Margaret Jean Watson (Philosophy and Science of Caring) Caring in nursing conveys physical acts, but embraces the

mind-body-spirit as it reclaims the embodied spirit as its focus on attention Background: Jean Watson was born in Southern West Virginia and grew up during the 1940s and 1950s in the small town of Welch, West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. She attended high school in West Virginia and then attended the Lewis Gale School of Nursing in Roanake, Viriginia. In Colorado, she earned a BS in Nursing in 1964 at the Boulder campus; an M.S. in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing in 1996 at the Health Sciences campus; and a Ph.D. in educational psychology and counseling in 1973 at the Graduate School, Boulder campus. Watson herself noted that the ideas associated with her philosophy and theory of human caring are concerned with spirit than matter, flux rather than form, inner knowledge and power rather than circumstance. Theses thoughts are never final, but they are embedded with persistent values and moral imperatives related to human interaction that flows between and connects the one-caring-for and the one-cared-for. She has moved beyond contemporary nursing to a view that is rooted in Nightingales vision. She reflects, it is both theoretical and beyond theory. TEN CARATIVE FACTORS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Formation of a Humanistic-altruistic system of values Instillation of faith-hope Cultivation of sensitivity to ones self and others Development of a helping-trusting, human caring relationship Promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings; 6. Systemic use of a creative problem-solving caring process 7. Promotion of transpersonal teaching-learning 8. Provision for a supportive, protective and corrective mental, physical, societal and spiritual environment 9. Assistance with gratification of human needs 10. Allowance for existential-phenomenological-spiritual forces

Metaparadigm in Nursing PERSON Human being is a valued person in and of him to be cared for, respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted. In general, it is a philosophical view of a person as a fully functional integrated self. She viewed human as greater than, and different from, the sum of his parts. ENVIRONMENT Environment provides the values that determine how one should behave and what goals one should strive toward. These values are affected by change in the social, cultural, and spiritual arenas, which in turn affects the perception of the person and can lead to stress. Thus Watson states, Caring (and nursing) has existed in every society. Every society has had some people who have cared for others. A caring attitude is not transmitted from generation to generation by genes. It is transmitted by the culture of the profession as a unique way of coping with its environment. HEALTH Health refers to unity and harmony within the mind, body, and soul. It is also associated with the degree of congruence between self as perceived and as experienced. Watson, in addition to WHOs definition, includes these three elements: >A high level of over all-physical, mental and social functioning; >A general adaptive-maintenance level of daily functioning; and >The absence of illness (or the presence of efforts that lead to its absence) NURSING Watson sees Nursing as having to move educationally in the two areas of stress and developmental conflicts to provide holistic health care, which she believes is central to the practice of caring in Nursing. She asserts that nursings social, moral and scientific contributions to humankind and society lie in its commitment to human care ideals in theory, practice and research. In further writings, she defines nursing as a human science of people and human health-illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, aesthetic and ethical human care transactions.

2008, Theoretical Foundations of Nursing: The Philippine Perspective, Eufemia F. Octaviano, RN, RM, MN, EdD, Carla E. Balita, RN, RM, MAN, DrHum