Johnson Dorothy Behavioral System Model Essay Example

influences in advance. It means that nurses could determine harmful substances for theirpatients and advise or help them to avoid them in future. Another key advantage of the model to the nursing profession is that it enabled nurses and other caregivers to stimulate growth of their patients as well as create a nurturing and conducive environment for their well-being.

Contribution of the Theorist to the Development of Nursing as a Profession

Nursing, according to Dorothy Johnson, is an external force aimed at regulating the patients’ behavior in order to maintain them at an optimum level. It is especially significant when behavior might constitute some threat to the patient. Hence, nursing is all about understanding the patient’s behavior and acting to regulate it by influencing the behavioral pattern of the patient and elevating risky behavior.

Nursing has four vital roles with regard to behavioral patterns. The main role is that nurses are supposed to assist the patient to behave in a socially acceptable and a biological imperative manner. It should be done in order to alleviate any harm to the patient and the immediate society. The major condition for these objectives to be met is that patients do not show any evidence of unnecessary distress as a result of their illness and they can benefit from skills and advice given by physicians.

Dorothy Johnsons behavioral model operates on four basic principles discussed below. The first concept assumes that human beings have two major systems: behavioral and biological. Thus, nursing focuses on behavioral aspect of human life. The second concept is the society, where the model emphasizes the role that environment plays in shaping individuals’ behavior. The third concept revolves around

the patient’s health which influences his stability and comfort. Finally, Dorothy believed that human life had to operate at equilibrrium in order to function properly. Thus, nursing aims at trying and restoring patients’ state of equilibrium hence creating a balance within their behavior (Johnson, 1990).

Application of the Theory to Nursing as a Profession

Nursing is a profession that mainly focuses on altering or improving the behavior of patients in order to promote their health. The model emphasizes classification of various behaviors so that the patients’ behavior can be predicted. In this way, nurses and other healthcare givers have an easier time in assisting the patient to behave in a socially acceptable and a biological imperative manner. Generally, nurses mainly focus on the after-treatment therapy of patients. It means that once doctors diagnose and start treating patients, nurses come in as caregivers who are given the role of guiding the patients’ behavior and attitude in order to enhance their health.

Dorothy assumed that man was prone to change both with time and as a response to changing environments. Therefore, man tends to continuously make adjustments to his life in order to maintain equilibrium level, or behavioral homeostasis. This mechanism helps nurses to detect changes in behavioral patterns of their patients as well as show adaptations that largely affect well-being of a patient.

Success of this model is dependent on the ability of nurses to predict behavioral patterns of patients. It is mainly possible because human beings are patterned with repetitive and purposeful behaviors composed of eight subsystems (Johnson, 1990). Therefore, once patients have been grouped, predicting their behavior becomes easier, and healthcare givers, like nurses, can effectively avert risky

situations before they happen. This is what makes the Dorothy Johnson behavioral system model a great success.