Betty Neuman: Total Person Approach

Towards the Patient Problem

INFLUENCED BY

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“Peking Man” and “Omega Point” “Philosophy of wholeness or totality of life”

What is TOTALITY?

"the parts of the

physical entity, as parts,

are ordained to the

good of the physical

whole."

Questions Elicited

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

totum quam parte,

prius esse necesse

est (Aristotle)

HOW DOES IT EXPLAIN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF A HUMAN ENTITY?

A part even if

divided from a

whole, remains part

of it.

A part of human beings

(or other entities) could

always be described as

a division of a whole.

A whole which

includes a part,

can always be

divided.

"elements in the

definition which

explain a thing are

also parts of the

whole."

What is a PERSON?

PIUS XII

Human person's

totality comes from

the essential nature

of body and soul.

NEUMAN

UNIQUE

What is an APPROACH?

INTERVENTION

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO OUR FIELD

"Neuman's model focuses on the

person as a complete system, the

subparts of which are interrelated

physiological, psychological,

sociocultural, spiritual, and

developmental factors." (Polit &

Henderson p. 103)

all the parts of the human

body, as parts, are meant to

exist and function for the

good of the whole body, and

are thus naturally

subordinated to the good of

the whole body

Let’s break that down

The Heart

In totality, what is our heart’s function?

Internal

External

The Theory

the variables of the person in

interaction with the internal

and external environment

comprise the whole client

system

What does this mean in our understanding of a person?

The Environment vs. The Body

When beginning to understand

the complexity of a human

being, one does not just

disintegrate a person’s humanity

into parts by saying this person is

sick in this system.

Body interacts with

environment and

with itself

LOD VS. STRESSORS

Humans have a natural

line of defense to

protect as a whole and

not just a part

The Relationship of every thought

Betty Neuman

The Principle of Totality,

Stressors, General Systems

were combined to create

a theory that can be

tested

However

In Philosophy

Her Way of Thinking

How can we apply her

way of thinking with the

way we perceive

humans/interaction the

next time?

FIN