Hildegard Peplau's Interpersonal Relations In Nursing Theory

Hildegard Peplau’s interpersonal relations in nursing theory In the year 1952 Hildegard Peplau formulated a theory called the Interpersonal Relations in Nursing theory (Thompson 1986). Peplau formed her theory by building on Harry S. Sullivan’s work and making it relatable to the field of nursing (Thompson 1986). The theory focuses on four specific steps that develop in the relationship between nurse and patient (McGuinness & Peters 1999). These four stages are referred to as: orientation, identification, exploitation, and resolution (McGuinness & Peters 1999). Peplau believed that the relationship between the nurse and patient is vital for achieving goals the patient has set (McGuinness & Peters 1999). One of the main objectives of Peplau’s
For many patients with mental health problems, simply the formation of a trusting relationship that evolves into the patient’s progress being a shared experience makes a substantial difference (Merritt & Procter 2012). Peplau’s theory states that there are four steps in this theory and that the role of the nurse changes throughout the process (Merritt & Procter 2012). These roles are altered as a relationship is formed, starting with the stranger role and ending with the clinical expert role (Merritt & Procter 2012). During the stranger role, trust is being built between the two individuals and after working through the other four roles, the nurse can use their clinical skills to effectively guide the patient (Merritt & Procter 2012). By the end of these stages, the patient should be able to come to terms with their struggle and find ways to cope with it as an individual (Merritt & Procter 2012). In the mental health field of nursing this theory has proved extremely effective because it allows the patient to identify the problem and make sense of it in a safe and encouraging environment (Merritt & Procter
In this setting, Peplau’s theory helps to provide a structured plan of how to form a relationship and eventually give the patient the help that they need (Schafer 1999). Schafer (1999) writes about a case study conducted on a man named Dave who was in a correctional facility after having gone through a hard time as a child, bouncing around foster cares, seeing bad examples, and eventually joining a gang. Schafer (1999) describes that fact that the feeling of power is something that Dave really enjoyed. During the orientation phase of Peplau’s theory, Dave did not trust the nurse at all because of past bad experiences and expressed himself in a very aggressive manner in an effort to gain control. (Schaffer 1999). When Dave and his primary nurse entered into the identification phase things were slightly better and Dave displayed much higher levels of trust for his nurse (Schaffer 1999). As they continued through Peplau’s stages Dave improved, with some setbacks along the way (Schaffer 1999). By the time he was in the resolution stage, Dave set a goal to not reoffend while on parole, and unfortunately did not follow through with this goal (Schaffer 1999). Although this situation did not end how the nurse would have hoped, Dave did still make some improvements in his behavior (Schaffer 1999). Sometimes, especially in the case of inmates, the