Detailed Critique: Dorothy Johnson's Behavioral System Model Analysis

This assignment presents a critique of Dorothy Johnson's Behavioral System Model, focusing on its relationship between structure and function, logical representation, and usefulness in nursing practice. The critique highlights the model's strengths, such as its clear concepts and the importance of the nurse-patient relationship, as well as its limitations, including the lack of focus on the nurse's educational role and administrative aspects of care. The report examines the external components of the theory and its congruence with other nursing theories, referencing Smith & Parker's "Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice" to support the analysis. The assignment provides a comprehensive overview of the model's application in various healthcare settings, its generalizability, and its implications for nursing practice, education, and research. The critique underscores the importance of the behavioral approach in patient care while acknowledging the need for a more holistic perspective that encompasses the nurse's educational role and administrative considerations.

Critique of Dorothy Johnson behavioral system model
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Critique of Dorothy Johnson behavioral system model
Relationship between structure and function
This theory is based on a definition of nursing as an external force and related to preserving and
integrating the behavior of the patient. This theory is based on an understanding of the role of
systems, structure, and function (Smith & Parker, 2015). This theory is simple since it is based
on a set of concepts that are used to explain the relationship between the nurse and the client.
However, the complexity of the theory has been criticized as being complex based on the fact
that there are interrelationships among behavioral systems within the life of the patient. This
makes it difficult to apply the theory since it is complex and relies on different nursing elements
that are supposed to work together.
Logical representation of the theory.
Smith & Parker (2015) suggests that the theory is based on the following concepts human beings,
environment, health, and nursing. These concepts form a relationship between the nurse and the
patient where the system that they operate in is defined. The strength of the theory lies in the
relationship between these concepts which define the environment that the nurse and the patient
interact. Further, there is clarity among the concepts that are used in theory making it easy for
people to understand the implications of the theory.
Circle of contagiousness
The theory originated from the book “notes in nursing” by Florence Nightingale which focusses
on the best way to be a nurse. Thus this theory was developed as a way of fostering efficient and
effective behavioral functioning to the patient. This theory is the best when applied to the patient
since it recognizes the need to have a behavioral system for guiding patients. However, the
theory seems to focus on the behavioral aspect of the patient mainly and thus limiting the

behavioral aspect of the nurse (Smith & Parker, 2015). This theory has been widely applied in
the field of nursing since it has a frame of reference that can be used when dealing with issues
within the field of nursing. It is from this frame that the nurse can apply the theory and deal with
the issues that affect the patient within nursing settings. This theory provides a frame of
reference for nurses to deal with patient behaviors within the clinical environments that they
work.
Usefulness
In practice, this theory recognizes the different systems that exist and their function within the
world of a nurse. In this case, when applying the theory, the role of the nurse is to look at the
subsystem that is affected by the life of the patient and putting measures in place to address the
system. The role of the nurse is to ensure that the functioning of the system is restored at all
times. This theory is applicable in nursing since it is broken down into several components that
are used to ensure that the nurse understands how to apply it. It can be applied in inpatient,
outpatient, community settings and nursing administration. This theory also has high
generalizability since it defines the role of the nurse and the patient in restoring health using a
behavioral approach (Smith & Parker, 2015). However, this theory lacks the education
component of the nursing role since it only focusses on restoring the behavior but fails to
understand that nursing is part of education. Although the nurse works in different subsystems,
the theory fails to include the education element where the nurse is supposed to empower the
patient in the best way forward. This theory also lacks an administrative style of care that defines
the way the nurse is supposed to administer care (Smith & Parker, 2015). For example, there are
no guidelines on patient care and classification. This theory seems too open and fails to
understand that nurses care for different types of patients who will require different types of

caring strategies. However, the theory provides guidelines on nursing practice, education, and
research which are supposed to lead to the generation of new ideas for the field of nursing.
External components of the theory
This theory is congruent with other theories since it recognizes the role of other professionals in
the field of nursing and how they can be used to improve nursing as a filed. This means that the
nurse is an important component of the healthcare system who is charged with the responsibility
of working with other professionals to restore the health of the patient (Smith & Parker, 2015).
This theory has strengths and limitations which are applicable in the field of nursing and offering
the best learning outcome to deal with the issues that exist within the field of nursing.

References
Smith, M. C., & Parker, M. E. (2015). Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice. Philadelphia: F.
A. Davis Company.