Developing a theoretical definition of self‐organization: A principle‐based concept analysis in the context of uncertainty in chronic illness

AIM: To develop a theoretical definition of self‐organization to increase the understanding of the Reconceptualized Uncertainty in Illness Theory (RUIT). BACKGROUND: Mishel described the change of the uncertainty appraisal over time in people with a chronic illness by means of the RUIT. Therefore, she introduced the concept of self‐organization. However, its meaning is difficult to comprehend because its descriptions remained highly abstract. DESIGN: A principle‐based concept analysis. DATA SOURCE: Entries of lexicons and journal publications, explicitly or implicitly addressing self‐organization in the context of any social phenomenon. REVIEW METHODS: We conducted a conceptually driven literature search in lexicons and four databases and performed citation tracking. RESULTS: Self‐organization stands for a transition between psychological instability and psychological adjustment. It is conditioned by illness‐related obstacles or uncertainties that are perceived as life‐threatening. This adaptation process shows overlaps with cognitive reframing and is promoted by time, resilience, social support, and positive development of the disease. It leads to empowerment and a new perspective of life and uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS: We enhanced the understanding of the RUIT by developing a theoretical definition of self‐organization on a lower level of abstraction and by proposing a new approximation for the operationalization by means of cognitive reframing.