The Influence of External, Internal and Artificial Environment Upon the Occurrence of Breast Cancer and Coping with the Disease. The Verification of the Systemic Theory of Betty Neumann

Abstract

Betty Neumann makes an assumption that a human being may exert influence upon the environment, or be subjected to the influence exerted upon him or her by the environment, in both negative and positive manner. She enumerates three varieties of environments, which act through so-called ‘stressors’ and permeate each other. Apart from the external and internal environment, she singles out an artificial environment as well.

The qualitative analysis of the literature and also that of collected research material aimed at performing the classification of environmental stressors, which may exert influence upon the occurrence of breast cancer. A particularly important task was that of conducting the assessment of the artificial environment, which is created by female patients in order to cope with the disease and its consequences. In the research, women suffering from breast cancer and without assessed genetic mutation, and women with a diagnosed mutation of the BRCA gene participated.

It turns out that the development of the artificial environment, which means one's own defense mechanisms, does not always have an appropriate course. Nurses ought to be aware of the existence of such an environment and support its positive development.