Physical Therapy and the Taxonomic Structure Human

Physical Therapy and the Taxonomic Structure

Human health is based on a highly complex system of interdependent parts. One's mental health, emotional health and physical health are all closely connected. Understanding and appreciation of these interdependent parts is essential for one in the profession of observing, evaluating and working to improve human health. Within the scope of physical therapy, therefore, there is a great value in achieving a grounded theoretical understanding of how these dimensions of health interact. Bloom's taxonomy provides a particularly valuable way to understand these dimensions by providing three specific domains of knowledge. Within these cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains lay the key to recognizing and helping patients achieve a positive and harmonious interdependency of mind and body.

Essentially, the taxonomic structure is concerned with modeling comprehensive training methodologies which a flexibility available to all manner of discipline. The physical therapy profession in particular can be evaluated as a significant beneficiary of the strategies revealed by Bloom, placing such demands of balance upon aspiring practitioners. Indeed, such is a field where demands uniquely require one who is intellectually, emotionally and technically equal to all tasks alike. At the foundation of the Bloom learning structure therefore is the notion that "this taxonomy of learning behaviors can be thought of as 'the goals of the training process.' That is, after the training session, the learner should have acquired new skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes." (Clark, 1)

First and foremost, this denotes the cognitive process of coming to understand the human body. This includes a firm educational grounding in such areas as anatomy, nutrition, lifestyle orientation, physical fitness, medicine, biology and pathology as well as in such specialty areas as obstetrics, geriatrics and women's health needs. The physical therapist must first establish this cognitive domain in order to build the knowledge for engaging in practice.

Consequently, the affective domain will denote the need for the practitioner to recognize the high level of correlation between body language, posture, facial expression, tone and other communicative characteristics and the emotional relationship between patient and practitioner. In the scope of physical therapy especially, the patient will often respond to the level of support, comfort and compassion shown by the therapist. This can in turn have a direct effect on the patient's receptiveness to the therapy. Simultaneously, the intuition of the therapist to respond to emotional cues in the patient can also help to drive therapy processes toward positive health outcomes.

These domains must also be joined though by a practicable knowledge of the correlation between health systems, emotional responsiveness to therapy and actual physical capability. Physical therapy will typically involve patients coping with distinct limitations in physical ability or mobility. As such, it is incumbent upon the practitioner to use what he or she understands from a cognitive and an affective standpoint to create reasonable expectations where the psychomotor domain is concerned.