Hildegard Peplau was born in Reading Pennsylvania on September 1st, 1909.

  After graduating
from the Pootstown, Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing in 1931 she worked as an
operating room supervisor at Pottstown Hospital.  She later recieved a B. A. in interpersonal
psychology from Bennington College, Vermont, in 1943, an M.A in psychiatric nursing from
Teacher's College, Columbia, New York, in 1947, and an Ed. D in curriculum development from
Columbia in 1953.  During World War II Hildegard Peplau was a member of the Army Nurse
Corps and worked in a neuropsychaitric hospital in London, England.  She also did work at
Bellevue and Chestnut Lodge Psychiatric Facilities and was in contact with renowed
psychiatrists Freida Fromm-Riechman and Harry Stack Sullivan.  Hildegard Peplau holds
numorous awards and positions.  She retired in 1974.  On March 17th, 1999, Hildegard E. Peplau
died peacefully at her home in Sherman Oaks California after a brief illness.  She was 89 years
old.

PSYCHO
DYNAMI
C
NURSING

Nurse-Patient Relationship

Peplau defines psychodynamic nursing a

"being able to understand one's own beh
help others identify felt difficulties, and
principles of human relations to the prob
that arise at all  levels of experience."

Peplau describes four phases of nurse-patient relationship. Although they are separat
overlap and occur over the time of the relationship.

1) ORIENTATION- individual has a 'fel

and seeks professional assistance. The nu
helps the patient recognize and understan
problem and determines his need for hel
2) IDENTIFICATION- Patient identifies with those who can help him/her (relatedne
The nurse permits exploration of feelings to aid the patient in undergoing illness as a
experience that reorients feeling and strengthens positive forces in the personality an
provides needed satisfaction.

3) EXPLOITATION- patient attempts to derive full value from what is offered him/
through the relationship. New goals to be achieved through personal effort can be pr
power shifts from the nurse to patient as the patient delays gratification toachieve the
formed goals.

4) RESOLUTION- old goals are gradually put aside and new goals adopted. This is
process in which the patient frees him or herself from identification with the nurse.

NURSING ROLES

1)  ROLE OF THE STRANGER: Peplau

strangers to each other, the patient shoul
not prejudge the patient, but accept him
emotionally able, unless evidence indica

2)  ROLE OF RESOURCE PERSON: In

questions, especially health information,

3)  TEACHING ROLE:  Peplau separate

giving information and is the form expla
which is "using the experience of the lea
derived."

4)  LEADERSHIP ROLE: Involves th

meet the tasks at hand through a relati

5)  SURROG
patient in reco
person recalle
see the differe
In this phase,
independence