Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory

 Overview: Developed by the founder of modern nursing, this theory emphasizes the
importance of the environment in healing. Nightingale believed that the manipulation of
the environment could significantly impact a patient’s recovery.
 Core Concepts:
 Ventilation and air quality: Fresh air promotes recovery.
 Light: Natural light (especially sunlight) is beneficial for healing.
 Cleanliness: Proper sanitation reduces the spread of infections.
 Quiet and noise control: Rest is essential for healing.
 Proper nutrition: A balanced diet supports recovery.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses ensure clean, well-ventilated spaces and manage environmental factors (light,
noise, temperature) to promote patient recovery.

Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory

 Overview: Henderson defined nursing as assisting individuals, healthy or ill, to perform

activities contributing to health, recovery, or a peaceful death, which they would do
independently if they had the strength or knowledge.
 Key Concepts:
 Henderson identified 14 basic needs that nurses must address, such as:
 Breathing normally
 Eating and drinking adequately
 Maintaining personal hygiene
 Avoiding dangers in the environment
 Communicating effectively
 Goal: Nurses help patients achieve independence by meeting these basic needs.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses assess unmet needs and provide support until patients can care for themselves.
Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory

 Overview: Orem’s theory focuses on the idea that nursing care becomes necessary
when individuals cannot perform essential self-care activities independently.
 Three Key Sub-Theories:
 Self-care theory: People engage in self-care to maintain health and well-being.
 Self-care deficit theory: Nursing is needed when patients are unable to meet
their own needs.
 Nursing systems theory: There are three types of nursing care systems:
1. Wholly compensatory: The nurse does everything for the patient.
2. Partially compensatory: The nurse assists the patient with some tasks.
3. Supportive-educative: The nurse provides guidance, but the patient is
capable of performing the care.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses identify deficits and design care plans to address them while working to restore
the patient’s self-care abilities.

Sister Callista Roy’s Adaptation Model

 Overview: Roy’s model conceptualizes individuals as adaptive systems constantly

interacting with the environment. Health is seen as a dynamic state of adaptation to
environmental stimuli.
 Four Adaptive Modes:
1. Physiological: Body responses to maintain physical integrity.
2. Self-concept: Beliefs and feelings about oneself.
3. Role function: How one performs roles in society (e.g., mother, worker).
4. Interdependence: Interactions with others for support and relationships.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses assess the patient's ability to adapt in these modes and intervene to promote
successful adaptation when coping mechanisms are inadequate.
Betty Neuman’s Systems Model

 Overview: Neuman’s theory views individuals as systems that interact with internal and
external stressors. The goal of nursing is to strengthen lines of defense to maintain
health.
 Core Concepts:
 Lines of defense:
 Normal line of defense: A person’s baseline level of wellness.
 Flexible line of defense: Temporary protection against stressors (e.g.,
vaccines).
 Stressors: Can be intrapersonal (within the person), interpersonal (between
individuals), or extrapersonal (from the environment).
 Prevention as intervention:
1. Primary prevention: Reduce the risk of encountering stressors.
2. Secondary prevention: Early detection of illness or stress.
3. Tertiary prevention: Minimize damage from illness and restore health.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses assess stressors, strengthen defenses, and intervene at various levels to maintain
or restore health.

Imogene King’s Goal Attainment Theory

 Overview: King’s theory focuses on the dynamic interaction between nurses and
patients to set and achieve goals related to health.
 Key Concepts:
 Personal system: Patient’s perceptions and experiences.
 Interpersonal system: Nurse-patient interactions and communication.
 Social system: Influence of society and groups on the individual.
 Goal Setting: Health improvement occurs through collaborative goal-setting
between the nurse and the patient.
  Application in Nursing:
Nurses work with patients to establish realistic goals and implement actions to achieve
them, adjusting the plan based on progress.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory (Applied to Nursing)

 Overview: Erikson’s theory explains psychological development across eight stages,

each with a key conflict that must be resolved for healthy emotional growth.
 Stages of Development:
1. Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy): Developing trust in caregivers.
2. Autonomy vs. Shame (Toddler): Learning independence.
3. Initiative vs. Guilt (Preschool): Developing initiative and leadership.
4. Industry vs. Inferiority (School Age): Gaining competence in tasks.
5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence): Establishing a stable identity.
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adult): Forming intimate relationships.
7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adult): Contributing to society.
8. Integrity vs. Despair (Old Age): Reflecting on life with satisfaction.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses use this theory to provide age-appropriate care, support psychological needs,
and promote emotional well-being across different life stages.

