Interpersonal Relations Theory

by Hildegard Pepla
This theory describes an interpersonal process of therapeutic encounters between a sick or in need of
health-care individual and a nurse who has been properly trained to detect and respond to the need for
assistance. Peplau coined the term psychodynamic nursing, which includes, understanding of one’s
behavior, helping other identify felt dif culties, and applying principles of human relations to the problems
that arise at all levels of experience

I. Concept

IA. Peplau also contributed in psychiatric nursing specialty through development of the Interpersonal
Relations paradigm, a mid-range theory that has in uenced the importance with which the nurse-patient
relationship is regarded.

The nursing model identi es four sequential phases in the interpersonal relationship, this includes
orientation, identi cation, exploitation, and resolution.

1. Orientation Phase
The nurse’s orientation phase involves engaging the client in treatment, providing explanations and
information, and answering questions
• Problem de ning phas
• It starts when the client meets the nurse as a stranger
• De ning the problem and deciding the type of service neede
• Client seeks assistance, conveys needs, asks questions, shares preconceptions and expectations
of past experiences
• Nurse responds, explains roles to the client, identi es problems, and uses available resources and
services

2. Working Phas
This phase is divided into two categories which are identi cation and exploitation phase
- Identi cation Phase
When the client collaborates with the nurse, communicates feelings, and gains strength, the
identi cation phase begins.
• Professional aid should be chosen carefully.
• The patient develops a sense of belonging and competence in dealing with the situation, which
reduces feelings of helplessness and hopelessness

- Exploitation Phase
The customer makes full advantage of the services provided during the exploitation phase.
• The bene ts of services are utilized based on the patients' requirements and interests.
• The individual feels that he or she is an important member of the supportive environment.
• The nurse must be aware of the various communication stages.
• The nurse assists the patient in pursuing all available options for assistance, and progress is made
toward the last step

4. Termination (resolution) Phase

The client no longer requires professional assistance and no longer engages in dependent behavior
during the termination phase. The relationship comes to an end.
• They must now end their therapeutic partnership and dismantle the ties that bind them.
• As long as psychological reliance exists, it might be challenging for both.
• The patient drifts away, breaking the nurse's attachment, and both become mature persons as a
result of a healthy emotional balance
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 IB. According to Peplau, there are seven (7) nursing roles:

1. Stranger: building trust with the patient and offering the client the same acceptance and courtesy that
the nurse would respond to any strange
2. Resource person: providing speci c answers to questions within a larger contex
3. Teacher: helping the client to learn formally or informally ; demonstratio
4. Leader: offering direction to the client or group; being responsible for the safety of the clien
5. Surrogate: serving as a substitute for another such as a parent or a siblin
6. Counselor: promoting experiences leading to health for the client such as expression of feeling
7. Technical Expert: providing physical care for the patient and operates equipmen

All of this shows the dynamic character roles typical in clinical nursing and helped later nursing theorists
and clinicians develop more therapeutic interventions

II. Nursing Skill

There are various of nursing skills necessary in nursing, some of which are

• Critical thinking and tackling problems in a novel wa

Nurses use critical thinking in the process of solving patient problems and making decisions, along with
creativity, to improve the outcome. It's an important step in ensuring a safe, effective, and skilled nursing
intervention. Moreover, for today's healthcare personnel, the ability to problem-solve creatively is critical.
Knowing what dif culties can develop and making plans for them in case they do will help you cope with
them more successfully

• Patient care and Time managemen

Patient care ensures that the patient is comfortable and happy while also keeping their health in mind.
It is their right to be treated with respect and decency, as well as to have their privacy respected. All
treatment records should be kept so that when the patient has to see the doctor, he may bring his
paperwork with him. The employees should be aware of the many processes that must be followed and
appropriately educated to carry them out. When we talk about a patient, we're talking about a human
being, someone we look after on a daily basis. Moreover, as nurses, we are well aware of the numerous
advantages of ef cient time management. Effective time management allows you to get more work done,
generate higher-quality work, and miss fewer deadlines. With effective time management, there is also a
stronger feeling of self-control, a better self-image, and less stress

• Kindness and Compassio

Compassion begins with empathy, but it extends beyond that to a readiness to act in response to
another's suffering. Compassion, as the cornerstone of nursing, makes all the difference in the lives of
those who are in need. Compassion means different things to different people, and it is the job of nurses
to gure out what those things are and to act on them. Empathy is the ability to understand what another
person is going through from their perspective. For nurses, this entails putting themselves in their
patients' shoes and attempting to comprehend how they view their surroundings. A patient who calls for
help and then sits helplessly from their hospital bed as nurses stroll by the door constantly misses the
hundreds of other patients the nurse is attempting to aid. They only encounter folks who appear
unconcerned about their requirements. A strong sense of empathy is required for nurses to effectively
forecast their patients' needs and understand their emotional responses to care.
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