Assignment caring science as sacred science
Assignment caring science as sacred science
n today’s world, nursing seems to be responding to the various demands of the machinery with less consideration of the needs of the person attached to the machine. In Watson’s view, the disease might be cured, but illness would remain because without caring, health is not attained. Caring is the essence of nursing and connotes responsiveness between the nurse and the person; the nurse co-participates with the person. Watson contends that caring can assist the person to gain control, become knowledgeable, and promote health changes.
Major ConceptsSociety provides the values that determine how one should behave and what goals one should strive toward. Watson (1979) 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.” Human being is a valued person to be cared for, respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted. Health is the unity and harmony within the mind, body, and soul; health is associated with the degree of congruence between the self as perceived and the self as experienced. Nursing is a human science of persons and human health – illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and ethical human care transactions. Actual caring occasion involves actions and choices by the nurse and the individual. The moment of coming together in a caring occasion presents the two persons with the opportunity to decide how to be in the relationship – what to do with the moment. The transpersonal concept is an intersubjective human-to-human relationship in which the nurse affects and is affected by the person of the other. Both are fully present in the moment and feel a union with the other; they share a phenomenal field that becomes part of the life story of both. (Watson, 1999)SubconceptsPhenomenal field The totality of human experience of one’s being in the world. This refers to the individual’s frame of reference that can only be known to that person. Self The organized conceptual gestalt composed of perceptions of the characteristics of the “I” or “ME” and the perceptions of the relationship of the “I” and “ME” to others and to various aspects of life. Time The present is more subjectively real and the past is more objectively real. The past is prior to, or in a different mode of being than the present, but it is not clearly distinguishable. Past, present, and future incidents merge and fuse. (Watson, 1999) Nursing interventions related to human care originally referred to as carative factors have now been translated into clinical caritas processes (Watson, 2006): 1. The formation of a humanistic-altruistic system of values, becomes: “practice of loving-kindness and equanimity within context of caring consciousness.” 2. The instillation of faith-hope becomes: “being authentically present, and enabling and sustaining the deep belief system and subjective life world of self and one-being-cared-for.” 3. The cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to others becomes: “cultivation of one’s own spiritual practices and transpersonal self, going beyond ego self.” 4. The development of a helping-trusting relationship becomes: “developing and sustaining a helping-trusting authentic caring relationship.” 5. The promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings becomes: “being present to, and supportive of the expression of positive and negative feelings as a connection with deeper spirit of self and the one-being-cared-for.” 6. The systematic use of the scientific problem-solving method for decision making becomes: “creative use of self and all ways of knowing as part of the caring process; to engage in artistry of caring-healing practices.” 7. The promotion of interpersonal teaching-learning becomes: “engaging in genuine teaching-learning experience that attends to unity of being and meaning attempting to stay within other’s frame of reference.” 8. The provision for a supportive, protective, and(or) corrective mental, physical, sociocultural, and spiritual environment becomes: “creating healing environment at all levels (physical as well as non-physical), subtle environment of energy and consciousness, whereby wholeness, beauty, comfort, dignity, and peace are potentiated.” 9. Assistance with the gratification of human needs becomes: assisting with basic needs, with an intentional caring consciousness, administering ‘human care essentials,’ which potentiate alignment of mindbodyspirit, wholeness, and unity of being in all aspects of care,” tending to both embodied spirit and evolving spiritual emergence. Watson’s (1979) ordering of needs: a. Lower Order Needs (Biophysical Needs) Survival Needs The need for food and fluid The need for elimination The need for ventilation b. Lower Order Needs (Psychophysical Needs) Functional Needs The need for activity-inactivity The need for sexuality c. Higher Order Needs (Psychosocial Needs) Integrative Needs The need for achievement The need for affiliation d. Higher Order Need (Intrapersonal-Interpersonal Need) Growth-seeking Need The need for self-actualization. 10. The allowance for existential-phenomenological forces becomes: “opening and attending to spiritual-mysterious and existential dimensions of one’s own life-death; soul care for self and the one-being-cared-for.”