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory (Nursing Applications)

 Overview: Jean Piaget proposed that cognitive development occurs in four stages, each
representing changes in thinking, problem-solving, and understanding.
 Stages of Cognitive Development:
1. Sensorimotor Stage (Birth – 2 years): Learning through sensory experiences and
motor activities.
2. Preoperational Stage (2 – 7 years): Developing language and symbolic thinking
but struggling with logic.
 3. Concrete Operational Stage (7 – 11 years): Gaining the ability to think logically
about concrete events.
4. Formal Operational Stage (11+ years): Developing abstract thinking and
problem-solving skills.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses tailor communication and care plans based on the patient’s cognitive stage. For
example, in pediatric care, nurses use play therapy with children in the preoperational
stage to help them understand treatments.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Model

 Overview: Abraham Maslow proposed that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy,
where basic needs must be met before higher-level needs can be addressed.
 Hierarchy of Needs:
1. Physiological Needs: Food, water, air, sleep.
2. Safety Needs: Security and protection from harm.
3. Love and Belonging: Relationships, social interactions.
4. Esteem Needs: Respect, recognition, self-confidence.
5. Self-Actualization: Achieving personal growth and fulfillment.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses prioritize care based on the patient’s immediate needs. For example, ensuring a
patient’s physiological needs (like pain management) before addressing emotional or
social needs.

Martha Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings

 Overview: Rogers conceptualized individuals as energy fields interacting with the

environment. She emphasized that humans are whole beings, continuously evolving
with their surroundings.
 Key Concepts:
o Energy fields: Both human and environmental energy fields interact.
 o Pattern and organization: Health is reflected in harmonious energy patterns.
o Pandimensionality: Time and space are fluid and interconnected.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses use non-invasive interventions like therapeutic touch, music therapy, and guided
imagery to harmonize energy fields and promote well-being.

Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring

 Overview: Watson’s theory emphasizes caring as the essence of nursing, focusing on

the human connection between nurse and patient.
 Key Concepts:
o Carative factors: Include practices like kindness, empathy, and trust.
o Transpersonal caring: Going beyond the physical to engage with the patient’s
emotional and spiritual needs.
o Holistic care: Caring for the mind, body, and spirit.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses form meaningful relationships with patients, practicing compassion and empathy
to promote healing. This theory is especially relevant in palliative care and chronic
illness management.

Orlando’s Nursing Process Theory

 Overview: Ida Jean Orlando’s theory emphasizes the dynamic nurse-patient

relationship. She proposed that nurses use their observations and the patient’s
verbal/non-verbal cues to determine the most appropriate care.
 Key Concepts:
 Patient behavior: Patients express needs verbally and non-verbally.
 Nurse reaction: Nurses assess and interpret these cues.
 Deliberative nursing process: Nurses identify patient needs, validate them, and
provide care.
  Application in Nursing:
Nurses engage in active listening, validate patient concerns, and provide individualized
care, improving patient outcomes.

Lydia Hall’s Core, Care, and Cure Model

 Overview: Hall’s theory describes nursing as a blend of three overlapping components:

Core, Care, and Cure.
 Key Concepts:
1. Core: The patient’s emotional and psychological needs.
2. Care: The nurturing component, including direct nursing care.
3. Cure: Medical interventions to treat the disease.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses address the patient holistically by meeting emotional needs (core), providing
hands-on care (care), and collaborating with medical professionals (cure) to ensure
comprehensive care.

Hildegard Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations

 Overview: Peplau emphasized that nursing is an interpersonal process involving

interaction between nurse and patient, with a focus on building therapeutic
relationships.
 Phases of the Nurse-Patient Relationship:
1. Orientation Phase: Nurse and patient meet, and trust begins to develop.
2. Working Phase: They collaborate to identify problems and work on solutions.
3. Termination Phase: The relationship ends after goals are met.
 Roles of the Nurse:
o Stranger: Meeting the patient for the first time.
o Teacher: Providing information and guidance.
 o Counselor: Offering emotional support.
o Surrogate: Acting on behalf of the patient when necessary.
 Application in Nursing:
Nurses build strong, therapeutic relationships to enhance communication and trust,
which are critical for effective care, especially in psychiatric nursing.