Discovering Hildegard Peplau

Interactionist theories focused on the interactions and relationships established by effective communication between nurses and their clients to meet the client’s needs (Thorne, 2012, pp.70). One of the theorists that contributed many findings and work to this theory is Hildegard Peplau. According to Forchuk (2007), she was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on September 1st, 1909. After graduating from Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing, she accomplished a Bachelor of Arts in interpersonal psychology, and a Masters of Art in psychiatric nursing where her work led to the development of psychiatric nursing (Forchuk, 2007). Furthermore, she wrote her own book, “Interpersonal Relations in Nursing,” (1952) where she provided a “framework for the practice of psychiatric nursing that would result in a paradigm shift in this field of nursing” (Peden, 2001, pp. 59). In addition, as she had no co-author and it has been widely credited for transforming nursing from a group of skilled workers to a distinct profession (Forchuk, 2007). Beside her amazing feat of her experience and degrees, she additionally achieved a Doctor in Education in curriculum development (Forchuk, 2007). This resulted in nursing education that contained psychiatric and psychological educational experiences (Peden, 2001, pp. 59). Her interpersonal theory has been universally integrated into nursing education and nurses applied this theory in regards to their scope of practice. It is important to understand how Hildegard Peplau’s interpersonal theory was developed, and how it was utilized in order to understand how it is designed to support nursing practice

Peplau’s experience working in psychiatric complications led her to want to change the nursing education and pract...

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...c & Mental Health Nursing, 5(3), 193-196. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2850.1998.00129.x

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Peden, A.R., (2001). Hildegard E. Peplau’s Process of Practice-Based Theory Development and

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