Abstract
Story theory, an intermediate-level nursing theory, was developed by nursing theorists Smith and Liehr. According to theorists, stories express who people are, where they are, and where they are going. Story theory can be used when one wants to understand what is most important to an individual with a health problem. The purpose of story theory is to reveal and evaluate the story of individuals as a basis for systematic data collection and analysis in the practice and research dimension of the nurse's health promotion process. While mostly qualitative analysis is used in the analysis of the story, quantitative analysis is also used. Liehr and Smith point out that stories should be used more in nursing in order to develop nursing knowledge.
TopStory Theory
Story Theory was developed by nursing theorists Patricia R. Liehr and Mary Jane Smith. According to the owners of the theory, the story has a healing power on the individual. In line with this knowledge, theorists have realized the importance of the story that unites nursing research and practice. This situation led to the emergence of the theory (Smith & Liehr, 1999; Liehr & Smith, 2018).
The process of creating Story Theory is based on Liehr and Smith's longstanding and collaborative relationships on similar research topics. The owners of the theory, who studied similar issues in their doctoral theses, talked about the importance of the story on the individual's health at a nursing conference. Thus, a theory about the effect of sharing the individual's story on the healing process has emerged (Liehr & Smith, 2018).
When Story Theory first emerged, it was published as Attentively Embracing Story (Smith & Liehr, 1999). The owners of the theory later simplified the name of the theory between 2003 and 2006 to make the story the focal point. The ontology of Story Theory recognizes that the story is an internal human resource for creating meaning. The epistemology of the story, on the other hand, is based on the understanding that intermediate theory integrates research and practice into a knowledge development method (Liehr & Smith, 2018).
Liehr ve Smith (2018) describes the story as “a narrative happening of connecting with self-in-relation through intentional dialogue to create ease.” According to theorists, a story is a narrative of one's current life situation to clarify the present meaning of the past with an eye toward the future. Stories explain where individuals come from, where they are now, and where they are going (Liehr & Smith, 2018, 2020).
The Purpose of Story Theory
The theory is a dynamic process in which the individual who tells the story carefully embraces the story as it unfolds (Smith & Liehr, 2005). Therefore, the purpose of the Story Theory is for the nurse to evaluate the individual's story for systematic data collection and analysis to improve the individual's health (Liehr & Smith, 2018).
Assumptions of Story Theory
Story Theory considers the story of a person as a health story. The theory has three assumptions. These are; “Persons change as they interrelate with their world in a vast array of flowing connected dimensions.”, “Persons live an expanded present where past and future events are transformed in the here and now.”, “Persons experience meaning as a resonating awareness in the creative unfolding of human potential.” (Liehr & Smith, 2018).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Creating Ease: An energizing sense of flow as story moments come together through anchoring to realities and releasing self from limiting story boundaries (Liehr & Smith, 2020).
Complicating Health Challenge: Any situation in which an extraordinary change in an individual's life causes distress in an individual's daily life (Liehr & Smith, 2018).
Connecting With Self-in-Relation: An active engagement in acknowledging self as related to others in a developing story plot uncovered through intentional dialogue (Liehr & Smith, 2020).
Story Inquiry Method: A Story Theory approach that nurses use to guide patient data collection and analysis (Liehr & Smith, 2018).
Intentional Dialogue: Intentional dialogue is the central nurse-person process for collecting the person’s story of a health problem that complicates daily life (Liehr & Smith, 2020).
Story: A narrative happening of connecting with self-in-relation through intentional dialogue to create ease (Liehr & Smith, 2018).