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Essay / What is Hildegard Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations...
Hildegard Peplau was president of the American Nurses Association which developed the theory of interpersonal relations. When the theorist discusses interpersonal relationships, Hildegard Peplau describes a relationship of two or more people who are trying to achieve the same goal. This theory defines person, environment, health and nursing, identifies the roles of a nurse and discusses four phases of the interpersonal relationship. The wonderful aspect of this theory is how it relates nursing to a therapeutic art form of healing individuals suffering from illnesses and depression. Exceptional nursing care is truly an art form that is specifically modified based on an individual's health needs. There are several concepts in Hildegard Peplau's theory of interpersonal relationships, one of which states that the nurse and patient develop into knowledgeable and experienced individuals by working together ("Nursing Theories", 2012). In this theory, the patient and nurse rely on each other to develop these characteristics while achieving a common goal, such as relieving symptoms of depression. Another concept of Peplau's theory is that to achieve a desired goal, one must undertake a sequence of actions that follow a pattern. According to Peplau's theory, the definition of a person is one who attempts to reduce their anxiety caused by their needs. One might think that the definition of person relates more to the patient than the nurse in this theory, as patients typically experience a multitude of essential emotional needs. There are many diverse roles of the nurse that are accurately described in this theory, including leader, teacher, resource, counselor, surrogate, mediator, safety officer, and leader ( “Nursing Theories,” 2012). Breastfeeding