Closing the gap between grand theory and mental health practice with families. Part 1: The framework of systemic organization for nursing of families and family members.

This paper proposes a nursing framework for individuals and families that was inductively derived from existing knowledge and the author's personal experience. The framework is based on the premise that all things are organized as systems. Individuals, family systems, and the environment are interrelated and the congruence of patterns and rhythms between systems and subsystems signifies health. Nursing involves assisting individuals and families to reduce anxiety by weighing against each other the two major dimensions of system control and congruence or spirituality with the aim of maintaining a dynamic equilibrium.