Nursing Theory Exploration: Theory of Interpersonal Relations Analysis

This report delves into Hildegard Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations, examining its significance in nursing practice. It begins with a comprehensive description of the theory, its origins, and its scope within the nursing field. The report identifies key concepts such as nursing practice, patient, health problems and society, and environment. It then explores how the theory is applied in nursing research, analyzing two published studies that utilized Peplau's framework to improve patient care, especially in the context of self-care for diabetic and psychiatric patients. Furthermore, the report discusses the theory's implications for nursing practice across educational, clinical, and research settings, including phases of interpersonal relationships and operational definitions of key concepts. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of therapeutic relationships between nurses and patients and how this theory can lead to improved patient outcomes. The assignment also includes an evaluation of the theory’s accuracy, generalizability, strengths, weaknesses, and congruence with current nursing standards.

Running head: NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
Module 2: Identification of a Nursing Theory
Introduction:
The nursing theories are various theories on which the nursing practices are based on.
There are many theories that help in developing new nursing practices and in improving the
already existing nursing practices. The theory selected for this assignment is the Theory of
Interpersonal Relations by Hildegard Peplau.
Discussion:
Description of the Theory:
According to Peplau, it is very important for the nurses to develop an interpersonal
relationship with their patients in order to improve the quality of care delivered by the nurses
(Peplau, 1997). The development of an interpersonal relationship between the nurses and
their patients involve the development of mutual trust and respect, which helps the patients to
communicate with their care-giving nursing staffs about their needs. This phenomenon also
helps the nurses to understand the requirements of their patients better.
Origins of the Theory:
The theory of Interpersonal Relationship was developed by Hildegard Peplau in 1952
(Schafer, 1999). The theories on the interpersonal relationships developed by Harry Stack
Sullivan, Abraham Maslow and various others had influences on Peplau, as she developed
the nursing theory on developing the interpersonal relationships (Hochberger & Lingham,
2017). According to Peplau, both the nurses and the patients have a common goal, which is to
restore the impaired health condition in the patient (Peplau, 1997). Thus there should be an
interaction between the both parties in order to achieve that goal. For making that interaction,
the development of an interpersonal relationship was thus identified as a necessity by Pepleu
in the nursing practice.

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Scope of the Theory in Practice:
The theory of interpersonal relationships can be applied to every field of nursing. The
scope of this theory in the nursing practice is huge. Every nurse-patient encounter involves a
mutual understanding, for which the development of the interpersonal relationship is a
necessity. In these type of interactions, the patients are required to communicate with the
nursing staffs about their needs and the nursing staffs on the other hand are in need of
understanding those needs of their patients. This is a requirement that can be identified by the
nurses working in any field and thus it can be decided that the scope of practice for this
theory expands to a grand level. The ability of the nurses to develop a therapeutic
interpersonal relationship with their patients is directly associated with the level of their
professional competency.
Identification of Major Concepts:
There were many concepts including the concept of patients, nursing practice, health
problems and the society or environment of the patient, on which Peplau developed this
theory of Interpersonal relationship.
The patients are the human beings, who are in need of help from the healthcare
professionals, especially in relation to their physical and emotional needs. To understand
these needs and attend to those the development of a proper and effective interpersonal
relationship is necessary.
The nursing practice is another important concept that is used in the development of
the theory. This involves helping the patients with their various needs.
The health problems can be described as the condition, where the patients have the
health conditions that cannot be considered as normal and they are facing various difficulties
in carrying out day to day activity due to those problems.

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The society or the environment of the patient involves the specific society, culture or
the community the patient belongs from. This consideration is very necessary for the nurses
to develop a successful interpersonal relationship with their patient, since this can be
considered as a sensitive issue for the patients.
Selection of Two Concepts:
The first chosen concept of this theory is the nursing practice, which involves the
diagnosis and the treatment of the human responses, which result from the actual or potential
health related problems.
The second chosen concept is the society or environment of the patient, which can be
defined as the cultural, social or the environmental background, the patient belongs from.
Among the two concepts, the concept of nursing practice can be considered as more
important, since development of interpersonal relationship is directly associated with the
improvement of the quality of nursing practice.
Conclusion:
Hence, it can be concluded from the above discussion that the theory of the
Interpersonal relationship was developed by Hildegard Peplau in 1952, which described the
necessity of the development of interpersonal relationship between the patients and the nurses
in order to provide them better care.

