LESSON PLAN

ON
Interpersonal Theory

Prerna Arora
Name of the student/teacher : Prerna Bhandari

Subject : Mental Health Nursing

Unit

Topic : Interpersonal Theory

Number of students : 5

Method of teaching : Lecture cum discussion

AV Aid : Power point

Date, Time and Duration of teaching : Date:-

Time:-

1 hr

Venue : Msc Nursing 1 st (MHN )

Previous knowledge of group : The group is having very little knowledge about the topic
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
Teacher will able to learn an understand about the topic Interpersonal theory and will make sure students understand
every concepts .

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE
At the end of the presentation the student will be able to

- Explain Sullivan’s major concepts

- Explain Sullivan’s stages of personality development
- Discuss its relevance in nursing
S Contributory Time Content Teaching Learning activity
r. objectives
N
o
A.V. Teaching Questions to be
Introduction of self Good Afternoon, myself Prerna Arora Associate Aids Activity asked
Professor ,today I am going to explain Interpersonal
theory.

Introduction of the topic Power Lecture cum

Sullivan’s Interpersonal Theory
point discussion
• Given by Harry Stack Sullivan

Sullivan’s Core Ideas

• First American to construct a Comprehensive

Personality Theory
• Emphasizes childhood friendships in the
formation of personality
 • Personality is shaped from our relationships with
others

Sullivan’s Background
• Sullivan was born in 1892 in Norwich, New York
• the son of a poor working man and farmer
• He grew up isolated, and was a loner
• Obtained his MD at 25 from a small Chicago
medical school, then was a psychiatrist at a mental
hospital in Maryland
• He proposed interpersonal theory of personality.
• He explained the role of interpersonal
relationships and social experiences in shaping
personality.
• He also explained about the importance of current
life events to psychopathology.
Sullivan (1953) believed that individual behavior and
personality development are the direct result of
interpersonal Relationships and that personality
development is determined within the context of
interactions with other humans .

Explain sullivan’s major Power

Sullivan’s major concepts include :- Lecture
concepts point What are major
concept’s of sullivn’s
† Anxiety :- A central theme of Sullivan's theory is theory ?
anxiety and it’s relationship to the formation of
personality . He viewed anxiety as a primary
motivator of behavior, a builder of self esteem and
the great educator in life . It arrives out of one’s
 inability to satisfy needs or achieve interpersonal
security . He also believed that anxiety is the chief
disruptive force in the development of serious
difficulties in living .

† Satisfaction of needs is the fulfillment of all

requirements associated with an individual’s
physiochemical environment. Sullivan identified
examples of these requirements as oxygen, food,
water, warmth, tenderness, rest, activity, sexual
expression—virtually anything that, when absent,
produces discomfort in the individual.

† Interpersonal security is the feeling associated

with relief from anxiety. When all needs have
been met, one experiences a sense of total well-being,
which Sullivan termed interpersonal security. He believed
individuals have an innate need for interpersonal security.

† Self-system is a collection of experiences, or

security measures, adopted by the individual to
protect against anxiety. Sullivan identified three
components of the self system, which are based on
interpersonal experiences early in life:-

‡ Good Me
‡ Bad Me
‡ Not Me

♫ The “good me” is the part of the personality that

develops in response to positive feedback from
the primary caregiver. Feelings of pleasure,
 contentment, and gratification are experienced.
The child learns which behaviors elicit this
positive response as it becomes incorporated into
the self system.

♫ The “bad me” is the part of the personality that

develops in response to negative feedback from
the primary caregiver. Anxiety is experienced,
eliciting feelings of discomfort, displeasure, and
5min distress. The child learns to avoid these negative
feelings by altering certain behaviors.

♫ The “not me” is the part of the personality that

develops in response to situations that produce
intense anxiety in the child. Feelings of horror,
awe, dread, and loathing are experienced in
response to these situations, leading the child to
deny these feelings in an effort to relieve anxiety.
These feelings, having then been denied, become
“not me,” but someone else. This withdrawal from
emotions has serious implications for mental
disorders in adult life.

power Lecture
Explain Sullivan’s point What are the stages of
stages of personality
Sullivan’s Stages of Personality Development
Sullivan described six stages of personality personality
development development ?
development :-
• Infancy: Birth to 18 Months
• Childhood: 18 Months to 6 Years
• Juvenile: 6 to 9 Years
• Preadolescence: 9 to 12 Year
• Early Adolescence: 12 to 14 Years
 • Late Adolescence: 14 to 21 Years

Infancy: Birth to 18 Months

• During this beginning stage, the major
developmental task for the child is the
gratification of needs. This is accomplished
through activity associated with the mouth, such
as crying, nursing, and thumb sucking.

Childhood: 18 Months to 6 Years

• At ages 18 months to 6 years, the child learns that
interference with fulfillment of personal wishes
and desires may result in delayed gratification.
He or she learns to accept this and feel
comfortable with it, recognizing that delayed
gratification often results in parental approval, a
more lasting type of reward. Tools of this stage
include the mouth, the anus, language,
experimentation, manipulation, and identification.

Juvenile: 6 to 9 Years
• The major task of the juvenile stage is formation
of Satisfactory relationships within the peer
group. This is accomplished through the use of
competition, cooperation, and compromise.

Preadolescence: 9 to 12 Years
• The tasks of the preadolescence stage focus on
developing relationships with persons of the same
gender. One’s ability to collaborate with and
show love and affection for another person begins
at this stage.
 Early Adolescence: 12 to 14 Years
• During early adolescence, the child is struggling
with developing a sense of identity, separate and
independent from the parents. The major task is
formation of satisfactory relationships with
members of the opposite gender. Sullivan saw the
emergence of lust in response to biological
changes as a major force occurring during this
period.

Late Adolescence: 14 to 21 Years

• The late adolescent period is characterized by
tasks associated with the attempt to achieve
interdependence within the society and the
formation of a lasting, intimate relationship with a
selected member of the opposite gender. The
genital organs are the major developmental focus
of this stage.

Explain relevance of
Interpersonal Theory to
Nursing
Relevance of Interpersonal Theory to Nursing Power Lecture cum
point discussion What is the relevance
Practice of Interpersonal theory
in nursing?
• The interpersonal theory has significant relevance
to nursing practice. Relationship development is a
major concept of this theory, and is also a major
psychiatric nursing intervention. Nurses develop
therapeutic relationships with clients in an effort
to help them generalize this ability to interact
successfully with others. With knowledge about
 the behaviors associated with all levels of anxiety
and methods for alleviating anxiety, nurses can
help clients achieve interpersonal security and a
sense of well-being.

References:-
☻ T.C Mary .Essentials of psychiatric mental health
nursing. 4th ed. F.A Davis Company (2008).
☻ Sreevani R. A Guide to mental health and
psychiatric nursing.2nd ed. Jaypee Brothers , New
Delhi (2008).