in response to various stressors.
Key concepts of Johnson’s Behavioral System Model include:
- Behavioral Subsystems: Johnson identified seven behavioral subsystems that individuals use to respond to stressors. These subsystems include:
- Attachment-affiliative: Seeking emotional bonds and connections with others.
- Dependency: Seeking help and support from others.
- Ingestive: Meeting nutritional needs.
- Eliminative: Maintaining a balance between fluid intake and output.
- Sexual: Meeting reproductive needs.
- Aggressive: Defending oneself and others against stressors.
- Achievement: Pursuing personal goals and accomplishments.
- Stressors and Adaptation: Johnson’s model suggests that individuals experience stressors, which can be internal or external, and they respond by adapting their behaviors within the subsystems to achieve a state of balance or homeostasis.
- Equilibrium: Johnson proposed that nursing interventions should focus on helping individuals achieve and maintain equilibrium within their behavioral subsystems. Nurses can assess an individual’s behaviors, identify areas of imbalance or maladaptation, and intervene to promote adaptive responses.
- Nursing Roles: According to Johnson’s theory, nurses play a role in helping individuals achieve balance and adapt to stressors by providing supportive and therapeutic care. Nurses assess behaviors, identify stressors, and assist individuals in making adaptive choices.
- Nursing Process: Johnson’s model aligns with the nursing process by emphasizing assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Nurses use these steps to understand an individual’s behaviors, formulate nursing diagnoses, plan interventions, implement care, and assess the effectiveness of interventions.
Dorothy E. Johnson’s Behavioral System Model has influenced nursing practice, research, and education. It provides a framework for understanding how individuals cope with stressors and maintain equilibrium. While the model may not be as widely discussed as other nursing theories, it has contributed to the broader understanding of nursing’s role in promoting adaptation and well-being.