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CHAPTER 18 Dorothy E. Johnson 333

1975 Faculty Award from graduate students, the 1977 specifically in early developmental writings present-
Lulu Hassenplug Distinguished Achievement Award ing concepts of the Johnson Behavioral System
from the California Nurses Association, and the 1981 Model (Johnson, 1961b). Parsons’ (1951; 1964) so-
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Award for cial action theory stressed a structural-functional
Excellence in Nursing. She died in February 1999 at approach. One of his major contributions was to
80 years of age. She was pleased that her Behavioral reconcile functionalism (the idea that every observ-
System Model had been found useful in furthering able social behavior has a function to perform) with
the development of a theoretical basis for nursing and structuralism (the idea that social behaviors, rather
was being used as a model for nursing practice on an than being directly functional, are expressions of
institution-wide basis, but she reported that her great- deep underlying structures in social systems). Thus,
est source of satisfaction came from following the structures (social systems) and all behaviors have
productive careers of her students (D. Johnson, per- a function in maintaining them. The components
sonal communication, 1996). of the structure of a social system—goal, set,
choice and behavior—are the same in Parsons’ and
Johnson’s theories.
Theoretical Sources Johnson also relied heavily on system theory and
Johnson’s Behavioral System Model (JBSM) was used concepts and definitions from Rapoport, Chin,
heavily influenced by Florence Nightingale’s book, von Bertalanffy, and Buckley (Johnson, 1980). In sys-
Notes on Nursing (Johnson, 1992). Johnson began her tem theory, as in Johnson’s theory, one of the basic
work on the model with the premise that nursing assumptions embraces the concept of order. Another
was a profession that made a distinctive contribution is that a system is a set of interacting units that form
to the welfare of society. Thus, nursing had an explicit a whole intended to perform some function. Johnson
goal of action in patient welfare. Her task was conceptualized the person as a behavioral system in
to clarify the social mission of nursing from the which the behavior of the individual as a whole is the
“perspective of a theoretically sound view of the focus. It is the focus on what the individual does and
person we serve” (Johnson, 1977). She accepted why. One of the strengths of the JBS theory is the
Nightingale’s belief that the first concern of nursing consistent integration of concepts defining behavioral
is with the “relationship between the person who is ill systems drawn from general systems theory. Some of
and their environment, not with the illness” (Johnson, these concepts include: holism, goal seeking, interre-
1977). Johnson (1977) noted that the “transition lationship/interdependency, stability, instability, subsys-
from this approach to the more sophisticated and tems, regularity, structure, function, energy, feedback,
theoretically sounder behavioral system orientation and adaptation.
took only a few years and was supported by both my Johnson noted that although the literature indi-
own, and that of many colleagues, growing knowl- cates that others support the idea that a person is a
edge about man’s action systems and by the rapidly behavioral system and that a person’s specific re-
increasing knowledge about behavioral systems.” sponse patterns form an organized and integrated
Johnson (1977) came to conceive of nursing’s specific whole, the idea was original with her as far as
contribution to patient welfare as that of fostering she knew. Just as the development of knowledge of
“efficient and effective behavioral functioning in the whole biological system was preceded by knowl-
the person, both to prevent illness and during and edge of the parts, the development of knowledge of
following illness.” behavioral systems was focused on specific behav-
Johnson used the work of behavioral scientists in ioral responses. Empirical literature supporting the
psychology, sociology, and ethnology to develop her notion of the behavioral system as a whole and its
theory. The interdisciplinary literature that Johnson usefulness as a framework for nursing decisions in
cited focused on observable behaviors that were research, education, and nursing practice has accumu-
of adaptive significance. This body of literature in- lated since it was introduced (Benson, 1997; Derdiarian,
fluenced the identification and the content of her 1991; Grice, 1997; Holaday, 1981, 1982; Lachicotte &
seven subsystems. Talcott Parsons is acknowledged Alexander, 1990; Martha, Bhaduri, & Jain, 2004; Poster,