Importance of Psychology in Nursing

By carrying out an assessment nurses can identify the causes of problems that require medical involvement. Nettina (2006)

It may be said; why is psychology significant in nursing care and why do we use learning theories to assist in patient care? Well according to Walker et al (2007), in the caring profession nurses, spend most, if not all of their working lives interacting with other people. A key part of a nurse’s job is to promote healthful behaviour. When a patient is admitted to hospital it is often their physical illness that can cause a lot of emotional distress. This means gaining a better understanding of how people cope with illnesses whether acute or chronic. Understanding health psychology will

For centuries the development of nursing knowledge has been influenced by numerous theorists and their respective theories. These theories have influenced, and continue to influence, nursing education, practice and research. (Johnson & Webber, 2005)

Psychological studies are mainly based on the direct observation of human behavior, rather than reasoning or speculation. Psychology is like any other subject- the majority of people have a very shallow and basic understanding of what the study involves, and yet they lack a crucial knowledge of the major struggles and disagreements among those who study it. It does not surprise me that psychology is one of the more popular majors available. By nature, it sparks human curiosity, especially as to what contributes to the system of our thoughts and the pattern in our behaviors. For the first eighteen

The nursing fields applies to all areas of Lifespan Development, and nurses work in a setting where they are required to work and interact with other professionals in a effort to bring the best quality of care to their patients. This involves the need for the full understanding how or why a person may behave in any given situation. With the knowledge of psychology nurses will learn to interact with patient all based on different factors such as gender and age. If two patients were undergoing the same procedure, the patient who is younger could be more afraid than the adult (Chron.com). Difficulties in understanding the true meaning of their illness. Nurses must use this broad range of psychological knowledge in order to relate to younger or older patients, improving the nurse-pt relationship; allowing open interaction in communication informing medical professionals

Introduces and defines the topic, as well as describes its importance to professional nursing. Depth and detail are fair. (19–20 points)

- Taking into account the patient physical, social, psychological and spiritual health allow for allow for a more competent and effective patient care.

Nursing care incorporates not only a compassionate attitude but passion for care of patients. The caring component of nursing cannot be measured, rather dissected through theory within the clarification of what nurses do. Systemically this is all supported through abundant theories and theorist. The nursing profession emphasizes on holistic care which is defined as treatment of the whole person. Within this skill is the admittance of problems that are biomedical but also opportune clarification of the well-being and health of a human that introduces added indicators of disease that are non-visualized (Powers, 2011).

The theory contained four major concepts that can be considered theoretically simple. Although the theory can be considered simple, it does not fit the idea of parsimony because it mainly accounts for psychiatric nurses specifically. However, the theory can still be applied generally to relationships with clients and any healthcare profession. Another consideration is that the client has to be able to perceive difficulties and therefore an infant or young child, comatose client, or mentally disabled client limits the generality to whom it is applied. The accessibility of Peplau’s theory can be validated through the indicators of an effective interpersonal relationship with empathic linkages and progression through the stages. Being able to assess behaviors is an ability accessible to most, which can be accessible to nursing practice whether it is in the community setting or hospital setting. The importance of Peplau’s theory contributes to the valued nursing goal of wellness by improving relationships that strengthen self-worth, provide a sense of connectedness with others, and support self-confidence.

Neuropsychology is another field in which both psychology and biology play a major role. Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain as it relates to specific psychological processes and behaviors. It is a clinical and experimental field of psychology that aims to study, assess, understand and treat behaviors directly related to brain functioning. Neuropsychology studies and applies research to the functions and the dysfunctions of the brain and how they affect the body as well as the personality. This has helped us to not only define mental disorders and cognitive impairments, but to develop different treatment

Nursing goes beyond caring for a patient during their illness and managing their disease process. Nursing includes adapting to a patient’s and their family’s physical, social, spiritual, environmental and psychological needs. I believe in treating the whole patient and being supportive of the family’s needs as well. Shelly & Miller (2006) asserts “while critical thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills are extremely important, the characteristics nurses need most are compassion, competence, faith, integrity and responsibility” (p. 291).

Nursing theory is relatively new and as such, it continues to evolve as new knowledge is gained. There are numerous theories of nursing, each of which took years to develop and most of which continue to evolve and adapt. There are commonalities between and among the existing theories although each may focus more heavily on different aspects of responsibilities. It has to do with the philosophical foundations for each theory.

“Nursing theory aims to describe, predict and explain the phenomenon of nursing” (Colley, 2003, p. 33); therefore, nursing theory is the scaffolding on which nurses stand to build and remodel nursing practice. This is a symbiotic relationship because nursing theory builds the nursing practice and as practice expands the scaffolding must, in turn, grow as well. As such, the investigation into practice and research keep informing the practice and profession of nursing. Ultimately this leads to more effective patient care utilizing evidenced-based

Nursing theory is the backbone of nursing. It is very important in the application of evidence-based practice (EBP). The functions of a theory are to narrow and provide specific information for the analysis of initially confusing behaviors, situations, and events (Fawcett & Madeya 2013). Moreover, nursing theory helps to improve not only the quality of care that we are providing to our patients but, they also help us make better clinical decisions. As a matter of fact, nursing theory gives the nurse a framework for organizing and analyzing information as well as a base for identifying with their patients throughout the nurse-patient relationship (Schick, 2015). I am very much interested in all the theories. The one that I relate to the most is Hildegard Peplau’s theory. It is a middle range theory that focuses on interpersonal relations. This theory teaches us about how to interact with our patients so that they feel more in control of their treatment. In this paper, I will be talking about the importance of nursing, the summary of Peplau's theory, and how as future nurse practitioners, we can apply it.

During my nursing education and nursing career, I have studied the major nursing theories.  Some of them include Nightingale’s Environmental Theory, Watson’s Philosophy and Science of Caring, Orem’s Theory of Self-Care, and Erickson’s Modeling and Role-Modeling Theory. My nursing focus is on inpatient mental health.  The theorist that is most relevant to my work is Jean Watson’s theory of caring.  Watson (1998) states “Caring and healing by their very nature are concerned with wholeness. Wholeness by its very nature is concerned with interconnectedness and intersubjectivity” (Extended Science-Upward section, para. 1).  Another theory frequently used in psychiatric nursing is Helen C Erickson’s Modeling and Role-Modeling Theory.  Her theory states that each person has a unique perception of the world and the nurse must relate to the patient based on these unique perceptions (Sappington & Kelly, 1996).  There are other nursing theories that integrate in my practice, but these two theories create the foundation of my nursing care.