Four Generations of Nurse Theorists in the U.S.

Abstract

Since the academic era of U.S. nursing started in the mid 1950s different questions and answers regarding nursing as an independent discipline is posed. The first theorists wanted to separate nursing from medicine, later theorists asked questions about nursing theory, and the essence and substance of nursing. The aim of this article is to describe the questions and answers directed by four generations of U.S. nurse theorists. The article gives an overview of how the theorists connected to each others' thoughts for the identification and development of nursing domain. The theorists' influence in the Nordic countries is mentioned. An assumption of practice discipline as being more than science, and including art, crafts, science, history and philosophy of nursing, is presented. The importance of the four generations of theories for nursing as a practice discipline is discussed. It is concluded that all four generations of theories have had importance for nursing as a practice discipline, and that much of nursing's theoretical thinking has been studied during the four generations. It is however, an ebb in nursing knowledge concerning environment. Future studies are suggested to challenge this ebb.