Running head: JOYCE TRAVELBEE: HUMAN-TO-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP MODEL 1

Joyce Travelbee: Human-to-Human Relationship Model

Christopher B. Delph

East Tennessee State University

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Joyce Travelbee: Human-to-Human Relationship Model

Joyce Travelbee was a psychiatric nurse that was born in 1926. She completed her BSN

degree at Louisiana State University in 1956 and her Master of Science Degree in Nursing at

Yale University in 1959. During her BSN degree in 1952, she started to be an instructor at

Depaul Hospital Affiliate School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her instruction focused on

psychiatric nursing. Travelbee also taught Psychiatric Nursing at Charity Hospital School of

Nursing at Louisiana State University, New York University and the University of Mississippi

(currentnursing.com).

In 1963, Joyce Travelbeebegan to publish several articles in the nursing journals.

Afterwards, she would develop the Human-to-Human Relationship Model presented in her first

book entitled Interpersonal Aspects of Nursing (1966, 1971). Travelbees experience working as

a psychiatric nurse at a Catholic charity hospital led her to believe these type of institutions

lacked compassion (nurses.info). She believed nursing needed a humanistic revolution and a

renewed focus on compassion that must be central to nursing. Travelbee believed nursing

evolved through human-to-human relationships that involve empathy and sympathy. Achieving

a genuine nurse to patient contact was a prerequisite in meeting the goals of being a nurse. It is

believed that getting to know patients is as valid and necessary a nursing activity as is

performing procedures or rendering physical care (Travelbee, 1966, p. 99).

Joyce Travelbee had her second book published in 1969 entitled Intervention in

Psychiatric Nursing. Afterwards, she became Project Director at Hotel Dieu School of Nursing

in New Orleans in 1970. She started a doctoral program in Florida in 1973. Unfortunately,

Travelbee was unable to finish the program due to a brief illness that resulted in her tragic death.
JOYCE TRAVELBEE: HUMAN-TO-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP MODEL 3

She concurrently was the director of Graduate Education at Louisiana State University School of

Nursing until her death (nursingtheories.info). Travelbees theory has lived on since her

premature death, influencing nursing and the hospice movement.

My personal reasons to go into nursing go back to being a teenager. I had experienced

both parents hospitalized due to unfortunate accidents during my youth. I had plenty of exposure

to being at a hospital over a matter of several years. The daily interaction of the nurses with my

family intrigued me, and I enjoyed the caring aspect of nursing. When I initially went to college,

I focused on psychology. Later, I realized that I wanted a more personalized way to interact with

sick people through compassion. Joyce Travelbees theory is very interesting in that it focuses

on more than just the patients physical condition. It focuses on compassion and building rapport

with the patient that I feel is extremely important. I found that Travelbees psychiatric nursing

backgroundand subsequent theory resonated with me. Psychiatric nursing is a specialty that I am

very interested in pursuing, because I feel nursing goes beyond the physical to a more holistic

sense of being.

Travelbee believed the human-to-human relationship began with the initial encounter and

progressed through five phases. The progress through these stages was original encounter,

emerging identities, empathy, sympathy and rapport (currentnursing.com). The ideas of her

theory are applicable to a hospital, nursing home or hospice setting. Rapport being the last stage

is very important overall. The idea of her theory is fully functional when rapport is involved.

Rapport is more than communication with patients. It is something continually built on a

daily basis. Rapport is empathy, compassion, and sympathy; a nonjudgmental attitude, and

respect for each individual as a unique human being (Travelbee, 1963, p. 70). This is extremely
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important in all settings where people need care due to sickness. When patients are provided

only minimum attention to allow the nurse to get his or her job done, the patient can suffer

consequences. Treating the patient holistically via communication and attention can help in the

healing process. An example of minimum involvement shows in the nursing home. A study

showed depression to be underrecognized and screenings were to be implemented to discuss

with residents feelings of powerlessness, disability and losses (Snowdon, 2010, p. 22). An

active interest in the patients can build upon the human-to-human relationship.

The caregiver should express a desire to know the patient and realize each person is a

unique individual in dealing with his or her sickness. The amount of time spent with a patient is

not as important as what the nurse does with that time (Travelbee, 1963, p. 71). Emotional

involvement is very important with the process of healing and recovery. A patient will feel

connected in a relationship with the nurse when there is emotional involvement. This type of

involvement does require insight and self-discipline, but it also requires the nurse to possess the

openness and freedom to expose self as human being to another human being, namely the

patient (Travelbee, 1969, p. 49).

Detachment when being involved with sickness and suffering is a common defense

mechanism. No person continually is involved with sickness, disease and death without getting

emotionally involved to some degree. Travelbee emphasized that the professional nurse must be

able to assist patients to find meaning in the experience of illness, suffering and pain

(Travelbee, 1966, p.165). Again, this would form the human-to-human relationship needed

during illness. Providing knowledge and meaning can help an already vulnerable patient to have

a sense of control and purpose.

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I believe the human-to-human relationship model shows promise in providing improved

patient care for the future. It transcends the idea of the physical and helps focus on the mental,

emotional and spiritual aspects of the patient. This type of treatment for sick people allows a

holistic approach and greets them with genuine interest. When other methods fail, alternatives

are considered in hopes to give a patient the best possible care. We must continually question

the value of our achievement, continue learning, and actively seek to improve our ability to gain

an increased understanding of the human condition (Travelbee, 1963, p. 72). Travelbee

recognized this need in establishing nursing to patient relationships. I believe the human-to-

human relationship model will provide the unique personalized care needed for today and the

future.
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References

Nurses. (2010, May). Joyce Travelbee. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from

http://www.nurses.info/nursing_theory_person_travelbee_joyce.htm

Nursing Theories. (2010, December). Human-To-Human Relationship Model. Retrieved June

23, 2011, from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Joyce_Travelbee.html

Nursing Theories. (2011, June). Joyce Travelbee: Biography. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from

http://nursingtheories.info/joyce-travelbee-biography/

Snowden, J. (2010). Depression in nursing homes. (Abstract). International Psychogeriatrics,

22, 1143-1148. doi: 10.1017/S1041610210001602

Travelbee, J. (1963). What do we mean by rapport? The American Journal of Nursing, 63, 70-

72.

Travelbee, J. (1966). Interpersonal Aspects of Nursing. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis

Company.

Travelbee, J. (1969). Intervention in Psychiatric Nursing: Process in the One-To-One

Relationship. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.

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Joyce Travelbee: Manusia-ke-manusia hubungan Model Christopher B. Delph Timur Tennessee

State University Joyce Travelbee: manusia-ke-manusia hubungan Model Joyce Travelbee adalah
seorang perawat kejiwaan yang Lahir pada tahun 1926. Dia menyelesaikan gelar BSN di
Louisiana State University pada tahun 1956 dan gelar Master of Science di Keperawatan di
Universitas Yale pada tahun 1959. Selama gelar BSN pada tahun 1952, ia mulai menjadi
instruktur di Depaul Hospital Afiliasi sekolah di New Orleans, Louisiana. Instruksi nya berfokus
pada perawatan psikiatri. Travelbee juga mengajar perawatan psikiatri di amal Hospital of
Keperawatan sekolah di Louisiana State University, New York University dan University of
Mississippi (currentnursing.com). Pada tahun 1963, Joyce Travelbeebegan untuk menerbitkan
beberapa artikel di jurnal Keperawatan. Setelah itu, dia akan mengembangkan Model hubungan
manusia-ke-manusia yang disajikan dalam buku pertamanya berjudul Interpersonal aspek of
Nursing (1966, 1971). Travelbee's pengalaman worki...