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References:
Hochberger, J. M., & Lingham, B. (2017). Utilizing Peplau's interpersonal approach to
facilitate medication self-management for psychiatric patients. Archives of psychiatric
nursing, 31(1), 122-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2016.08.006
Peplau, H. E. (1997). Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations. Nursing science
quarterly, 10(4), 162-167. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F089431849701000407
Schafer, P. (1999). Working with dave: Application of Peplau's interpersonal nursing theory
in the correctional environment. Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health
services, 37(9), 18-24. https://doi.org/10.3928/0279-3695-19990901-08

5NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
Module 3: Application of Theory to Research
Introduction:
The theory of interpersonal relationship can be considered to be very important in the
practice of nursing. There has been various application of this theory in the nursing research.
There are two articles selected in this section to discuss how the theory can be implemented
in the research.
Discussion:
Article 1:
Purpose of the Study:
The study was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the theory itself to encourage
the promotion of the practice of self-care in the patients, who have type II diabetes mellitus
(Fernandes & Naidu, 2017).
Use of the Theory in the Study:
The interpersonal relationship was used as a tool to assess the patients’ attitude
towards practicing self-care and also to improve their attitude along with motivating them
into practicing self-care in the diabetes management (Fernandes & Naidu, 2017). The
assessments also examined the knowledge of the patients on the self-care in diabetic
management.
Use of the Concept of Interest in the Study:
The chosen concept of interest in this study was the nursing practice. The nursing
practice involves helping the patients with various health conditions. Here the study was
focused on helping the diabetic patients to manage their diabetic conditions by the application

6NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
of self-care (Fernandes & Naidu, 2017). Hence the study successfully focused on the concept
of interest.
Defining the Concept of Interest:
The paper described the role of the nursing staffs to improve the condition of the
patients. They do it by either influencing the self-care practice in the patient or by inhibiting
the practice in them in order to manage diabetes (Fernandes & Naidu, 2017). Hence it can be
concluded that it is necessary for the nurses to develop an interpersonal relationship with their
patients in order to help them properly.
Article 2:
Purpose of the Study:
This study was also focused on the application of interpersonal approach, as described
by Peplau to motivate the patients into using the self-management and the self-administration
of the medications. The main focus of the study was the patients, who have the psychiatric
problems (Hochberger & Lingham, 2017).
Use of the Theory in the Study:
The study explored how the nurses can assess the patients’ desire to stop taking the
medications and how they can assist the patients to self-administer their own medications.
The study explored how developing an interpersonal relationship with the patients will help
the nurses into carrying out all those activities. The study also explored the area where it
described how an interpersonal relationship between the nurses and the patients can help in
the mutual decision making (Hochberger & Lingham, 2017).
Use of the Concept of Interest in the Study:

7NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
The concept of interest, which is the nursing practice was briefly associated with this
study. As already mentioned before the whole study was focused on the role of nurses in
helping their patients by developing effective interpersonal relationship with them
(Hochberger & Lingham, 2017). The study explored various aspects in order to determine the
ways by which the nurses can help their patients by using Peplau’s theory of interpersonal
relationships.
Defining the Concept of Interest:
The study successfully defined the role of the nurses in helping their patients with any
kind of health-related difficulties faced by them. The study also focused on the responsibility
of the nurses to develop an effective interpersonal relationship with their patients in order to
help them (Hochberger & Lingham, 2017).
Conclusion:
Hence it can be concluded from the above discussion that there are various studies
that uses the theory of interpersonal relationship as a tool or framework in order to determine
the quality of the nursing practice and the necessity of the improvement in those practices.
Both of the studies found that in order to help the patients the nurses must make an approach
to develop an effective interpersonal relationship with their patients.

