A Comparison of Two Nursing Models: Allen's Developmental Health Model and Newman's Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness

Abstract

Allen's developmental health model and Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness are compared here with respect to their goals, theoretical influences, general orientations, and conceptualizations of the metaparadigm concepts of person, health, environment and nursing. While development of each of these models began around the same time (early 1970s) and each emphasizes health as the central concept, clear differences and relatively few similarities are evident. Each proposes that health is a process which evolves over time, yet conceptualization of these processes lies at the heart of the distinctiveness of the models. For Allen, health is a phenomenon of the family which can be developed through the learning of healthy behavior (coping and development skills). In Newman's view, health is not developed through behavior change but reflects increasing awareness of one's unitary pattern of interaction with the universe. Both models contribute to nursing science in a unique way by offering alternative perspectives of health and nursing and, for Allen, considering the family as the unit of concern.

Keywords

Allen's Model Health Newman's Theory Nursing Models

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allen, M. (1982). Shaping health potential: The cutting edge of practice in nursing. Paper presented at Rozella M. Scholfeldt Lectureship, School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.

Allen, M. (1983). Primary care nursing: Research in action. In L. Hockley (Ed.), Recent advances in nursing: Primary care nursing (pp. 32-77). Edinburgh: Churchill-Livingstone.

Allen, M. (1986). A developmental health model: Nursing as continuous inquiry. (Cassette recording). In series, Nursing Theory Congress—Theoretical Pluralism: Directions for a Practice Discipline. Markham, Ontario: Audio Archives of Canada.

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Bentov, I. (1978). Stalking the wild pendulum. New York: Duttou.

Bohm, D. (1980). Wholeness and the implicate order. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Gilchrist, J. , and Allen, M. (1981). Nursing explorations: An introduction. Nursing Papers, 13(1), 46.

Gottlieb, L. , & Rowat, K. (1987). The McGill model of nursing: A practice-derived model. Advances in Nursing Science, 9(4), 51-61.

Kravitz, M. , & Frey, M. (1989). The Allen nursing model. In J. Fitzpatrick and A. Whall (Eds.), Conceptual models of nursing: Analysis and application (2nd ed.) (pp. 313-329). Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.

10.

Lindeman, C. (1985). A critical review of the McGill model In A professional approach to nursing practice: The McGill model. Montreal: School of Nursing of McGill University.

11.

Moss, R. (1981). The I that is we. Millbrae, CA: Celestial Arts.

12.

Newman, M. (1979). Theory development in nursing. Philadelphia: Davis.

13.

Newman, M. (1983). Newman's health theory. In I. Clements and F. Roberts (Eds.), Family health: A theoretical approach to nursing care (pp. 161-175). New York: Wiley.

14.

Newman, M. (1986). Health as expanding consciousness. St. Louis: Mosby.

15.

Newman, M. (1990). Newman's theory of health as praxis. Nursing Science Quarterly, 3, 37-41.

16.

Rogers, M.E. (1970). An introduction to the theoretical basis of nursing. Philadelphia: Davis.

17.

Toulmin, S. (1972). Human understanding: The collective use and evolution of concepts. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

18.

Young, A.E. (1976). The reflexive universe: Evolution of consciousness. San Francisco: Robert Briggs.