betty neuman
Betty Neuman Systems Model Theory
Tracie D. Perry
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Betty Neuman was born near Lowell, Ohio in 1924. She received a Registered Nurse Diploma from Peoples Hospital School of Nursing in Akron, Ohio in 1947. She moved to California, where she gained experience as a staff, head nurse, school nurse, industrial nurse, clinical instructor, critical care, and communicable disease nurse. In 1957, Betty attended University of California at Los Angeles with a double major in psychology and public health. Betty Newman originally developed the Neuman Systems Model in 1970 at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Neuman developed the model as a way to teach an introductory course to nursing students. The goal of the model was to provide a holistic overview of the sociocultural, psychological, physiological, and developmental aspects of human beings (Neuman & Young, 1972). This model does not represent a full theory; it is only a model. It is a conceptual framework, a visual representation for thinking about the interactions between nurses and humans. The model views the person as a layered, multidimensional whole that is in constant dynamic interaction with the environment. The layers represent various levels of defense protecting the core being. The two major components in the model are stress reactions and systemic feedback loops. Clients react to stress with lines of defense and resistance so as to achieve maximal level of stability. The client is in continuous and dynamic interaction with the environment. The exchanges between the environment and the client are reciprocal. The goal is to achieve optimal system stability and balance. Prevention is the main nursing intervention to achieve this balance. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention activities are used to attain, retain, and maintain system balance (Reed, 1993). Neuman sees nursing as a
Tracie D. Perry
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Betty Neuman was born near Lowell, Ohio in 1924. She received a Registered Nurse Diploma from Peoples Hospital School of Nursing in Akron, Ohio in 1947. She moved to California, where she gained experience as a staff, head nurse, school nurse, industrial nurse, clinical instructor, critical care, and communicable disease nurse. In 1957, Betty attended University of California at Los Angeles with a double major in psychology and public health. Betty Newman originally developed the Neuman Systems Model in 1970 at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Neuman developed the model as a way to teach an introductory course to nursing students. The goal of the model was to provide a holistic overview of the sociocultural, psychological, physiological, and developmental aspects of human beings (Neuman & Young, 1972). This model does not represent a full theory; it is only a model. It is a conceptual framework, a visual representation for thinking about the interactions between nurses and humans. The model views the person as a layered, multidimensional whole that is in constant dynamic interaction with the environment. The layers represent various levels of defense protecting the core being. The two major components in the model are stress reactions and systemic feedback loops. Clients react to stress with lines of defense and resistance so as to achieve maximal level of stability. The client is in continuous and dynamic interaction with the environment. The exchanges between the environment and the client are reciprocal. The goal is to achieve optimal system stability and balance. Prevention is the main nursing intervention to achieve this balance. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention activities are used to attain, retain, and maintain system balance (Reed, 1993). Neuman sees nursing as a