Humanistic nursing, interpersonal relations theory, and the empathy-altruism hypothesis.

The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the relevance and applicability of theory for nursing research and practice. Following a brief explanation of the four levels of theoretical abstraction recognized by nursing, Paterson and Zderad's humanistic nursing theory and Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations are described. In addition, one social psychology theory, the empathy-altruism hypothesis, is also explained. The value and implications of the three theories for nursing research and practice are discussed, and several research questions are proposed.