Applied Psychology for NURSES
Applied Psychology for NURSES
As per the Revised BSc Nursing Syllabus
FIFTH EDITION
R Sreevani
PhD (Psychiatric Nursing)
Professor and Head Department of Psychiatric Nursing Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (DIMHANS) Dharwad, Karnataka, India
Foreword
K Reddemma

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Applied Psychology for Nurses
First Edition: 2009
Second Edition: 2013
Reprint: 2015
Third Edition: 2018
Fourth Edition: 2022
Fifth Edition: 2024
9789356966963
Printed at
My Husband
It is a matter of immense pleasure that Dr R Sreevani has again put her efforts together for the student community by compiling a comprehensive textbook titled Applied Psychology for Nurses and requested me to write foreword for the same. Her previous publication A Guide to Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing has been a phenomenal success and gained much recognition with the student community in particular.
The present book broadly covers fundamentals of psychological concepts for the undergraduate and graduate nurses with special focus on nursing implications making it unique. The text is presented in line with the revised nursing syllabus for GNM, BSc (N) and PC BSc (N) students.
The author has used simple language and presented the subject in her own lucid style. A right mix of tables, flowcharts and figures has been used to make the concept comprehensible and aid learning. Units on Sensation and Perception, Learning, Memory, Thinking, Intelligence, Motivation, Emotions, Attitudes, Personality, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Guidance and Counseling and Psychological Assessment have been dealt with in-depth and incorporated nursing implications making it a must-buy for the nursing community.
I wish her success in all her future endeavors.
K Reddemma
Nodal Officer
National Consortium for PhD in Nursing
St John's College of Nursing
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Indian Nursing Council
Formerly
Dean, Behavioral Sciences
Professor, Department of Nursing
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS)
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
PREFACE TO THE FIFTH EDITION
The concept of psychology in nursing education is by no means “new”. Despite coming from a different discipline, psychology has a huge relevance to nursing practice. For those aspiring nurses who have ever wondered the need for them to devote hours in studying psychology, they have not probably realized that both are interrelated to each other. If you are still wondering how a nursing career is related to psychology, think about a time you have ever had a nurse tend to you. If you felt that your nurse was caring, compassionate, and good at making you feel comfortable, then your nurse was using psychology. Without it, there is no trust and no bond created, which can sometimes be the difference between a patient healing and getting worse.
Nurses work in a setting where they are required to interact with other professionals and caregivers in an effort to bring the best quality care for their patients. While managing patients, they are required not only to understand the physical pain associated with the illness but also change their thoughts and attitudes to improve the well-being. They need to fully understand how other people behave and act in certain situations—this is where psychology comes into play. Nurses who study psychology extensively are trained to understand a wide range and depth of emotions and what those emotions can cause in an ill or injured patient. It is the knowledge of psychology that enables nurses to gain the trust of their patients and learn how to interact with patients based on different factors such as gender and age. For instance, during illness, young patients experience greater fear than adults. They may have difficulties in understanding their illness. A nurse can apply her knowledge of child development and psychology and relate to the young patients in a way their apprehensions are alleviated. Thus, psychology can help improve the nurse–patient relationship. As the nurses perform under unthinkable stress, they also need to use psychology on themselves so as to navigate through all the emotions of a patient. Without psychology and nursing careers coming together, it would be hard for a nurse to do his or her job.
The sustained interest and enthusiasm that the students and faculty have evinced in the fourth edition of Applied Psychology of Nurses has prompted me to come out with the latest edition. The fifth edition, as the previous one, is strictly aligned with the revised Nursing syllabus. While retaining the strengths of the fourth edition, an effort has been made to give the latest edition a new look and make it more student friendly. In this direction, the existing figures, flowcharts, and tables have been thoroughly revised and newer illustrations added where necessary.
Each chapter is followed by a synopsis to give a bird view of the important aspects dealt in the respective chapter. Long essays, short essays, short notes, and multiple choice questions (MCQs) have been included at the end of each chapter so as to serve as an active learning exercise. An exhaustive glossary of various terms used has also been provided at the end of the textbook for gaining a broad understanding of the subject.
Students of General, BSc, MSc Nursing, and other health professionals interested in getting an overview of psychology may also find the textbook useful. All constructive suggestions from readers in making this edition more valuable and useful will be earnestly solicited. I am confident that this new edition reflects what instructors want and need, a book that motivates students to understand and apply psychology to their own lives as well.
R Sreevani
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
As per the Indian Nursing Council (INC) syllabus for GNM, BSc (N), PC BSc (N) students, psychology is prescribed as a subject in their academic curriculum. During my teaching experience I have always found that though many books have been published on the subject they do not really cater to the specific needs of the student community, nurses in particular. The students have often sought recommendations for a publication which caters to their complete syllabus. For lack of such a textbook there was always a high demand for prepared notes which they could use during their examinations. This edition is a genuine effort to mitigate their hardship and also to stimulate academic interest and build an appreciation of the relevance of psychology, motivating and engaging the students.
