Nursing Theories & Models

There are a number of ways to search and locate a specific author, theory, model or philosophy.  Once you access any of the galleries below, you can browse or search for specific names or terms; click on a “card” in the galley to obtain the link to the specific item you want to view.  You can also browse the author directory below.

We  welcome your nursing theory/model or philosophy – here are the  instructions to submit a work we have not yet included here.

Authors Gallery

Models & Theories Gallery

Situation-Specific Theory Gallery

Original Unpublished Works

Directory of Nurse Theory/Model Scholars

Abdellah, Faye G – Patient-Centered Nursing

Barnard, Kathryn E. – Barnard’s Child Health Assessment Interaction Theory

Barrett, Elizabeth – Theory of Power as Knowing Participation in Change

Barros, Alba Lucia Bottura Leite de – Situation-Specific Theory for Health Management in Heart Failure

Beck, Cheryl Tatano – Middle Range Theory of Traumatic Childbirth: The Ever Widening Ripple Effect

Benner, Patricia – The Primacy of Caring

Boykin, Anne – The Theory of Nursing As Caring

Butterfield, Patricia G. – Butterfield Upstream Model for Population (BUMP) Health Model

Campbell, Lisa – Leveraging Resources Model

Chinn, Peggy L –

Culver, Martha E. – Leveraging Resources Model

Curley, Martha A.Q. – The AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care

DeSanto-Madeya, Susan – Moving Beyond Dwelling in Suffering

Davidson, Judy – Facilitated Sensemaking

Dossey, Barbara – Theory of Integral Nursing

Duffy, Joanne R. – Quality-Caring Model©

Ellenbecker, Carol Hall – Conceptual Model of Nursing (Nursology) and Population Health

Erickson, Helen – Modeling and Role Modeling

Falk-Rafael, Adeline –

Fawcett, Jacqueline –

Foli, Karen  –

Foronda, Cynthia – Theory of Cultural Humility

Freysteinson , Wyona M. – Neurocognitive Model of Mirror-Viewing

Garrett, Bernard M. – An Empirical Framework for Person, Family, Community and Population Centered Care

Georges, Jane – Theory of Emancipatory Compassion for Nursing

Gill, Jessica M. – Society-to-Cells Resilience Theory

Gottlieb, Laurie – Strengths-Based Nursing and Healthcare (SBNH)

Hall, Lydia – Hall’s Care, Core, Cure Theory

Henderson, Virginia – The Nature of Nursing

Hirano, Gisele Saraiva Bispo – Situation-Specific Theory for Health Management in Heart Failure

Im, Eun-Ok – Situation-Specific Theory

Jaarsma, Tiny – Theory of Self-Care of Chronic Illness

Johnson, Dorothy E. –  Johnson Behavioral System Model

Kagan, Paula – Philosophies and Practices of Emancipatory Nursing: Social Justice as Praxis

King, Imogene – King’s Conceptual System

Kolcaba, Katharine – Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory

Leininger, Madeleine – Leininger’s Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality

Lee, Helen J. – Rural Nursing Theory

Lenz, Elizabeth R – Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms

Levine, Myra – Levine’s Conservation Model

Logan, Winifred – Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing Based on Activities of Living

Lowe, John – A Conceptual Framework of Nursing in Native American Culture

Luck, Susan – Theory of Integrative Nurse Coaching

McClanahan, Chris – Leveraging Resources Model

Meleis, Afaf Ibrahim –

Mishel, Merle H. – Mishel’s Uncertainly in Illness Theory and Reconceptualized Uncertainty in Illness Theory

Neuman, Betty – Neuman’s Systems Model

Newman, Margaret – Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness 

Nightingale, Florence – Florence Nightingale’s Perspective of Nursology

Nikfarid, Lida – Human as Embodied Spirit

Nye, Caitlin M. – Theory of Norm-Criticism for Nursing Education

Orem, Dorothea – Orem’s Self-Care Framework/Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing/The Self-Care Nursing Theory/A General Theory of Nursing

Orlando Pelletier, Ida Jean – Orlando’s Theory of the Deliberative Nursing Process

O’Rourke, Maria Williams – O’Rourke Role Based Practice Theory

Parse, Rosemarie Rizzo – Parse’s Theory of Humanbecoming

Paterson, Josephine – Humanistic Nursing

Pender, Nola – Health Promotion in Nursing Practice

Peplau, Hildegard – Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations

Perry, Donna J. – Transcendent Pluralism

Polifroni, E. Carol –

Pugh, Linda – Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms

Ray, Marilyn (Dee) – Ray’s Theory of Bureaucratic Caring

Reed, Pamela – Self-Transcendence Theory

Riegel, Barbara –

Rogers, Martha – Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings 

Roper, Nancy – Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing Based on Activities of Living

Rosa, Katherine C. – Process Model of Wholistic Healing and Personal Transformation

Roy, Sr. Callista – Roy’s Adaptation Model

Russell, Gail – Conceptual Model of Nursing and Health Policy

Sadat-Hoseini,  Akram .  – Conceptual framework of nursing based on Islamic documents

Schaub, Bonney Gulino – Theory of Integrative Nurse Coaching

Schoenhofer, Savina O.  – The Theory of Nursing As Caring

Silva, Viviane Martins – Situation-Specific Theory for Health Management in Heart Failure

Smith, Marlaine – 

Somayaji, Darryl – Theory of Norm-Criticism for Nursing Education

Stromberg, Anna – Theory of Self-Care of Chronic Illness

Struthers, Roxanne – A Conceptual Framework of Nursing in Native American Culture

Swain, Mary Ann – Modeling and Role Modeling

Szanton, Sarah L. –  Society-to-Cells Resilience Theory

Tengelin, Ellinor – Theory of Norm-Criticism for Nursing Education

Tierney, Alison – Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing Based on Activities of Living

Tomlin, Evelyn – Modeling and Role Modeling

Travelbee, Joyce – Interpersonal Aspects of Nursing

Turkel, Marian – Transtheoretical Evolution of Ray’s Theory of Bureaucratic Caring

Vaughan Dickson, Victoria – Situation Specific Theory of Heart Failure Self-care

Walter, Robin R. – Emancipatory Nursing Praxis

Watson, (Margaret) Jean – Watson’s Theory of Human Caring

Welch, Martylouise – Perspectives on Philosophy of Science in Nursing: An Historical and Contemporary Anthology 

Whitcomb, Kathryn –Leveraging Resources Model

Wiedenbach, Ernestine – Clinical Nursing: A Helping Art

Winters, Charlene A. – Rural Nursing Theory

Willis, Danny, Moving Beyond Dwelling in Suffering

Wrubel, Judith – The Primacy of Caring

Zahourek, Rothlyn P. (Rorry) – Intentionality: The Matrix of Healing

Zderad, Loretta – Humanistic Nursing