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3.5.1 THE INTER"iAL BOUl'illARY CRITERIA FOR KING'S THEORY OF
GOAL ATTAINMEl\'T
The internal boundary criteria describes the relationship between the nurse and the client.
When the client comes to the nurse in the care center, they both do not know each other.
The nurse is a licensed practitioner to practice professional nursing. The client is in need
ofthe services provided by the nurse.
The client and the nurse are in a reciprocal relationship, because a nurse has special
knowledge and skills to communicate appropriate information to assist the client, to set
goals and to meet the needs. The client has information about self and concerns or
perceptions that require to be communicated to a nurse, in order to get help with mutual
goal setting. In this way the nurse and the client are in a mutual relationship, purposefully
interacting to achieve goals (George, 1995:219).
3.5.2 THE EX'TERNAL BOUNDARY CRITERIA FOR KING'S THEORY OF
GOAL ATTAINMEl'T
The external boundary criteria are applicable in a two-person, group, like two clients with
the same concerns orperceptions ofthe problem. The interactions can also be limited to a
licensed professional nurse and to a client in need ofcare. These interactions take place in
the natural environment. This means that the professional nurse who is knowledgeable
and skillful interacts with the client in need of nursing care because of personal
knowledge and perception of problems. Both the nurse and client meet in a strange
environment to mutually identify problems, set goals for solving problems, act and
achieve goals together. This is based on King's interpersonal systems whereby the nurse
and client's relationship is influenced by the social system that surrounds them as well as
by each oftheir personal systems (George, 1995: 220).
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