The Story Theory: Overview

“Stories have power. They delight, enchant, touch, recall, inspire, motivate, challenge. They help us understand. They imprint a picture on our minds. Want to make a point or raise an issue? Tell a story.”

- Janet Litherland

Stories are always part of our daily lives. We have been using it for as long as we have learned to talk or as long as we came out in this world. Stories impact our lives by giving us a choice on how we communicate and understand others. As Nurses, It is also part of our diurnal interaction with our clients. . We continuously find ways to better care for them. Nursing is the study of human health and healing through caring (Smith, 1994). Caring is the path to healing  (Liehr & Smith, 2008).  The use of theory can be an effective tool in attaining such daily objectives

Middle range theories can be defined as a set of related ideas that are focused on a limited dimension of the reality of nursing (Liehr & Smith, 2014).Story theory is one of those middle range theory for the nursing practice by Smith and Liehr. It shows potential in advancing the nursing’s discipline’s role in the prevention and management of diseases in the future.

Story theory consists of 7 phases of Inquiry which provides framework that can be utilized to guide nursing in practice and research. This is done by collecting stories about health concerns and situations that are important to the client. It was also developed to provide a story centered structure for guiding nursing practice and research. Story is a narrative happening of connecting with self-in relation through intentional dialogue to create ease. Ease emerges in the midst of accepting the whole story as ones own (Liehr & Smith, 2011).

The group decided to explore more on the story theory since all can easily relate and find it interesting. The following parts will probe the theory more apply it in a case scenario.  We work on the premise that we will come to understand this theory as the meaning of its concepts are revealed and as we first-hand experience the way this theory helps us in our practice better nursing discipline in our everyday world.