This edition of Psychology for Nurses though will add to the Psychology section in the book shelves, it will definitely be a special one for the nurse community. In this edition a concerted effort has been made to cover the basic principles of psychology and also focus on applied topics in units such as Sensation and Perception, Learning, Memory, Thinking, Intelligence, Motivation, Emotions, Attitudes, Personality, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Guidance and Counseling and Psychological Assessment. The matter has been produced in a simple language with tables, figures and flowcharts so as to directly support learning, easy understanding and retention of the concept. Learning new concepts and theories is of no much value unless the same can be put to use in real-life situations. In a unique effort to bridge the gap between theory and practice, special care has been exercised to incorporate Nursing Implications at all appropriate places, providing ample opportunity for the intelligent nurse to conceptualize her role.
An exhaustive glossary has been provided at the end of the text to aid the student nurse understand the meaning of the keywords and their usage. To facilitate the students from examination point of view, a set of review questions—long essays, short essays and short answers type have been included at the end of each unit. To assess the level of understanding gained on various topics, a unit-wise question bank (objective) has been provided at the end of the text.
I will be deriving immense satisfaction if the nursing personnel apply psychological principles described in the textbook in their day-to-day learning and practice. I am confident that this book will provide good teaching material for the instructor and moreover motivate the students towards understanding and applying psychology in their job and personal lives as well. Suggestions for improvement will be gratefully acknowledged.
R Sreevani
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to begin by thanking the Almighty God, who bestowed upon me the spiritual strength and perseverance to make it all happen.
I would like to thank the publishers M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi, for being supportive all through. I would like to extend my special thanks to Shri Jitendar P Vij (Group Chairman), Mr Ankit Vij (Managing Director), and Mr MS Mani (Group President) for continuing to repose strong faith in me.
Nobody has been more important to me in the pursuit of this title than the members of my family. I would like to thank my grandparents, parents, and in-laws, whose love and guidance are with me in whatever I pursue. They are the ultimate role models. While I wish to thank my loving and supportive husband Mr Giridhar who has been a source of constant support, I would also like to specially acknowledge the contribution made by my elder son Master Pranith Ambati in organizing and conceptualizing the visual material and reading through the complete text during the manuscript preparation and proofing stage. A word of appreciation is due to my younger son Master Daivik Ambati for exhibiting keen interest in the complete process from beginning to end.
I extend my sincere thanks to Dr Madhu Choudhary (Director–Educational Publishing), Ms Pooja Bhandari [Director–Production (Books and Journals)], Ms Sunita Katla (Executive Assistant to Group Chairman and Publishing Manager), Mr Ajay Kumar Sharma [DGM–Production (Books and Journals)], Ms Samina Khan (Executive Assistant to Director–Educational Publishing), Ms Alisha Talwar (Team Lead–Nursing), Mr Rajesh Sharma (Production Coordinator), Ms Seema Dogra (Cover Visualizer), Ms Geeta Barik (Proofreader), Ms Uma Adhikari (Typesetter), Mr Nitin Bhardwaj (Graphic Designer), and their team members for the wonderful back office support.
I wish to present my special thanks to Mr Venugopal (Regional Head-Business Development, DigiNerve) for his small talks which have been a huge inspiration in over a decade of association with him.
Applied Psychology Syllabus
PLACEMENT: I semester
THEORY: 3 credits (60 hours)
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to enable the students to develop understanding about basic concepts of psychology and its application in personal and community life, health, illness and nursing. It further provides students opportunity to recognize the significance and application of soft skills and self-empowerment in the practice of nursing.
COMPETENCIES: On completion of the course, the students will be able to:
- Identify the importance of psychology in individual and professional life.
- Develop understanding of the biological and psychological basis of human behavior.
- Identify the role of nurse in promoting mental health and dealing with altered personality.
- Perform the role of nurses applicable to the psychology of different age groups.
- Identify the cognitive and affective needs of clients.
- Integrate the principles of motivation and emotion in performing the role of nurse in caring for emotionally sick client.
- Demonstrate basic understanding of psychological assessment and nurse‘s role.
- Apply the knowledge of soft skills in workplace and society.
- Apply the knowledge of self-empowerment in workplace, society and personal life.
T – Theory
Units | Time (hours) | Learning outcomes | Contents | Teaching/ learning activities | Assessment methods |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | 2 (T) | Describe scope, branches and significance of psychology in nursing | Introduction
| Lecture-cum- discussion |
|
II | 4 (T) | Describe biology of human behavior | Biological basis of behavior
|
|
|
III | 5 (T) | Describe mentally healthy person and defense mechanisms | Mental health and mental hygiene
|
|
|
IV | 7 (T) | Describe psychology of people in different age groups and role of nurse | Developmental psychology
|
|
|
V | 4 (T) | Explain personality and role of nurse in identification and improvement in altered personality | Personality
|
|
|
VI | 16 (T) | Explain cognitive process and their applications | Cognitive process
|
|
|
VII | 6 (T) | Describe motivation, emotion, attitude and role of nurse in emotionally sick client | Motivation and emotional processes
|
|
|
VIII | 4 (T) | Explain psychological assessment and tests and role of nurse | Psychological assessment and tests
|
|
|
IX | 10 (T) | Explain concept of soft skill and its application in work place and society | Application of soft skill
|
| Essay and short answer |
X | 2 (T) | Explain self- empowerment | Self-empowerment
|
|
|