General Systems Theory and Nursing Practice - Essay Example

Running head: GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY AND NURSING PRACTICE General systems theory and nursing practice Insert Name Institution Date: Introduction General systems theory was initially developed by biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy in 1928. Since Descartes, the "scientific method" had developed under two related assumptions. A system could be broken down into its individual constituents so that each component could be scrutinized as an independent unit, and the constituents could be added in a linear style to illustrate the entirety of the system. Von Bertalanffy claimed that both assumptions were wrong. On the converse, a system is distinguished by the interactions of its constituents and the nonlinearity of those interactions. In 1951, von Bertalanffy expanded systems theory to contain biological systems and three years later, it was popularized by Lotfi Zadeh, an electrical engineer at Columbia University (Ludwig, 1999). According to the general systems theory, systems are self reflective (George, 1972). As human beings we have the capacity to evaluate our own behavior. This self reflectivity enables us to emphasize on our systems and set objectives. The family is a constitution of interrelated parts or subsystems (George, 1972). Every action or transformation by any member of the family affects others in some way. The constituents of a family structure can be accessed from the interactions by the members of the system. The family system is itself a complicated faction which is difficult to understand from the perspective of individuals family members (George, 1972). General systems theory Background General systems theory’s legacy originated from the findings of Ludwig Von Bertalanffy's conclusions on the theory which provided the universe of the mid-twentieth century a special method of viewing science (Mpyana, 2004). Rather than using the mechanistic representation of that time, von Bertalanffy's general systems theory claimed that organisms are complicated, organized but interactive. Such a perspective moved from a linear causal model to models that needed a wider, holistic direction in order to completely understand the dynamics in play. Von Bertalanffy's findings on the general systems theory have been very significant in fields like community planning computer science and programming, and the social sciences. By the end of the twentieth century, the theory had found wider applicability in various fields and was significant in every aspect. A general systems approach evaluates the manner in which constituents of a system interact with each other to constitute the whole. Instead of focusing on every individual part, a systems approach focuses on the association and the interrelation and interdependence of all the constituents. A systems approach allows one to analyze the manner in which a change in one constituent affects the operations of the entire system. This change is reflected back to the initiating constituent. The application of the systems approach has particular significance to the study of the family as families are composed of individual members having the same history, some level of bonding and establish similar strategies for achieving their the requirement of individual members and the family as a group (Mpyana, 2004). Constituents of General Systems Theory General Systems Theory suggests that patients come from families that have interrelated elements and structure. The constituents of a system are the members of the family. Every constituent has features: there are relationships between the elements; the relationships function in an interdependent manner. All of these establish a structure or the sum total of the associations among the constituents including membership in a system and the boundary between the system and it’s surrounding (Mpyana, 2004). The theory suggest that families are composed of interactive units have interactive patterns. There are predictable patterns of associations that originate from the family systems. These cyclic cycles assist in sustaining the family’s equilibrium and offer clues to the factors about how they should function (Mpyana, 2004). The general systems also adhere to the composition law. The whole is more than the sum of its parts (Barbara, 1978). Each family system even though it is made up of individual essentials the end results is a whole sum product. Overall family images and themes are revealed in this holistic aspect. Special behaviors may be endorsed to the entire systems that do not appropriately describe individual elements. Another feature of the general systems is the use of messages and rules to shape members. Messages and rules are relationships agreements which stipulate and limit an individual’s behavior with time (Daniel, 1989). They are repetitive and redundant. They are hardly, if ever, precise or written down. They give power, they induce guilt, they control or limit behaviors and they initiate themselves and reproduce. Most messages and regulations can be acknowledged in one or a few words. For instance, more is good, be responsible, and be perfect are all illustrations of messages and/or regulations (Barbara, 1978). Limitations of the general systems theory to nursing practice The general systems theory fails to apply a holistic approach in the understanding of the patients. The value of applying the ideas from general systems theory to the nursing practice can only be understood or appreciated if the practitioners apply a holistic approach to nursing care. This theory has been criticized because it does not explain the role or significance of nurse-family relationship in family nursing practice (Lars, 2000). Although nursing has in the past focused on a whole person, emphasis was given to the ideas of nurturance and holistic nursing. Family systems nursing framework came as a rescue to assist in the understanding of the importance of the nurse-family relationship in patient care. The FSN framework entails three major doctrines that must exist within the framework. According to the framework, families bring with them their own expertise, knowledge and skills. The second doctrine is that a reciprocal association must co-exist between the nurse and the family (Lars, 2000). The third doctrine is the doctrine of nurse-family association. The theory does not explain the lack of hierarchy in the nurse-family association as explained in the third doctrine of the FSN. This makes the operations of the nurses in the