Summary: Theoretical Thinking In Nursing

403 Words2 Pages
Theoretical thinking is essential to nursing and helps guide nursing practice. Theory is defined as “the creation of relationships among two or more concepts to form a specific view of a phenomenon” (Higgins & Moore, 2012, p. 282 para. 2). It is made up of four theories, which include meta-theory, grand theory, middle range theory, and micro theory. Each theory has a specific purpose and varies in how abstract, formal, and restrictive it is. There has been a movement from focus on grand theory to middle range theory over time. As the world continues to evolve and develop it is important for nursing theory to do the same. As grand theory is becoming smaller middle range theory is growing. (Smith & Parker, 2015). Meta-theory is the most abstract