- Dorothea Orem developed her theory based on the idea that individuals need to care for themselves (self-care) and may experience deficits requiring nursing care (self-care deficit) - The theory has three related parts: self-care, self-care deficit, and nursing systems which describe how nursing can meet patients' self-care needs - Self-care deficit occurs when self-care demands exceed an individual's capacity for self-care, indicating a need for nursing through five methods of assistance