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.