Fundamentals of Nursing:
Standards & Practices, 2E
Chapter 2
Theoretical
Foundations of
Nursing
What is a Concept?
A concept is the basic building block of a
theory.
A concept labels a phenomenon.
Concepts assist us in formulating a
mental image about an object or
situation.
A conceptual framework is a structure
that links global concepts together.
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What is a Proposition?
A proposition is a statement that
proposes a relationship between
concepts.
A proposition is the structural element of
a theory.
Propositional statements in a theory
represent the theorist’s view of which
concepts fit together.
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What is a Theory?
A theory is a set of concepts and
propositions that provide an orderly way
to view phenomena.
The purpose of a theory is description,
explanation and prediction.
A theory helps us to organize our
thoughts and ideas.
Theories guide research.
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Importance of Nursing
Theories
Theories provide a framework for
thought in which to examine
situations.
Theories provide a structure for
communicating with other nurses
and other health team members.
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Theories assist the nursing
discipline in clarifying beliefs, values,
and goals.
Theories help to define the unique
contribution of nursing in the care of
clients.
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Scope of Theories
Grand theory
Middle-range theory
Micro-range theory
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Knowledge Development
in Nursing
The Metaparadigm of Nursing
• Metaparadigm concepts provide the
boundaries and limitations of a discipline.
• Disciplines are distinguished from each
other by differing metaparadigm concepts.
• The major concepts that provide structure to
the domain of nursing are person,
environment, health, and nursing.
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What is a Paradigm?
• It is a particular way of viewing the
phenomena of concern that have been
delineated by the metaparadigm of the
discipline.
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Two individuals with different
paradigmatic views can look at the
same phenomenon and each will
view the phenomenon differently.
The prevailing paradigm in a
discipline represents the dominant
viewpoint of particular concepts.
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A paradigm revolution is the
turmoil and conflict that occur in a
discipline when a competing
paradigm gains acceptance over the
dominant paradigm.
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A paradigm shift refers to the
acceptance of the competing
paradigm over the prevailing
paradigm or a shifting away from
one worldview toward another
worldview.
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Two Paradigms in Nursing:
• Totality Paradigm
• Simultaneity Paradigm
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Nursing Theorists
Florence Nightingale
• considered nursing to be both an art and a
science.
• stressed the importance of caring for the ill
person rather than the illness.
• thought a person’s health was the direct
result of environmental influences
(cleanliness, light, pure air, pure water,
efficient drainage).
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Early Nursing Theorists:
•
•
•
•
•
Hildegard Peplau
Virginia Henderson
Faye Abdellah
Joyce Travelbee
Josephine Paterson and Loretta
Zderad
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Contemporary Nursing Theorists
•
•
•
•
•
Myra Levine
Dorothea Orem
Sister Callista Roy
Martha Rogers
Rosemarie Parse
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Theories for the New
Worldview of Nursing
They describe, explain, and predict the
phenomena of concern to nursing from a
more holistic perspective.
The client has primacy.
The client-environment interaction is of
utmost importance.
Theories include those by Jean Watson,
Martha Rogers, Rosemarie Parse.
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Theory of Human Caring
Developed by Jean Watson in the 1980s
Offers a new way of conceptualizing
human-to-human transactions that occur
daily in nursing practice
Composed of 10 curative factors which
are classified as nursing actions or caring
processes
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The Science of Unitary
Human Beings
Developed by Martha Rogers
The person is viewed as a unified
whole and seen as greater than, and
different from, the sum of the parts.
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The person is a human energy field
that interacts with the environmental
energy field resulting in the process
of life.
Nursing aims to repattern the
rhythm and organization of energy
fields so that the person’s integrity is
heightened.
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