Types of Stimuli
- Three types of stimuli influence an individual’s ability to cope with the environment. These indude focal stimuli, contextual stimuli, and residual stimuli. Focal stimuli are those that immediately confront the individual in a particular situation. Focal stimuli for a family include individual needs; the level of family adaptation; and changes within the family members, among the members and in the family environment (Roy, 1983). Contextual stimuli are those other stimuli that influence the situation. Residual stimuli include the individual’s beliefs or attitudes that may influence the situation. Contextual and residual stimuli for a family system include nurturance, socialization, and support (Roy, 1983). Adaptation occurs when the total stimuli fall within the individual’s/family’s adaptive capacity, or zone of adaptation. The inputs for a family include all of the stimuli that affect the family as a group. The outputs of the family system are three basic goals: survival, continuity, and growth (Roy, 1983). Roy states (Clements and Roberts, 1983):
- Since adaptation level results from the pooled effect of all other relevant stimuli, the nurse examines the contextual and residual stimuli associated with the focal stimulus to ascertain the zone within which positive family coping can take place and to predict when the given stimulus is outside that zone and will require nursing intervention.
Read more about this topic: Adaptation Model Of Nursing
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