Systems thinking epistemological underpinnings of practice among rehabilitation professionals: Case study of the major text of a French physiotherapy founder

Abstract

AbstractThis paper has three objectives: first, to examine the historical foundations of the social representation of French physiotherapy; second, to explore the holistic dimension of physiotherapy care addressed by physiotherapists in our survey; third, to disseminate the research design in social science. A literary text by a founder of French physiotherapy was transcribed and examined by lexicometry. The analysis revealed the avant‐garde philosophy of care developed by Dolto in the 70s: a merged model of care and a unique evidence of systems thinking that distinguishes the empirical practice of professionals working according to a functional rehabilitation logic. We argue that the introduction of systems theory into the initial or continuing education of these practitioners could make its bio‐psycho‐social application more effective. This calls for further research on rehabilitation practices in other cultural contexts and provides a theoretical basis and argument for the development of lexicometry in the social sciences.