SUNRISE MODEL THEORY

Madeleine Leininger (July 13, 1925 – August 10,

2012) was an internationally known educator,
author, theorist, administrator, researcher,
consultant, public speaker, and the developer of
the concept of transcultural nursing that has a
great impact on how to deal with patients of
different culture and cultural background.

She is a Certified Transcultural Nurse, and her

theory is now a nursing discipline that is an
integral part of how nurses’ practice in the
healthcare field today.

Leininger’s theory’s main focus is for nursing

care to fit with or have beneficial meaning and
health outcomes for people of different or
similar cultural backgrounds. With these, she
has developed the Sunrise Model in a logical
order to demonstrate the interrelationships of
the concepts in her theory of Culture Care
Diversity and Universality.

The Leininger Sunrise Model represents the

structure of culture care theory by describing
the relationship between anthropological and
nursing beliefs and principles. Nurses use this
model when making cultural evaluations of
patients. The model connects the concepts of
the theory with actual clinical practices, while
offering a systemic approach to identifying
values, beliefs, behaviors, and community
customs.