Contributor: Peggy Chinn
August 23, 2018

Author: Peggy L. Chinn, RN, PhD, FAAN

Year First Published – 1984

Wheeler, C. E., & Chinn, P. L. (1984). Peace & Power: A Handbook of Feminist Process (1st ed.). Buffalo, NY: Margaretdaughters, Inc.

Major Concepts of the Work

Power, Peace,  Empowerment, Awareness, Cooperation, Evolvement, Group Process

Typology

This is a pragmatic theory, a heuristic, that guides group process. It can also be used to describe, explain, and predict outcomes based on the theoretical relationships.

Brief Description

This theory provides a framework for individuals and groups to shape their actions and interactions to promote health and well being for the group and for each individual, using processes based on values of cooperation and inclusion of all points of view in making decisions and in addressing conflicts.  Based on the processes described, individuals and groups can make thoughtful choices about the ways they work together to promote healthy, growthful interactions and avoid harmful, damaging interactions. It can function as a traditional theory in terms of description, explanation and even prediction of the phenomena involved in group process, but it arose from, and still is primarily used, to shape and guide mindful practice. See Chinn, P. L., & Falk-Rafael, A. R. (2015).  See also Peace & Power Website

Primary Sources for the Theory

Peace & Power Website

Chinn, P. L. (2022). Peace & Power: New Directions for Building Community (9th ed.). Cognella.

Chinn, P. L. (2013). Peace & Power: New Directions for Building Community (8th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Chinn, P. L., & Falk-Rafael, A. R. (2014). Peace and power: a theory of emancipatory group process. Journal of Nursing Scholarship: An Official Publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing / Sigma Theta Tau, 47(1), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12101

Falk-Rafael, A. R., Anderson, M. A., Chinn, P. L., & Rubotzky, A. M. (2004). Peace and Power as a Critical Feminist Framework for Nursing Education. In M. H. Oermann & K. T. Heinrich (Eds.), Annual Review of Nursing Education (Vol. 2, pp. 217–235). New York: Springer Publishing.

Kagan, P. N. (2010). Book Review: Peace and Power: Creative Leadership for Community Building, 7(th) edition. Nursing Science Quarterly, 23, 88–89. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318409353803

Practice

• Used in numerous situations where groups seek more cooperative forms of group process (mostly undocumented) – committee meetings, faculty groups, staff meetings, even families seeking to deal with conflict constructively. Recommended as group process consistent with nursing fundamental values.  (Cowling, W. R., Chinn, P. L., & Hagedorn, S. (2000, 2009). A Nursing Manifesto: A Call to Conscience and Action. Retrieved May 8, 2017, from http://www.nursemanifest.com/manifesto_num.htm)

Research

• Used as method for emancipatory (critical) research approaches.
  • Fraley, H. E., Aronowitz, T., & Jones, E. J. (2018). School Nurses’ Awareness and Attitudes Toward Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. ANS. Advances in Nursing Science, 41(2), 118–136. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000197
  • Jacobs, B. B., Fontana, J. S., Kehoe, M. H., Matarese, C., & Chinn, P. L. (2005). An emancipatory study of contemporary nursing practice. Nursing Outlook, 53, 6–14.
  • Hagedorn, S. (1995). The politics of caring: The role of activism in primary care. ANS. Advances in Nursing Science, 17, 1–11.

Education

• Nursing classrooms are a major site where this theory is used
  • Falk-Rafael, A. R., Anderson, M. A., Chinn, P. L., & Rubotzky, A. M. (2004). Peace and Power as a Critical Feminist Framework for Nursing Education. In M. H. Oermann & K. T. Heinrich (Eds.), Annual Review of Nursing Education (Vol. 2, pp. 217–235). New York: Springer Publishing.
  • Falk-Rafael, A. R., Chinn, P. L., Anderson, M. A., Laschinger, H., & Rubotzky, A. M. (2003). The effectiveness of feminist pedagogy in empowering a community of learners. The Journal of Nursing Education, 42(12), 107–115. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15072337
• See blog post describing application in teaching and learning by Adeline Falk-Rafael.

Author

Peggy L. Chinn (1941 – )

Dr. Chinn is Professor Emerita of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. She is the

founding Editor of Advances in Nursing Science and authors books and journal articles on nursing theory, feminism and nursing, the art of nursing, and nursing education. She is co-founder and web manager of the Nurse Manifest Project to inspire and empower grass-roots action by nurses to shape the future of nursing and health care based on nursing’s fundamental values. Her book and website focused on cooperative group process, Peace and Power, is grounded in critical feminist theory and nursing philosophy, and is recognized as a model for critical research methods, teaching and learning, and political action.