family nurse practice difficult since the theory does not provide a clear guideline on the manner in which patients should be handled. It does not specify on the nurse whose directives are to be followed in the handling of a patient. The third doctrine is that there exists no hierarchy in the nurse-family association. These concepts have been applied by nurses to perceive all aspects of a patient’s life as significant. Nurses in the family nurse practice for instance are urged to incorporate the patient’s emotional, nutritional, spiritual and religious features in patient interventions (Lars, 2000). During recent years, holistic approach to nursing has found significant acknowledgement and is appreciated as a significant in the healthcare process. This kind of approach particularly entails caring for the total patient and appreciates that other system, like the family may have an impact in the patient’s progress in the entire hospitalization. This emphasis calls for the nurses to appreciate the significance interactional association between the critically ill patient, the patient’s customs and the family system (Sally & Patricia, 1982). Despite the significance of holistic approach, institutions of nursing do not always include family involvement as part of the curriculum. Additionally, continuing education for hospital based nurses seems to differ in content and quality, and it may be difficult to access it. The lack of training on appreciating and involving families on family care units, when joined with other elements such as multitude nursing roles and nursing scarcity across the nation and may not allow the nurse in the family care practice to efficiently evaluate, engage and entail the family system (Mihajlo, 1974). Role of general systems theory in nursing practice Families of a patient experience psychological challenges that are evident by every family system, often producing interruptions in the families work and recreational, social and emotional life routines. Families respond to and recognize the hospitalization of a sick family member as a crisis and show crisis-like behaviors that include initial confusion, shock and extreme fear (Helen & Roy, 2000). Throughout the hospitalization, family members may experience other thoughts ranging from concern and anger to sadness and acquiescence. The general system theory will assist the nurses in the assessment of patient since the theory clearly explains the operations of a family. Nurses can apply the theory into the understanding of the patient and thus conduct appropriate assessment of patients. Initially, several families, feeling exceedingly susceptible and powerless are anxious to get information on the family members’ situation while also exhibiting perched behavior around the patient the nursing care area. In the initial phase of any crisis, the family system focuses on maintaining a homeostatic balance and return to former degrees of functioning. It is at this phase of the crisis that the family system may be more acquiescent to support, recommendations and directions from nurses in the family nursing practice nurses. The theory thus offers an appropriate communication pathway between family members of a sick person and the nurses in the family nursing practice which is very important in the treatment of a patient. How families handle the matters of a patient hospitalization of their own depends on the family’s special balance of strengths and weaknesses, including models of communication, problem-solving skills, and level of unity within the family, interfacing with the exterior world and conflict resolution capabilities (Mario, 1999). The theory thus assists the family members as well as the nurses in organization for the delivery of care services to the patient. Through the theory, the nurses are able to understand the family structure and thus decide on the appropriate mode of delivery of the essential care services to a patient. Families with the appropriate balance of these skills have the ability to confront a member’s medical crisis in a decreased stressful manner as opposed to families that require more help from nursing staff in the family nursing practice and others in their surroundings to handle the stress. The literature identifies significant requirements of family members in the course of that time which include getting information, integrity, caring, access to the patient and support (Mario, 1999). This theory also has wide applicability in certain areas of the nursing practice. It is necessary to understand the family as a unit before conducting a family therapy. The general systems theory provides one of the best avenues to the understanding of the family. Family therapy which is also known as couple and family therapy and family systems therapy is a division of psychotherapy that is involved with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It seems to perceive change in regard to the systems of interaction between family members (Nichols & Schwartz, 2006). It focuses on family relationship as a significant element in psychological health. The various schools of family therapy however have a similar belief in that irrespective of the origin of the problem and irrespective of whether the clients consider it an individual or family matter, the end results are always beneficial (Broderick & Schrader, 1991). This participation of families is normally realized by the direct participation of the therapy session. The skills of the family therapist include the capability to influence conversation in a manner that initiates the strengths, wisdom and support to the entire system (Broderick & Schrader, 1991). In the field’s early years, several clinicians described the family in a narrow perspective, traditional manner normally involving parents and children. As the field has developed, the concept of the family is more frequently defined in terms of strong supportive, long term responsibility and relationships between persons who may or may not be related by blood (Sholevar, 2003). Family therapy has been applied efficiently in the wide range of human dilemmas; there is no category of association or emotional problem that has not been handled through this approach (Doherty, 2002). The conceptual framework established by family therapy have found wider applicability including organizational dynamics and the study of greatness (Sholevar, 2003). Values and ethics in family therapy The theory also assists in the understanding of the ethics and values required in the delivery of care services in the family nursing practice. Since