Theoretical Works:

Grand Theories

Dorothy Johnson
1919 - 1999

Dorothy Johnson
Central theme: the human as a
behavioral system
Person: Persons have two major
systems, the biologic and behavioral.
Environment: Society is the environment
in which an individual exists thereby
influencing the individuals behavior.
Health: Health is a dynamic state
influenced by biologic, psychologic, and
social factors.

Biologic
system

Behavioral
system

Dorothy Johnson
Nursing: Nursing is an art and science
whose primary goal is to foster balance
within an individual by providing external
assistance before and during balance
disturbances.

Imogene King
1923 - 2007

Imogene King
Central theme: Process of human
interaction

Imogene King
Person: Humans are open systems who
are social, rational, perceiving, controlling,
purposeful, action, and time oriented.

Person

Imogene King
Environment: Internal and external
environment continually interacts to assist
in adjustment to change.

External

environment

Imogene King
Health: Health is a purposeful, adaptive
response to internal and external stimuli to
maintain balance and comfort.

External

environment

Imogene King
Nursing: Nursing
is perceiving,
thinking, relating,
judging, and
acting with an
individual who
comes to nursing
situations.
Together, they
explore means
and agree on
means to achieve
goals.

Betty Neuman
1924 -

Betty Neuman
Central theme: a health systems model for
a total person approach to client problems
Person: Each human is a total person as a
client system and is a composite of
biologic, psychologic, sociocultural, and
developmental variables.
Environment: It is made up of internal and
external forces that surround humans and
with which they constantly interact.

Betty Neuman
Health: She views health as levels of
wellness or stable lines of defense. Health
and wellness exist if all parts and subparts
are in harmony with the whole person.
Nursing: Nursing is a unique profession
in that it is concerned with all the variables
affecting an individuals response to
stressors.

Dorothea Elizabeth Orem

1914 June 22, 2007

Dorothea Elizabeth Orem

Central theme: Nursing and self-care
activities
Person: Humans with physical,
psychological, interpersonal, and social
components, meeting self-care needs
through learned behavior.

Nursing

Dorothea Elizabeth Orem

Environment: Environment is the modern
societys values and expectations.

Values

Expectations

Dorothea Elizabeth Orem

Health: Wellness is the integrity of the
individual, illness results in the persons
inability to maintain self-care.
Nursing: Nursing is the giving of direct
assistance to persons who are unable to
meet their own self-care needs, developed
through nursing education and
experiences.

Martha Rogers
May 12, 1914 March 13, 1994
Central theme: Science of unitary
human beings

Martha Rogers
Person: Humans who are unified beings
with individuality, in continuous exchange
of energy with the environment.

Martha Rogers
Environment: All of the patterns that exist
external to the individual.

Martha Rogers
Health: It is not specifically addressed but emerges out
of interaction between human and environment, moves
forward, and maximizes human potential.
Nursing: Nursing is an art and a science directed toward
the unitary human and concerned with the nature and
direction of human development.

Sister Callista Roy

October 14, 1939 -

Sr. Callista Roy

Central theme: the person in constant
interaction with the changing environment

Environment

Sister Callista Roy

Health: Health is a state or process of
being or becoming an integrated and whole
person.

Sister Callista Roy

Nursing: A theoretical system of
knowledge that prescribes a process of
analysis and action related to the care of
the ill or potentially ill persons.

Neuman
Levine

Grand Nursing
Theorists
Johnson

Rogers

Orem
Roy
King

Moving towards

QUALITY
SAFE
NURSING
CARE