Imogene M.

King
Kings Conceptual System and Theory of Goal Attainment and Transactional Process
Dynamic Interacting Systems

King has interrelated the concepts of interaction, perception, communication, transaction, self, role, stress, growth and development, time, and
space into a theory of goal attainment. Her theory deals with a nurse-client dyad, a relationship to which each person brings personal
perceptions of self, role, and personal levels of growth and development. The nurse and client communicate, first in interaction and then in
transaction, to attain mutually set goals. The relationship takes place in space identified by their behaviors and occurs in forward-moving time.

Interaction

Major Concepts and Subconcepts

Open Systems Framework
Structure is presented in three open systems.
Function is demonstrated in reciprocal relations of individuals in interaction.
Resources include both people (health professionals and their clients) and money, goods, and services for items needed to carry out specific
activities.
Decision making occurs when choices are made in resource allocation to support attaining system goals.
Personal Systems

King (1990) accepts Jersilds (1952) definition ofself:

Each individual is a personal system.

The self is a composite of thoughts and feelings which

constitute a persons awareness of his individual
existence, his conception of who and what he is. A
persons self is the sum total of all he can call his. The
self includes, among other things, a system of ideas,
attitudes, values, and commitments. The self is a
persons total subjective environment. It is a distinctive
center of experience and significance. The self
constitutes a persons inner world as distinguished from
the outer world consisting of all other people and
things. The self is the individual as known to the
individual. It is that to which we refer when we say I.
Growth and development can be defined as the

processes in peoples lives through which they move

from a potential for achievement to actualization of self.
King defines body image as the way one perceives both
ones body and others reactions to ones appearance.
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
occupy it.
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.
King (1986) added learning as a subconcept in the
personal system but did not further define it.
Interpersonal systemsare 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.

Interactions are defined as the observable behaviors of

two or more individuals in mutual presence.
King (1990) defines communication as a process
whereby information is given from one person to
another either directly in face-to-face meeting or
indirectly through telephone, television, or the written
word.
King defines transactions as a process of interactions
in which human beings communicate with the
environment to achieve goals that are valued goaldirected human behaviors.
The characteristics of role include reciprocity in that a
person may be a giver at one time and a taker at another
time, with a relationship between two or more
individuals who are functioning in two or more roles
that learned, social, complex, and situational.
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.
Poweris the capacity to use resources in organizations
to achieve goals is the process whereby one or more
persons influence other persons in a situation is the
capacity or ability of a person or a group to achieve
goals occurs in all aspects of life and each person has
potential power determined by individual resources and
the environmental forces encountered. Power is social
force that organizes and maintains society. Power is the
ability to use and to mobilize resources to achieve
goals.
Statusis the position of an individual in a group or a
group in relation to other groups in an organization and
is identified that status is accompanied by privileges,
duties and obligation.
Decision makingis a dynamic and systematic process
b y which goal-directed choice of perceived alternatives
is made and acted upon by individuals or groups to
answer a question and attain a goal (King, 1990).
King (1986) added control as a subconept in the social
system but did not further define the concept.
Theory of Goal Attainment
Perception is each persons representation of reality.

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 Communication is defined as a process whereby
share specific goals, problems, and concerns and
information is given from one person to another either

explore means to achieve a goal.

Health is a dynamic life experience of a human being,
which implies continuous adjustment to stressors in the
internal and external environment through optimum use
of ones resources to achieve maximum potential for
daily living.
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.
Environment is the background for human interactions.
It is both external to, and internal to, the individual.
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.
Reaction is not specifically defined but might be
considered to be included in the sequence of behaviors
described in action.
Interaction is a process of perception and
communication between person and environment and
between person and person represented by verbal and
nonverbal behaviors that are goal-directed.

directly in face-to-face meetings or indirectly through

telephone, television, or the written word.
Role is defined as a set of behaviors expected of
persons occupying a position in a social system; rules
that define rights and obligations in a position; a
relationship with one or more individuals interacting in
specific situations for a purpose.
Stress is a dynamic state whereby a human being
interacts with the environment to maintain balance for
growth, development, and performance an energy
response of an individual to persons, objects, and events
called stressors.
Growth and development can be defined as the
continuous changes in individuals at the cellular,
molecular, and behavioral levels of activities the
processes that take place in the life of individuals that
help them move from potential capacity for
achievement to self-actualization.
Time is a sequence of events moving onward to the
future a continuous flow of events in successive order
that implies a change, a past and a future a duration
between one event and another as uniquely experienced
by each human being the relation of one event to
another.
Space exists in every direction and is the same in all
directions. Space includes that physical area called
territory. Space is defined by the behaviors of those
individuals who occupy it (King, 1990).

Transaction is a process of interactions in which human

beings communicate with the environment to achieve
goals that are valued; transactions are goal-directed
human behaviors.

Assumptions
On the open systems framework, King stated
(1) that each human being perceives the world as a total person in making transactions with individuals an things in the environment
(2) that transactions represent a life situation in which perceiver and thing perceived are encountered and in which each person enters the
situation as an active participant and each is changed in the process of these experiences.
When describing individuals, the model states that
(1) individuals are social, sentient, rational, reacting beings, and
(2) individuals are controlling, purposeful, action oriented, and time oriented in their behavior (King, 1995).
Regarding nurse-client interactions, King (1981) believes that
(1) perceptions of the nurse and client influence the interaction process;
(2) goals, needs, and values of the nurse and the client influence the interaction process;
(3) individuals have a right to knowledge about themselves
(4) individuals have a right to participate in decisions that influence their lives, their health, and community services;
(5) individuals have a right to accept or reject care; and
(6) goals of health professionals and goals of recipients of health care may not be congruent.
With regard to nursing, King (1981, 1995) wrote that
(1) nursing is the care of human beings;
(2) nursing is perceiving, thinking, relating, judging, and acting vis--vis the behavior of individuals who come to a health care system;

(3) a nursing situation is the immediate environment in which two individuals establish a relationship to cope with situational events; and
(4) the goal of nursing is to help individuals and groups attain, maintain, and restore health. If this is not possible, nurses help individuals die
with dignity.
Relationships
Nurse and patient are purposeful interacting systems.
Nurse and client perceptions, judgments, and actions, if congruent, lead to goal directed transactions.
If perceptual accuracy is present in nurse-client interactions, transactions will occur.
If nurse and client make transactions, goals will be attained.
If goals are attained, satisfaction will occur.
If goals are attained, effective nursing care will occur.
If transactions are made in nurse-client interactions, growth and development will be enhanced.
If role expectations and role performance as perceived by nurse and client are congruent, transactions will occur.
If nurses with special knowledge and skills communicate appropriate information to clients, mutual goal setting and goal attainment will occur
(King, 1981).

Strengths/Weaknesses
Strengths:
Kings theory of goal attainment does describe a logical sequence of events.
For the most part, concepts are clearly defined.
Although the presentation appears to be complex, Kings theory of goal attainment is relatively simple.
King formulated assumptions that are testable hypotheses for research.
Weaknesses:
Kings theory contains major inconsistencies:
(1) She indicates that nurses are concerned about the health care of groups but concentrates her discussion on nursing as occurring in a
dyadic relationship.
(2) King says that the nurse and client are strangers, yet she speaks of their working together for goal attainment and of the importance of
health maintenance.
The major limitation in relations to this characteristic is the effort required of the reader to sift through the presentation of a conceptual
framework and a theory with repeated definitions to find the basic concepts.
Another limitation relates to the lack of development of application of the theory in providing nursing care to groups, families, or communities.
It is not parsimonious, having numerous concepts, multiple assumptions, many statements, and many relationships on a number of levels.