Johnson, Dorothy E. [Dorothy E. Johnson, American nurse, 1919–1999] , a nursing theorist who developed a behavioral systems model presented in Conceptual Models for Nursing Practice (Riehl and Roy, eds., 1973). Johnson’s theory addresses two major components: the patient and nursing. The patient is a behavioral system with seven interrelated subsystems. Each subsystem has structural and functional requirements. Johnson considered that problems in nursing are caused by disturbances in the structure or functions of the subsystems or the system. Her behavioral systems theory provides a conceptual framework for nursing education, practice, and research.
