In
social studies and
social policy
Social policy is a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society.
Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize soci ...
, intervention theory is the analysis of the
decision making
In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be either ra ...
problems of intervening effectively in a situation in order to secure desired outcomes. Intervention theory addresses the question of when it is desirable not to intervene and when it is appropriate to do so. It also examines the effectiveness of different types of intervention. The term is used across a range of social and medical practices, including health care, child protection and law enforcement. It is also used in
business studies
Business studies, often simply called business, is a field of study that deals with the principles of business, management, and economics. It combines elements of accountancy, finance, marketing, organizational studies, human resource management, ...
.
Within the theory of nursing, intervention theory is included within a larger scope of practice theories. Burns and Grove point out that it directs the implementation of a specific nursing intervention and provides theoretical explanations of how and why the intervention is effective in addressing a particular patient care problem. These theories are tested through programs of research to validate the effectiveness of the intervention in addressing the problem.
In ''Intervention Theory and Method'' Chris Argyris argues that in
organization development
Organization development (OD) is the study and implementation of practices, systems, and techniques that affect organizational change, the goal of which is to modify an organization's performance and/or culture. The organizational changes are ...
, effective intervention depends on appropriate and useful knowledge that offers a range of clearly defined choices and that the target should be for as many people as possible to be committed to the option chosen and to feel responsibility for it. Overall, interventions should generate a situation in which actors believe that they are working to internal rather than external influences on decisions.
[Chris Argyris, ''Intervention Theory and Method: A Behavioral Science View'' (Addison-Wesley series in social science and administration), Addison-Wesley, 1970]
See also
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Cognitive interventions A cognitive intervention is a form of psychological intervention, a technique and therapy practised in counselling. It describes a myriad of approaches to therapy that focus on addressing psychological distress at a cognitive level. It is also asso ...
, a set of techniques and therapies practiced in counseling
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Psychological intervention
In applied psychology, interventions are actions performed to bring about change in people. A wide range of intervention strategies exist and they are directed towards various types of issues. Most generally, it means any activities used to modif ...
, any action by psychological professionals designed to bring about change in a client
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Health intervention
A public health intervention is any effort or policy that attempts to improve mental and physical health on a population level. Public health interventions may be run by a variety of organizations, including governmental health departments and n ...
, an effort to promote good health behaviour or to prevent bad health behaviour
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Human Systems Intervention, the design and implementation of interventions in social settings where adults are confronted with the need to change their perspectives, attitudes, and actions
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Intervention (counseling), an attempt to compel a subject to "get help" for an addiction or other problem
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Policy
Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...
, administrative principles guiding organizational behavior to achieve rational goals
Notes
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Decision theory