Knowledge used in nursing practice is drawn from a large number of disciplines. This innovative book brings together much of this material from scattered sources which have hitherto been difficult to locate. Specialists and practitioners discuss current thinking within the boundaries of each subject area. They then interpret the implications of this for nursing practice within increasingly multi-disciplinary settings. The aim of the book is to enable readers at different levels of experience to acquire a basic understanding of the various and often confusing approaches that can be taken in exploring human nature and health, whether from a biological, sociological or psychological perspective. The book should help them to identify ways in which knowledge they acquire can be applied constructively in their work and in turn generate new knowledge for nursing.