THE METAPARADIGM FOR NURSING
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In the late 20th century, much of the theoretical work in nursing fo- cused on articulating relationships among four major concepts: per- son, environment, health, and nursing. Because these four concepts can be superimposed on almost any work in nursing, they are collec- tively referred to as the metaparadigm for nursing. The term origi- nates from two Greek words: meta, meaning “with,” and paradigm, meaning “pattern.” Many consider the following four concepts to be central to nursing:
1. The individuals or clients are the recipients of nursing care (in- cludes individuals, families, groups, and communities).
2. The environment is the internal and external surroundings that affect the client. This includes people in the physical environ- ment, such as families, friends, and significant others.
3. Health is the degree of wellness or well-being that the client experiences.
4. Nursing is the attributes, characteristics, and actions of the nurse providing care on behalf of, or in conjunction with, the client.
The work of American nurse theorists reflects a wide range of ideas about people, the world, health, and nursing. Each nurse theorist’s definitions of these four major concepts vary with scientific and philosophical orientation, experience in nursing, and the effects of that experience on the theorist’s view of nursing.
Nursing theorists have built on the metaparadigm and on the work of Nightingale, whether or not they were conscious of doing so. In addition, other theories foundational to many nursing theories in- clude interactive, systems, and developmental theories (Figure 3–1 •).