Hildegard Peplau was an American nursing theorist who developed the Interpersonal Relations Theory. Some key points of the theory are that nursing is an interpersonal process involving interaction between nurse and patient to help patients understand their needs and problems. The theory outlines phases of the nurse-patient relationship (orientation, identification, exploitation, resolution) and roles for nurses. Peplau's theory emphasizes therapeutic communication and is still influential in psychiatric nursing education and practice today.

2. HILDEGARD E PEPLAU:
PSYCHODYNAMIC NURSING
THEORY
BY-
PREETI SHARMA
M.SC. 1ST YR.

3. WHOWAS HILDEGARD PEPLAU?
Name: Hildegard Elizabeth
Peplau Nickname: Hilda
Birthday: September 1, 1909
Died: March 17, 1999 in Sherman Oaks,
California Birthplace: Reading, Pennsylvania

4. Career Timeline
1931 - Diploma program in Pottstown, Pennsylvania
1943 - BA in interpersonal psychology – Bennington College
1947 - MA in psychiatric nursing from Colombia
University, NewYork
1952 - Published Interpersonal Relations in Nursing
1968 - interpersonal techniques - the crux of psychiatric
Nursing
• Worked as executive director and president of ANA
• Worked with WHO and NIMH

5. INTRODUCTION TO THEORY BY
PEPLAU
"Nursing is the interpersonal therapeutic process of
functioning cooperatively with other human processes that
make health possible for individuals in communities
through education, that aims to promote forward movement
of personality development”.
• Nursing is an interpersonal process because it involves
interaction between two or more individuals with a
common goal.

6. CONT…
• The nurse and patient work together so that both become
mature and knowledgeable in the process
• It is psychodynamic in nature and it facilitates
-Understanding of one's own behavior
-Helping others identify felt needs or difficulties
-Therapeutic N P relationship
-Application of human relations to problem-solving at all
levels of experience.

7. MAJOR CONCEPTS
• The theory explains the purpose of nursing is tohelp
others identify their felt difficulties.
• Nurses should apply principles of human relations to
the problems that arise at all levels of experience.
• Peplau s theory explains the phases of interpersonal
process, roles in nursing situations and methods for
studying nursing as an interpersonal process.
• Nursing is therapeutic in that it is a healing
art, assisting an individual who is sick or in need of
health care.

8. CONT…
• Nursing is an interpersonal process because it
involves interaction between two or more
individuals with a common goal.
• The attainment of goal is achieved through the
use of a series of steps following a series of
pattern.
• The nurse and patient work together so both
become mature and knowledgeable in the
process.

9. METAPARADIGM
Person:
• An individual
• Adeveloping organism that tries to reduce
anxiety caused by needs.
• Lives in stable equilibrium
Environment:
• Existing forces outside the organism and in the
context of culurefromwherecustomsandbeliefsareacquired.

10. Health:
• A word symbol that implies forward movement of personality
and other ongoing human processes in the direction of
creative, constructive, productive, personal and community
living.
Nursing:
• Asignificant therapeutic interpersonal process.
• She defines “ human relationships between an individual who is
sick, or in need of health services, a nurse specially educated to
recognize and to respond to the need for help”.
CONT…

11. PEPLAU’S SEVEN ROLES OF A NURSE
TECHNICAL
EXPERT
RESOURCE
PERSON

12. Additional Roles
1. Consultant
2. Health teacher
3. Tutor
4. Socializing agent
5. Safety agent
6. Manager of environment
7. Mediator
8. Administrator
8. Recorder observer
10. Researcher

13. PHASES IN THE INTERPERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP
ORIENTATION
PHASE
IDENTIFICATION
PHASE
EXPLOITATION
PHASE RESOLUTION
PHASE

14. INTERPERSONAL THEORY AND
NURSING PROCESS
• Botharesequential andfocusontherapeutic relationship
• Both use problem solving techniques for the nurse and
patienttocollaborateon, with the end purpose of meeting the
patients needs
• Both use observation communication and recording as
basic tools utilized by nursing

15. Assessment
Data collection and analysis
[continuous]
May not be a felt need
Orientation
Non continuous data collection
Felt need
Define needs
Nursing diagnosis
& Planning
Mutually setgoals
Identification
Interdependent goal setting
Implementation
Plans initiated towards
achievement of mutually set
goals
May be accomplished by
patient, nurse orfamily
Exploitation
. Patient actively seeking and
drawing help
. Patient initiated
Evaluation
Based on mutually expected
behaviors
May led to termination and
initiation of new plans
Resolution
• Occurs after other phases are
completed successfully
. Leads to termination

16. CHARACTERISTICS OF THEORY
• Interrelation of concepts-
Four phases interrelate the different components of each
phase.
•Applicability –
The nurse-patient interaction can apply to the concepts of
human being, health, environment and nursing

17. CONT…
•Theories must be logical in nature –
This theory provides a logical systematic way of
viewing nursing situations
Key concepts such as anxiety, tension, goals, and
frustration are indicated with explicit relationships
among them and progressive phases
•Generalizability-
This theory provides simplicity in regard to the natural
progression of the NP relationship

18. CONT…
•Theories can be the bases for hypothesis that can be
tested-
Peplau's theory has generated testable hypotheses
•Theories can be utilized by practitioners to guide and
improve their practice-
Peplau's anxiety continuum is still used in anxiety
patients

19. CONT….
•Theories must be consistent with other validated
theories, laws, and principles but will leave open
unanswered questions that need to be investigated
Peplau's theory is consistent with various theories.

20. APPLICATION & IMPORTANCE OF
THEORY
• Practice
-Peplau theory is practice based theory.
- Peplau used observations in clinical situations as the
basis for hypothesis and interventions that were then
tested in clinical practice.
- The application of Hildegard Peplau's Interpersonal
Theory of Nursing relates to group psychotherapy. The
phases of the nurse-patient relationship, including
orientation, identification, exploitation and resolution, are
described as they relate to group psychotherapy, and
clinical examples are presented.

21. CONT…
• Education
- The theory urged the nurses to use nursing situations as a
source of observations from which unique concepts could
be derived.
- By applying this theory in clinical areas, nurse acts as a
participant observer and thus upgrades her previously
acquired theoretical knowledge.
- Interpersonal Relations in Nursing used as a manual of
instructions to nursing students.
- Foundation of psychiatric nursing education.

22. CONT…
•Research
- Different studies on the nursing phenomena Improvement
of the social system
- Stress management program
- Formation of behavior scale
- Therapeutic behavior of the nurses.

23. CONCLUSION
Peplau's theory explains the phases of interpersonal
process, roles in nursing situations and methods for
studying nursing as an interpersonal process.
Nursing is therapeutic in that it is a healing art,
assisting an individual who is sick or in need of health
care.