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II. Imogene King
II. Imogene King
II. Imogene King
Imogene Martina King (January 30, 1923 – December 24, 2007) was one of the pioneers and
most sought nursing theorists for her Theory of Goal Attainment which was developed in the
early 1960s. Her work is being taught to thousands of nursing students from all over the world
and is implemented in a variety of service settings as well.
As a recognized global leader, King truly made a positive difference for the nursing profession
with her significant impact on nursing’s scientific base. She made an enduring impact on nursing
education, practice, and research while serving as a consummate, active leader in professional
nursing.
The Theory of Goal Attainment states that “Nursing is a process of action, reaction, and
interaction whereby nurse and client share information about their perception in the
nursing situation.”
Imogene King’s Theory of Goal Attainment was first introduced in the 1960s. From the
title itself, the model focuses on the attainment of certain life goals. It explains that the
nurse and patient go hand-in-hand in communicating information, set goals together, and
then take actions to achieve those goals. The factors that affect the attainment of goals are
roles, stress, space, and time. On the other hand, the goal of the nurse is to help patients
maintain health so they can function in their individual roles. The nurse’s function is to
interpret information in the nursing process, to plan, implement, and evaluate nursing
care.
To help nurses understand her work, she defined several terms which include the patient,
defined as a social being who has three fundamental needs: the need for health
information, the need for care that seeks to prevent illness, and the need for care when the
patient is unable to help him or herself.
She also explained health as involving life experiences of the patient, which includes
adjusting to stressors in the internal and external environment by using resources
available. The environment, defined as the background for human interaction. It involves
the internal environment, which transforms energy to enable people to adjust to external
environmental changes, and it involves the external environment, which is formal and
informal organizations. A nurse is considered part of the patient’s environment.
There are three interacting systems in the Theory of Goal Attainment according to King.
These are the personal system, the interpersonal system, and the social system. Each
system is given different concepts. The concepts for the personal system are: perception,
self, growth and development, body image, space, and time. The concepts for the
interpersonal system are: interaction, communication, transaction, role, and stress. The
concepts for the social system are: organization, authority, power, status, and decision
making.
The following are the major concepts and subconcepts of Imogene King’s Theory of
Goal Attainment:
1. Nursing
Nursing is a process of action, reaction, and interaction whereby nurse and client share
information about their perceptions in the nursing situation. The nurse and client share
specific goals, problems, and concerns and explore means to achieve a goal.
2. Health
3. Individual
Individuals are social beings who are rational and sentient. Humans communicate their
thoughts, actions, customs, and beliefs through language. Persons exhibit common
characteristics such as the ability to perceive, to think, to feel, to choose between
alternative courses of action, to set goals, to select the means to achieve goals, and to
make decisions.
4. Environment
Environment is the background for human interactions. It is both external to, and internal
to, the individual.
5. Action
Action is defined as a sequence of behaviors involving mental and physical action. The
sequence is first mental action to recognize the presenting conditions; then physical
action to begin activities related to those conditions; and finally, mental action in an
effort to exert control over the situation, combined with physical action seeking to
achieve goals.
6. Reaction
Reaction is not specifically defined but might be considered to be included in the
sequence of behaviors described in action.
According to King, there are three interacting systems in the Theory of Goal Attainment. These
are the personal system, the interpersonal system, and the social system. Each system is given
different concepts. The concepts for the personal system are: perception, self, growth and
development, body image, space, and time. The concepts for the interpersonal system are:
interaction, communication, transaction, role, and stress. The concepts for the social system are:
organization, authority, power, status, and decision making.
1. Personal Systems
o King defines body image as the way one perceives both one’s body and others’
reactions to one’s appearance.
o Space includes that space exists in all directions, is the same everywhere, and is
defined by the physical area known as “territory” and by the behaviors of those
occupying it.
o Time is defined as “a duration between one event and another as uniquely
experienced by each human being; it is the relation of one event to another event.”
2. Interpersonal Systems
o These are formed by human beings interacting. Two interacting individuals form
a dyad; three form a triad, and four or more form small or large groups. As the
number of interacting individuals increases, so does the complexity of the
interactions. Understanding the interpersonal system requires the concepts
of communication, interaction, role, stress, and transaction.
o Stress is “a dynamic state whereby a human being interacts with the environment
to maintain balance for growth, development, and performance, which involves
an exchange of energy and information between the person and the environment
for regulation and control of stressors.”
3. Social Systems
o King (1986) added control as a subconcept in the social system but did not
further define the concept.