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References:
Fernandes, S., & Naidu, S. (2017). Promoting participation in self care management among
patients with diabetes mellitus: An application of Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal
Relationships. International Journal of Nursing Education, 9(4), 129-134.
DOI: 10.5958/0974-9357.2017.00109.X
Hochberger, J. M., & Lingham, B. (2017). Utilizing Peplau's interpersonal approach to
facilitate medication self-management for psychiatric patients. Archives of psychiatric
nursing, 31(1), 122-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2016.08.006

9NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
Module 4: Application of Theory to Practice
Introduction:
There are various implications of the selected theory in the practice of nursing. The
theory of interpersonal relationship can be widely applicable in the field of nursing, which
include educational, clinical and research fields. The development of a therapeutic
interpersonal relationship for the nurses is very important in order to help the patients.
Discussion:
Use of the Theory in Nursing Practice:
There are about 4 phases, where the interpersonal relationships can be applied. The
phases can be described as the orientation, identification, exploitation and resolution. The
orientation phase or the first phase, which is focused on making assessments on the condition
of the patients along with their specific needs. The identification phase is associated with the
setting of goals and the development of various plans to help the patients. The exploitation
phase is the next phase, which involves implementation of the plans in order to achieve the
goals. Finally the last phase is focused on evaluating the plans and outcome in the patients
(D'Antonio, Beeber, Sills & Naegle, 2014).
The Purpose of the Practice Application:
There are various purpose for which the theory must be applied into nursing practice.
The area of application involves the field of education, the field of clinical practice and also
in the field of research. In the educational field, the nursing students must be taught about the
necessity of interpersonal relationship in order to improve the quality care delivered by the
nurses (Mwale & Kalawa, 2016). In the field of clinical practice to assess the patient needs
and conditions and also to help them as per their needs, the nurses require to develop the
interpersonal relationship with their patients. The research field will involve exploring the

10NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
application of the theory further in order assess the quality of nursing care and also in
improving the nursing practices.
Operational Definition of the Concept of Interest:
A nursing practice can be considered as effective if there is a proper therapeutic
interpersonal relationship is developed between the patient and the nurses. The efficacy level
can be measured by the improvement in the patient’s health conditions and the level of
satisfaction in the patients (Calzone et al., 2014).
Use of the Theoretical and Operational Definition of the Concept of Interest in Future
Nursing Practice:
As per the theoretical definition of nursing practice, in case of treating a patient with
psychological problems the nursing practice will involve assessing the patient for
determining the needs, making plans to help the patients, implementing those plans and
finally evaluating both the plans and the outcomes in the patients. All these will be achieved
by implementing the theory of interpersonal relationship into practice. As per the operational
definition, the nursing practice will involve increasing the satisfaction level in the patients by
successfully attending to their needs.
Potential Research on the Proposition of the Theory:
Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relationship in nursing proposed that all the nursing
staffs must focus on developing interpersonal relationships with their patients in order to
improve the quality care provided by them. A potential area of research based on this area
can be exploring the reasons for the reluctance among the nurses to develop a proper
interpersonal relationship with their patients (Darkwa, Newman, Kawkab & Chowdhury,
2015).

11NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
Conclusion:
Hence it can be concluded from the above section that the application of the theory of
interpersonal relationship by Peplau involves about four phases. The field of applications
include the educational, clinical and research fields. The applications involve making
assessments, setting goals and making plans, implementation of the plans and finally
evaluation of the plans and the outcomes.

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References:
Calzone, K. A., Jenkins, J., Culp, S., Caskey, S., & Badzek, L. (2014). Introducing a new
competency into nursing practice. Journal of nursing regulation, 5(1), 40.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204730/
D'Antonio, P., Beeber, L., Sills, G., & Naegle, M. (2014). The future in the past: H ildegard P
eplau and interpersonal relations in nursing. Nursing inquiry, 21(4), 311-317.
https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12056
Darkwa, E. K., Newman, M. S., Kawkab, M., & Chowdhury, M. E. (2015). A qualitative
study of factors influencing retention of doctors and nurses at rural healthcare
facilities in Bangladesh. BMC health services research, 15(1), 344.
https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-015-1012-z
Mwale, O. G., & Kalawa, R. (2016). Factors affecting acquisition of psychomotor clinical
skills by student nurses and midwives in CHAM Nursing Colleges in Malawi: A
qualitative exploratory study. BMC nursing, 15(1), 30.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12912-016-0153-7

13NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
Module 5: Evaluation of the Theory
Introduction:
The evaluation of a theory involves determining the accuracy of the theory, the
strength and weakness of the theory, the relevance of the theory at social or cultural level and
various other aspects.
Discussion:
Accuracy of the Theory Based on Empirical Testing:
The theory of interpersonal relationship by Peplau appears to be accurate. The theory
describes the importance of interpersonal relationship in nursing to provide a quality care to
the patients. There are various studies certifies the accuracy. One of those studies examined
the experiences of the patients in order to test the accuracy of the theory (Hagerty, 2015).
Generalizability of the Theory:
The theory is applicable to almost every field of nursing practice. The interpersonal
relationship involving a nurse and the patient is always a necessity in order to determine the
patient needs and delivering proper care to them. Hence the theory can be considered to have
a generalised aspect (Adams, 2017).
Strengths and Weakness of the Theory:
The theory is applicable to every field of nursing practice and can be applied to
deliver a proper care to every patients. This can be considered as a major strength of the
theory.
The theory cannot be applied to practice in case of the patients, who have chosen to
withdraw from the treatment, which can be considered as the weakness of the theory
(Hariyati & Ungsianik, 2018).

14NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
Congruency of the Theory with Current Nursing Standards and Interventions:
The current nursing interventions and the standards involve delivering a quality care
to the patients, which can be determined by the high level of satisfaction in the patients. It has
been established by various studies previously that an effective interpersonal relationship
between the patients and the nurses increases the patient satisfaction. Thus it can be decided
that there is a congruency between the current practice of nursing and the current standards of
nursing along with the interventions (Im, 2015).
Relevance of the Theory on the Social or Cultural Level:
The social or cultural aspect can be identified as one of the principle concepts, based
on which the theory of interpersonal relationship was developed by Peplau. The consideration
of the social or cultural background of a patient is an absolute necessity, when an approach to
develop an effective interpersonal relationship is made (Douglass, Sowell & Phillips, 2003).
The reason behind that is that the social and cultural values and beliefs are very sensitive
issue for any human being, who belongs to a society.
Contribution of the Theory to the Discipline of Nursing:
The theory of interpersonal relationship can be applicable to every discipline of
nursing. The development of interpersonal relationship is a necessity for every aspects of
patient care. It is necessary to assess and diagnose the condition of a patient. It is required for
making the necessary plans for the patients, implementation of the plans and finally the
evaluation (Donohue-Porter, 2014). Hence it can be decided that the theory has a higher level
of contribution in every discipline of nursing.
Conclusion:
Hence from the above section it can be concluded that the interpersonal relationship
theory was appropriately accurate and it is generalised. However it have a weakness

15NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
alongside its strength, which involves the patients, who have withdrawn from the treatment.
The theory have a congruency with the current nursing standards and practice. It is applicable
in every discipline of nursing.

16NURSING THEORY EXPLORATION
References:
Adams, L. Y. (2017). Peplau’s contributions to psychiatric and nursing knowledge. Journal
of Mental Health and Addiction Nursing, 1(1), e10-e18.
DOI https://doi.org/10.22374/jmhan.v1i1.3
Donohue-Porter, P. (2014). The creative elan of nursing theory: Indispensable to
leadership. Nursing science quarterly, 27(4), 330-335.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0894318414546413
Douglass, J. L., Sowell, R., & Phillips, K. D. (2003). Using Peplau's theory to examine the
psychosocial factors associated with HIV-infected women's difficulty in taking their
medications. Journal of theory Construction and Testing, 7(1), 10.
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=3317&context=facpubs
Hagerty, T. A. (2015). Testing Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations in Nursing Using
Data from Patient Experience Surveys. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/960/
Hariyati, R. T. S., & Ungsianik, T. (2018). Improving the interpersonal competences of head
nurses through Peplau's theoretical active learning approach. Enfermeria clinica, 28,
149-153. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1130-8621(18)30056-1
Im, E. O. (2015). The current status of theory evaluation in nursing. Journal of advanced
nursing, 71(10), 2268-2278. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12698