Concept analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Concept analysis - Research Paper Example In the field of nursing, a number of variations of Wilson’s model of concept analysis are adopted to explain concepts. Wilson’s model of concept analysis is an 11-step approach to permit its users to gain a relative degree of clarity in thinking and perception and to cogently express a concept which may prove to be tricky. The technique is of great usefulness when it is employed to analyse a concept which may have multiple meanings. Wilson’s technique is followed to get to the root of the problem and the solution is reached when the results of the concept analysis can be displayed in language (Thompson, 2005). This paper will attempt to carry out a critical analysis of a problematic concept in literature. For this purpose, an empirical research article will be selected from a scientific journal and two major concepts in it will be identified. Then one of the major concepts will be analyzed using the 11-step technique proposed by Wilson. The article chosen for con cept analysis is an empirical research article written by McCabe, Ricciardelli and Banfield (2009). The article, titled ‘Depressive symptoms and psychosocial functioning in preadolescent children’, was retrieved from Depression Research and Treatment. The aim of the study was to find out the fraction of children who are at-risk of depression or clinically depressed and to see what effects depression has on them. The authors selected a group of 510 children (270 boys 240 girls) and inspected them for signs of depression. The authors focus on a specific set of variables to find out their relation. There are two major concepts used in the paper. These are depression and at risk. In order to carry out a concept analysis, the concept is thoroughly examined and its meaning probed from a variety of sources. This paper will discuss the concept of depression and analyze it critically. The aim of the concept analysis will be to come to a clear and concise meaning for depression a nd its use in routine life. The word depression does not have a clear definition and people have differing views regarding it. The expression and perception of depression is influenced by a number of factors such as culture, context, social gatherings etc. According to Wilson, the first step in the process of concept analysis is the identification and isolation of the questions relating to the concept. These questions can be grouped into three main categories: facts, values and meanings. When analyzing depression, various questions regarding its nature and meaning arise. For example how is depression defined? What are the signs and symptoms of depression? Is depression different than unhappiness? Should depression of every kind be treated? According to Wilson, factual questions regarding the concept should be tackled by focusing on the existing literature. Questions relating to value and encompassing ‘shoulds’ are to be answered by considering the perception of influent ial figures or the society. The third set of questions is those concerned with meaning and is best dealt with when the questions are analyzed in the context of the concept behind them (Meleis, 2007). Having formulated the questions, the next step in Wilson’s technique of concept analysis is to identify the correct answers to the questions and discuss the important elements in them (Meleis, 2007). Depression has various uses depending on the context it is used. For example it is used in medicine to define a