It was not until 1950s that first nursing theories began to be formulated and applied to nursing practice after many centuries of tradition-based experimental learning. Since then, a whole number of theories manifesting different approaches, philosophies, and perceptions have emerged. These worldviews provide contrasting paradigms of knowledge comprehension and development (Blais & Hayes, 2016).
Extensive theory developing in nursing has resulted in heated debate about which of the existing theories can be called unique. Indeed, a lot of theories are borrowed and shared within the field and even beyond its borders. Nursing theorists took a lot from other disciplines and applied the information in the new context (Blais & Hayes, 2016).
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Thus, there appeared a question: Is there a real necessity in multiple frameworks or is it more practical to create one universal theory that would combine the advantages of all the modern approaches? The scientific nursing community has been divided into two camps: those who support the unification and those who think that nursing should continue the course of numerous approaches.
The proponents of the unification of knowledge under one universal theory usually claim that the idea of multiple paradigms contradicts the holistic nature of nursing. Coherence is sacrificed for diversity of approaches. Besides, one paradigm would help eliminate the controversies and present the accumulated knowledge in a more clearly structured way.
However, it cannot be left unattended that one worldview limits knowledge to one vision only, which makes the unification approach very narrow and one-sided. This would force all the representatives of the nursing scientific community to work in one direction exclusively. Thus, it would be fair to claim that in comparison to unification the co-existence of multiple frameworks fosters debate, exchange of ideas, and research, thereby making the science open new horizons and flourish.
Any scientific field can develop only provided that it is sustained by a continuous inflow of ideas. That is why creativity is one of the major factors in science in general and in nursing in particular. Multiple theories provide different perspectives to view and address one and the same problem. Besides, nursing deals with human behavior (which is never totally predictable) and one viewpoint is simply not sufficient for it to describe and interpret a huge variety of phenomena. Diversified theories expand vision presenting a number of different ways of conceptualization. It is also crucial to remember that nursing involves a lot of providers with different academic background, who work with various clients in lots of daily situations. In the context requiring solutions to a number of simultaneously arising problems, diversity of approaches becomes inevitable.
However, co-existence of numerous frameworks also has its drawbacks. First and foremost, nurses become confused by a large number of conflicting views. Many of them find the ongoing debate frustrating and inconclusive. For student nurses, it may be very difficult to identify what theory can be applied in each particular situation. Theoretical nursing is still not identical to practical implementation of knowledge. Thus, having a lot of paradigms leads to complications in pragmatic aspect.
As we can see from the above-mentioned factors, both approaches have their benefits and shortcomings. However, despite the fact that some theories repeat each other or express contrastive viewpoints, their co-existence still looks more reliable and effective than the unification policy. The main reason for this is openness to further development and elaboration coupled with the variety of possible practical applications of each theoretical framework.
Blais, K., & Hayes, J. S. (2016). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
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