King's theory: a critique of the critiques

This article describes Imogene M. King's conceptual framework and theory of goal attainment. The critiques of various nursing scholars reflect a misunderstanding of the intent of the theory and conceptual framework. Major areas of concern of the critics include cultural limitations, patient competence, and lack of specific guidelines to work within the nursing process. These critiques are discussed and examples supporting the use of King's work in practice are presented.