Relevance of psychological theories and research to nursing care.

General misconceptions about the relevance of psychological theories and research to helping professionals are outlined. These include: 1) psychological theories are difficult to understand; 2) psychological theories are commonsensical and they can be invented by integrating commonsensical thoughts; 3) there is little link between theories and reality; 4) learning practical skills is more important than the acquisition of theoretical concepts; 5) helping professionals can practice successfully without detailed understanding of psychological theories; 6) theory-building is the task of theorists, not the job of practitioners; and 7) accumulation of research findings on nursing care is the task of researchers, not the job of practitioners. The nature of psychological theory, including its dimensions, functions and limitations are presented and the criteria governing theory evaluation are highlighted. As far as psychological research is concerned, it is argued that research evidence plays an important role in the process of theory construction and it has important link to the conceptual and applied aspects of nursing care.