Nursing Theory is defined as " A creative and rigorous structuring of Ideas, that project Tentative, Purposeful, and Systematic view of Phenomena." Aims of Nursing theories including to Describe, Predict, and Explain the Phenomenon of Nursing (Chinn and Jacobs, 1978).Main categories of Nursing theories are Grand Theory, Middle Range Theory, and Practice level Theory.

2. PREPARED BY,
MS.CHITHRA.A.VALSAN
I YEAR MSC NURSING
THE BEHAVIORAL SYSTEM
MODEL :
DOROTHY.E.JOHNSON

3. INTRODUCTION
 Dorothy.E.Johnson was born in 1919 in Savannah, Georgia.
 She graduated from School of Nursing in1938.
 She earned a baccalaureate degree from
Vanderbilt University in 1948.
 Johnson served as a faculty at bothVanderbilt University,
nursing school and university of California in Los
Angeles.

4. OVERVIEW OF THE
JOHNSON’S BEHAVIORAL
SYSTEM MODEL

6. OVERVIEW
 The goals of Nursing in Johnson’s
behavioral system model are to maintain
or restore behavioral system balance.
 Johnson’s proposed 7 subsystems of
behavior exist in the behavioral model .

7. 7 SUBSYSTEMS OF BEHAVIOR EXIST IN
THE JOHNSON’S BEHAVIORALMODEL
Achievement
Afiliative
Aggressive
Dependence
Sexual
Eliminative
Ingestive.

8. 4 ELEMENTS OF STRUCTURALCOMPONENTS
IN EACH SUBSYSTEM
Driveoragoal Aset Achoice
An action or
behavior

9. OVERVIEW (Cont’d..)
 The drive or goal of the subsystem reflects the motivation or reasons for the
behaviors of the subsystem.
 Motivational drives direct the activities or behaviors of the subsystem, they
may vary from strong to weak and are constantly changing, because of
maturation, experience and learning.

10. OVERVIEW (Cont’d..)
 The set comprises the ordinary or normalbehaviors that the patient
prefers to use to meet the goal of a subsystem.
 The choice represents the options that are available to the patient to
meet his or her subsystem goals.
 This structural component is affected by variables such as gender,
age, culture, socio-economic status,& health status.

11. OVERVIEW (Cont’d..)
 The final subsystem structural component, an action or behavior act as
a consequence of the previous three structural component.
 Each subsystem has a function.
 The achievement subsystem functions to control or master an aspect of self or
environment to achieve a standard.

12. OVERVIEW (Cont’d..)
This subsystem encompasses intellectual, physical, creative, mechanical, and
social skills.
The affiliative or attachment subsystem forms the basis for social organization.
 Its consequences are social inclusion, intimacy, and the formation
and maintenance of strong social bonds.

13. OVERVIEW (Cont’d..)
 The aggressive or protective subsystem functions toprotect and
preserve the system.
 The dependency subsystem promotes helping or nurturing behaviors.
 Their consequences include approval, recognition, and physical assistance.

14. OVERVIEW (Cont’d..)
 The sexual subsystem has the function of procreation and gratification and
includes the development of gender role identity and gender role behaviors.
 The eliminative subsystem addresses ‘when, how, and what conditions we
eliminate’, whereas the ingestive subsystem ‘has to do when, how, what, how
much, and under what conditions we eat’.

15. Person Environment Health Nursing
METAPARADIGM CONCEPTSAS DEFINED IN
JOHNSON’S THEORY

16. METAPARADIGM CONCEPTSAS DEFINED IN
JOHNSON’S THEORY
 Person (Human being):Abiopsychosocial being who is behavioral
system with 7 subsystems of behavior.
 Environment : Environment include both the external and internal
environments.
 Health : Efficient and effective functioning of system, behavioral system
balance and stability.

17. METAPARADIGM CONCEPTS (Cont’d..)
Nursing : An external regulatory force that acts to preserve the organization
and integrity 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.

19. ANALYSIS OF JOHNSON’S BEHAVIORAL
SYSTEM MODEL
Assumptions Of the Behavioral System Model
 Behavior is the sum total of physical, biologic, and social factors.
Aperson is a system of behavior characterized by repetitive, predictable,
and goal directed behaviors that always strive toward balance.

20. ASSUMPTIONS OF THE BEHAVIORALSYSTEM
MODEL
There are different levels of balance and stabilization, and levels are different
during different time periods.
 Persons expend large amounts of energy attempting to maintain or re-establish
behavioral system balance in response to imbalance caused by persistent
excessive forces.

21. PROPOSITIONS OF THE BEHAVIORALSYSTEM MODEL
•Primary relationships are in the Behavioral System Model is between
the person and the environment ; between the person, health, and the
environment ; and between the person, nursing, and health.
• Primary relationships are in the Behavioral System Model includes :
1.The Behavioral System manages its relationship with the environment
which is self-maintaining as long as conditions remains orderly.

22. PROPOSITIONS OF THE BEHAVIORALSYSTEM MODEL
2. Balance is essential for effective and efficient functions of the person : a lack
of the balance in the structural or functional requirements of the subsystems
leads to the poor health.
3. Nursing is an external regulatory force that acts to restore balance to the
behavioral system.

23. BRIEF CRITIQUE OFTHE BEHAVIORALSYSTEM MODEL
 The Behavioral system model was developed by Johnson using inductive
reasoning.
 The model has nearly unlimited applicability with ill persons.
 The concepts within this model are clearly and consistently defined.

24. BRIEF CRITIQUE OFTHE BEHAVIORALSYSTEM MODEL
 The comprehensiveness of the model is adequate for providing direction for
nursing research, education, administration and practice.
The model makes an important contribution to the nursing knowledge by
directing attention to the person’s behavior rather than to the disease state.

