Comparing the Theories of Betty Neuman and Ida Orlando
Meghan Adams
Nipissing University
Comparing the Theories of Betty Neuman and Ida Orlando
This paper will compare two grand theories: Betty Neuman’s Systems Model and Ida Jean Orlando’s Nursing Process Theory.
Background
Betty Neuman was born in Lowell, Ohio and received her Registered Nursing diploma from Peoples Hospital School of Nursing, Akron, Ohio in 1947 and graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) with degrees in psychology and public health in 1957. She obtained a Masters degree from UCLA in Mental Health and Public Health and Consultation in 1966. The Neuman Systems Model was published in 1972 as a ‘model for teaching total person…show more content… The NLD can be used as a standard to measure variation or divergence in health. When the line of defense is no longer able to shield the client/client system from a stressor, the stressor breaches the NLD. Neuman identified three moments for nursing interventions, focussing on prevention. Primary prevention occurs before the stressor attacks the system; secondary prevention takes place after the system has reacted to an attacking stressor; and tertiary prevention occurs following secondary prevention as homeostasis is being…show more content… When the supply of energy exceeds the demand, the client system moves towards wellness; and if the demand for energy is greater than what the client has available, the system shifts toward illness. In contrast, health was not specified by Orlando, in her theory. At the beginning of her work, Orlando was focused mainly on illness. Later on, she specified that nursing needs to focus on the individual whenever there is a need for help. Therefore, the client’s sense of powerlessness replaces the notion of health or illness as the initiator of a need for nursing.
Person
In Neuman’s model, the “person” is a multidimensional being, made up of layers. Each layer is made up of subsystems: the physical/physiological, psychological, socio-cultural, developmental, and spiritual. The person is regarded as constantly being in a state of change due to interaction with the environment. Neuman’s model also acknowledged that the “person” may be an individual, a family, a group, or a