1. Behavioral Systems Model Deborah Meshel
Dorothy Johnson
Behavioral Systems Model
Deborah Meshel

2. Dorothy Johnson Background
1919 Born in Savannah Georgia
1938 AA Armstrong Jr. College
1942 BSN Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
1948 MPH Harvard University

3. Dorothy Johnson Background cont
Professional Experience
Mostly involved teaching
1943 – 1944 staff nurse at Chatham- Savannah Health Council
1949 – 1978 Instructor and assistant professor in pediatric nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Professor of nursing at University of California in LA
1980 published the B.S. model
Early proponent of nursing as a science and an art
BS model based on Nightingale’s belief

4. Purpose of Systems Theory
Nurse creates balance between client and environment to achieve an optimal level of functioning.

5. Subsystems Individual made up of 7 sub systems
interrelated parts functioning together to form a whole
Interact with each other
Interrelated and interconnected
Environment constantly acting on subsystems

6. Johnson’s 7 Subsystems Sexual Ingestion Aggressive Attachment
Elimination
Dependency
Achievement
Sexual
Aggressive

7. Subsystems
Attachment- goal attainment- form relationships and social bonds
Aggressive- protect oneself to respond to threats
Dependency – attention, recognition, physical assistance
Ingestion- intake of nutrients to obtain knowledge
Elimination- eliminate waste and to express feelings
Sexual- to procreate, to have sexual relationships, to develop gender based identity
Achievement- mastery or control of some aspect of the environment

8. Nurse = equilibrium Stressor=> = Tension Client
(Internal or external)
Nurse = equilibrium
Client

9. The nurse helps to restore balance/ equilibrium
Individual is unable to perform the subsystem tasks

10. Subsystems not in balance
Optimal behavior not exhibited
Nursing restores subsystems to balance
Goal : To achieve the best possible functioning behavior

11. System is out of balance when…
1. insufficiency = does not get enough of something 2. discrepancy = not optimally working 3. incompatibility = subsystems conflict 4. dominance = one subsystem is always used

12. Nurses… Reduce stressful stimuli Support natural adaptive process
Makes changes to environment
Focus is the patient not illness

13. Functional Requirements
Needed by each subsystem to fulfill its function
Protection
Nurturance
Simulation

14. Structural Requirements Characteristics of each subsystem
Goal
Set
Choice
Action

15. Person
Environment
Health
Nursing

16. Person
Subsystems Interdependent parts Adjustment to maintain balance Maintain a steady state of equilibrium

17. Environment Any factor influencing the behavioral subsystem
Not part of the client’s behavioral system
Internal and external

18. Health
Balance and stability of the subsystems Lack of balance = poor health Balance = health

19. Nursing
When there is instability or stressors External regulatory force Helps maintain equilibrium Art and Science

20. Internal Criticism
Clarity Simplicity Specificity or Generality Accessibility Scope

21. Contagious Very Contagious! Behavioral Systems Model is used in:
practice, education, research

22. Nursing Implications

23. Case Study
10 year old boy Not doing well in school Comes to school dirty, does not brush teeth, has dirty cloths/ often brings no lunch Parents divorced/ lives with mother Mother clinically depressed Father physically abused him Mother states she can not handle her son’s behavior/ hard to enforce the rules Student is not doing well in school. He is in the office everyday with behavioral problems, and not getting along with peers.

24. Diagnostic and Treatment Process
Does a problem exist?
Diagnostic classification of the problem
Management of nursing problems
Evaluation of behavioral systems balance and stability.

25. limitations Very individual
Family of the client is only considered as an environment
Focused on nursing care of the hospitalized and ill. Does not focus on health promotion, primary prevention, disease prevention

26. Do I like this theory?
YES!

27. Discussion Question:
Describe a client in your work whose subsystems were not in balance? How can you as a nurse create equilibrium?

28. References
Alligood, M.R., Tomey, M.T., (2010). Nursing Theorist and Their Work, (7th, ed). Maryland Heights: Mosby Elsevier. Botha, E. (1989). Theory development in perspective: The role of conceptual frameworks and models in theory development, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 14, Fawcett, J. (2005). Contemporary nursing knowledge: Analysis and evaluation of nursing models and theories (2nd ed.). F.A. Reynolds, W. and Cormack, D. (1991). An evaluation of the Johnson Behavioral Systems Model of Nursing, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 16, Tourville, C., & Ingalls, K. (2003). The living tree of nursing theories, Nursing Forum, 38(3),