25. JOHNSON’S BEHAVIORALSYSTEM MODELASA
FRAMEWORK FOR NURSING PRACTICE

26. FRAMEWORK FOR NURSING PRACTICE
 The purpose of the nursing practice using the Johnson’s behavioral system
model is to facilitate restoration, maintenance, or attainment of behavioral
system balance and stability.
 These goals are accomplished through the use of Johnson’s nursing
diagnostic and treatment process.

28. THE NURSING PROCESSAND THE JOHNSON’S
BEHAVIORALSYSTEM MODEL
 Johnson’s nursing diagnostic and treatment process
includes 4 components :
1) Determination of the existence of a problem.
2) Diagnostic classification of problems.
3) Management of Nursing problems.
4) Evaluation of the behavior system balance and stability.

29. ASSESSMENTAND PLANNING
 During this phaseThe Nurse obtains data about the following :
The nature of the behavioral functioning related to goal obtainment.
 Client behavior indicating whether that behavior is purposeful, orderly, and
predictable.

30. ASSESSMENTAND PLANNING
 The nurse interviews the client and the family to assess the condition of the
subsystem structural components and assess the client’s behavior for
behavior system balance and stability.
 From the data collected, the nurse makes inference related to the organization,
interaction, and integration of the subsystem.

31. ASSESSMENTAND PLANNING
 Theproblemsmay includeboththeinternalsubsystem & intersystemproblems.
 Theinternalsubsystemproblemsmayencompasssituationswhen thefunctional
requirementsare notmet,thereis inconsistencyor disharmonyamongcomponents
of subsystem,or behavioris not appropriatefor theculture.
 Theintersystemproblemsmayincludesituationswhen thebehavioralsystem
isdominatedby 1 or 2 subsystemsor a conflictexistsbetween2 or more
subsystem.

32. IMPLEMENTATION
 The goals for the management of the nursing problems are to
restore, maintain, or attain the client’s behavioral system
balance and stability and to help the client achieve an optimal
level of the balance and functioning.

33. EVALUATION
 Evaluation of the behavioral system balance and stability
is accomplished as the nurse compare the client’s behavior
after treatment to indices of behavioral system balance
and stability.

34. THENURSINGPROCESSANDTHEJOHNSON’SBEHAVIORALSYSTEMSMODEL
Behavioral system
structure, balance,
and stability data
collected to assess
organization,
interaction, and
integration of
subsystems.
Goals to restore,
maintain, or attain
behavioral system
balance and
stability
Evaluation
Nurse compares
behavior after
treatment to indices
of system balance
and stability
Implementation
Assessment and
planning

35. ILLUSTRATING NURSING CARE AND
JOHNSON'S BEHAVIORAL SYSTEM MODEL
 Mr. M. is a 52-year-old married, Caucasian male who is approximately 100 pounds
overweight. As a result of his weight gain, Mr. M. has developed hypertension and
adult-onset diabetes. He is currently being followed in an outpatient healthcare setting.
 Using Johnson's behavioral system model and the corresponding nursing diagnostic
and treatment process, the nurse will begin the assessment process by obtaining
information to evaluate current behavior in terms of past patterns and determining the
effects of the current illness on Mr. M’s behavioral patterns.
 The assessment specifically seeks to gather information related to the structure and
function of the eight behavioral subsystems as well as the environmental factors that
affect the behavioral subsystems.

36. ILLUSTRATING NURSING CARE AND
JOHNSON'S BEHAVIORAL SYSTEM MODEL
 Assessment of the subsystems will include four structural components:(1) drive or
goal, (2) set, (3) choice, and (4) action or behavior.In this case, it will focus on
when, how, what, how much, and under which conditions Mr.M. eats.
 After further assessment, it is deter mined that Mr. M. eats more and more often
when he experiences stress.
 Once the existence of a problem has been confirmed, the nurse will diagnostically
classify the problem.
 From the data collected, the nurse makes inferences related to the organization,
interaction, and integration of Mr. M’s subsystems and in collaboration with the
patient, plans and sets goals.

37. ILLUSTRATING NURSING CARE AND
JOHNSON'S BEHAVIORAL SYSTEM MODEL
 In this scenario, the patient's blood pressure and diabetes are currently under control.
 So, Mr. M. and the nurse choose to focus on the ingestive subsystem, which is
negatively affecting other subsystems at the same time, current best practices such as
promoting healthy eating patterns including portion control, limiting consumption of
energy-dense and high-sugar foods, and encouraging social and family support will be
observed in providing care related to all identified problems.
 The goals of the management of nursing problems are to restore, maintain, or attain
the balance and stability of the client's behavioral system and to help the client
achieve an optimal level of balance and functioning.

38. ILLUSTRATING NURSING CARE AND
JOHNSON'S BEHAVIORAL SYSTEM MODEL
 To achieve this goal, the nurse may temporarily impose external regulatory or control
mechanisms by setting limits for ingestive behavior, inhibiting ineffective behavioral
responses in which the patient eats to deal with stressors, assisting the patient to
develop new responses to stresssors, and reinforcing appropriate behaviors.
 Evaluation is accomplished as the nurse compares the client's ingestive behavior as
well as the effects of the ingestive subsystem on other subsystems after treatment.
 The goal of the management for Mr. M. is to restore his behavioral system balance
and stability and to help him achieve an optimal level of balance and functioning.
 In this case, optimal weight for height and age, blood pressure within normal range,
and maintenance of blood sugar within normal range

40. REFERENCES
1. Kathleen masters. Nursing theories, a frame work for
professional practice. second edition. Jones and Bartlett
learning. page no: 90 to 135.
2. Melanie. M, Evelyn. M. Theoretical basis for nursing. second
edition. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, a Wolters Kluwer
business.