matters of interpersonal conflict, power, control, principles and morals are frequently more pronounced in relationship therapy than in individual therapy there has been debate within the professional about the various morals that are implicit in the various theoretical representations of therapy and the function of the therapist’s own morals in the therapeutic procedure and how prospective clients should find an appropriate therapist whose morals and objectives are more consistent with their own (Barker, 2007). Specific matters that have emerged have included an amplified questioning of the ancient notion of therapeutic impartiality a concern with questions of fairness and self-determination connectedness and independence, performance versus genuineness and questions about the level of the therapist’s" pro-marriage/family" versus "pro-individual" commitment. The general systems theory opens up the communication between families and nurses in the family nursing practice and thus helps in both assessment and re-assessment of patients (Barker, 2007). Skills required for applying general systems theory to nursing practice In order to apply the general systems theory in the nursing practice, nurses are required to possess a number of skills. Nurses are required to understand the operations of a family and the responsibility each member plays in the family. A family is a system in which every member had a responsibility to play and regulations to respect (Brian, 1978). Members of the system are anticipated to respond to one another in a specific manner depending on their responsibility which is dependent on the relationships agreements. Nurses are also expected to understand the boundaries that exist between patients and their families (Brian, 1978). Within the boundaries of the system, patterns are established as particular family member’s behavior is caused by and causes other family member’s behavior in expected ways. Sustaining the same pattern of behavior within a system may result to stability in the family structure but also to dysfunction. For instance, if a husband is depressive and lose control of themselves, the wife may be required to take up more responsibilities including those expected to be carried out by the husbands. The change in responsibilities may maintain the stability in the relationships but may also take the family towards a different equilibrium. This new equilibrium may result to dysfunction as the wife may not be able to sustain this overachieving role over a long duration of time (Brian, 1978). Nurses should also have knowledge and understanding of the perceptions in the general systems theory. There are eight interlocking perceptions in the theory. One of the perceptions is the triangles. Triangles are the smallest stable relationship system. Triangles normally have one side in conflict and two sides in agreement, conflicting to the improvement of clinical problems. Differentiation of self is another perspective. This is concerned with the variance in persons in their susceptibility to rely on others for acceptance and endorsement. Nuclear family emotional system is another perspective (Brian, 1979). The four relationships models that describe where problems may arise in a family include:     - Marital conflict     - Dysfunction in one spouse     - Impairment of one or more children     - Emotional distance Nurses should have knowledge on the relationship models between families since this will assist them in assessment, delivery of care services and re-assessment of patients. Family projection process is another perspective which describes the transmission of emotional problems from the parents to the siblings. Multigenerational transmission process is another perspective. This perspective describes the transmission of small variations in the levels of differentiations between offspring and their parents. Emotional cutoff another perspective describes the act of minimizing or cutting off emotional contact with family as a means of managing unresolved emotional matters. Sibling position another perspective describes the children position on development and behavior. The last perspective is the societal emotional process. The societal emotional process controls the behavior on a societal level, supporting both progressive and regressive durations in a society (Broderick, 1993). Nurses should have knowledge on the discussed perspectives and be in opposition to apply them in their practice. Research support family systems theory to working with families There is enough information resulting from research that supports the working of the general systems theory with families. The application of the theory has been discussed by Bertalanffy in some of his books. The book titled "General System theory: Foundations, Development, Applications" by Bertalanff has provided an in-depth analysis of the ways of applying the general systems theory in working with families (Nichols & Schwartz, 2006). Bertalanffy’s objective in his work was to harmonize the organismic science that he observed to aid in working with families using by applying the general systems theory. In his other book Perspectives on General System Theory, Bertalanffy explains the models, principles and theories that apply to all the generalized systems and their sub-classes including the general systems theory (Nichols & Schwartz, 2006). The information in the book provides a clear guideline on the manner in which the components of general systems theory can be used in working with families. It also provides the skills required by nurses working in the nursing practice. The two books have opened up a broader and a much greater perspective of the family nursing theory which is adequate enough to apply while working with families (Nichols & Schwartz, 2006). Conclusion The general systems theory is a very important theory in the understanding of the family. The understanding of the family is very important in the nursing practice. General systems theory plays a very significant role in the nursing practice (Paul, 2000). This essay has discussed the application of general systems theory in nursing practice. The various skills that nurses are required to possess in order to appropriately apply the theory in the practice have also been analyzed. The general systems theory helps in the understanding of the similarities that exist between the family members of the critically. Factors or issues that limit the application of the general systems theory have also been discussed. 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