Watsons_Thory_of_Caring

Person –A human being has needs (biophysical, psychophysical, psychosocial and intrapersonal) that are to be valued, respected, supported and cared for. Humans cannot be treated as objects and cannot be separated from self, other, nature, or the larger universe. Caritas comes from the Latin word meaning to cherish, to appreciate, to give special attention, if not loving, attention to; it connotes something that is very fine, that indeed is precious. The use of clinical caritas is the foundation for Watson’s theory. Person is viewed holistically wherein the body, mind, and soul are interrelated; each part a reflection of the whole, yet the whole is greater than and different from the sum of parts (Watson, 1979, 1989). The nurse’s moral commitment, intentionality, and personal use of the clinical caritas protects, enhances and potentiates human dignity, wholeness, and healing: this encourages the patient to create (or really, co-create) a meaning of a disease and treatment. 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"; Systematic use of a creative problem-solving caring process, becomes: "creative use of self and all ways of knowing as part of the caring process; to engage in artistry of caring-healing practices"; Promotion of transpersonal 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"; Assistance with gratification of human needs, becomes: "assisting with basic needs, with an intentional caring consciousness, administering ‘human care essentials', which potentiate alignment of mind-body-spirit, wholeness, and unity of being in all aspects of care"; tending to both embodied spirit and evolving spiritual emergence; Allowance for existential-phenomenological-spiritual 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-care-for. 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"; 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"; Development of a helping-trusting, human caring relationship, becomes: "Developing and sustaining a helping-trusting, authentic caring relationship";