2.

JEAN WATSON’S THEORY OF HUMAN

CARING
Human Caring Science: A Theory of Nursing is
the title of Jean Watson's latest work, it was renamed
(1)_________________________________. Theory of
Human Caring

This theory is one of the newest of nursing's

grand theories, having first been completely codified
in 1979, revised in 1985 (Watson 1988), and
broadened and advanced several times. Watson (1985) initially called her work a
descriptive theory of caring and stated that it was the only theory of nursing to
incorporate the spiritual dimension of nursing at the time it was first
conceptualized. The theory is both deductive and inductive in its origins and is
written at an abstract level of discourse.

I. BACKGROUND OF THE THEORIST

Jean Watson Was born in Virginia in

1939 Lewis -Gale Nursing in Roanoke, Virginia.
Watson is an internationally published author,
having written many books, book chapters and
articles about the science of human caring
(Watson, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2005, 2008, 2012).

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Let’s get to know who is Jean Watson?
1. What are the degrees or educational attainment of Jean Watson?
___________________________________________________________Wats
on completed her nursing education at the University of Colorado in Boulder
____________________after graduating from the Lewis Gale School of Nursing in
1961. She received her _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________bache
lor's degree in 1964, her master's degree in psychiatric and mental health
___________________________________________________________nursin
g in 1966, and her doctorate in educational psychology and counseling in
1973.
2. List down her professional background
___________________________________________________________She
was the President of the National League for Nursing and the Dean of Nursing at the
______________________University Health Sciences Center. She is an American
Academy of Nursing fellow. Nursing: _____________________________________
___________________________________________________________The
Philosophy and Science of Caring, Revised Edition, released in 2008, is one of her
___________________________________________________________works
. She presently has an endowed post at the University of Colorado and founded the
Watson Caring Science Institute in 2008 to assist extend her nursing theory and concepts.

3. Can see yourself someday as a “Living Legend in Nursing” like Jean

Watson? Why so?
___________________________________________________________Yes, I
can see myself someday in the near future as a “Living Legend in Nursing” like
___________________________________________________________Jean
Watson. It all started when I saw my passion in nursing in my mother’s eyes and
___________________that’s when I realized that I wanted to pursue nursing and help
those who are in need ________________________________________
___________________________________________________________and
provide the highest quality healthcare for them. This is what I love doing and I will
continue Watson’s legacy.

II. PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF THEORY

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 Watson (1988) noted that she drew parts of her
theory from writers, including Nightingale and Rogers.
She also used concepts from the works of psychologists
Giorgi, Johnson, Koch as well as concepts from
philosophy. She reported being widely read in these
disciplines and synthesized a number of diverse concepts
from them into nursing as a science of human caring.
Watson (2012) further conveys the ideal that changing
the title and the use of the words "human caring" and
"caring" are meant to convey the ideal of the depth of
involvement between humans that is the experience of
nurses (p,xi).

III. MAJOR ASSUMPTIONS, CONCEPTS, AND

RELATIONSHIPS

The value system that permeates Watson's Human Caring Science

includes a "deep respect for the wonders and mysteries of life" (Watson, 1988, p.
34) and recognition that spiritual and ethical dimensions are major elements of
the human care process. Furthermore, she explained that in order to care for
humans, there must be a deep responsibility to care for the planet itself (Watson,
2012). A number of assumptions are both stated and implicit in her theory.
Additionally, several concepts were defined, refine, and adapted for it. From this,
10 carative factors were developed.

Directions: Answer the following

ACTIVITY questions below.

1. How does Watson describe the tenets of human caring science?

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 ___________________________________According to Jean Watson, caring
replenishes life energy and enhances our capacities. ________________________
___________The advantages are immense, and they foster personal and professional
self-________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________actual
ization. Caring is a mutually rewarding experience for both the patient and the
______________nurse, as well as for other health professionals
involved._____________________________________________
2. What are the explicit assumptions that were derived for Watson's work?
Watson’s model makes seven assumptions: (1) Caring can be effectively demonstrated
and practiced only interpersonal. (2) Caring consists of carative factors that result in the
satisfaction of certain human needs. (3) Effective caring promotes health and individual or
__family growth. (4) Caring responses accept the patient as he or she is now, as well as
what _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________he or
she may become. (5) A caring environment is one that offers the development of
___________________________________________________________poten
tial while allowing the patient to choose the best action for him or herself at a given
___________________________________________________________point
in time. (6) A science of caring is complementary to the science of curing. (7) The
practice of caring is central to nursing.

3. How does Watson define the three of the four metaparadigm concepts?
___________________________________________________________Accor
ding to her theory, caring can be demonstrated and practiced by nurses. Caring
___________________________________________________________for
patients fosters development; a caring atmosphere accepts a person as they are
___________________________________________________________while
also anticipating what they could become. Watson also defined three of the four
_______________________________nursing metaparadigm concepts: person or
human being, health, and nursing.____________________________

4. Watson has refined and updated the relationships of the theory, bringing
them closer to her current way of understanding human caring and
spirituality. What are the relationships to the theory?
________________________________The theory focuses on "the significance of
human caring and the caring-to-caring ___________________________
___________________________________________________________trans
personal interaction and its healing potential for both the caregiver and the cared-
___________________________________________________________for."
This implies that a nurse practitioner invests his or her own feelings in the caring
___________________________________________________________relatio
nship, not closing himself or herself off to new spiritual and mental encounters while
caring for the patient's needs.

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 Directions: Match the major concepts of the science
of human caring with the corresponding item in
Column B. Write the letter of your answer for each
number.

COLUMN A COLUMN B
E 1. Human a. "Where there is disharmony among
____
the mind, body and soul or between a
person and his or her nature and
relationship with the larger
world/universe, there is a disjunctive
between the self as perceived and
____C 2. Health one's actual experience
b. The moment of coming together in a
caring moment occasion presents the
two persons with the opportunity to
decide how to be in the relationship—
what to do with the moment"
____G 3. Nursing c. Associated with the degree of
congruence between the self as
perceived and the self as experience.
____B 4. Actual caring d. "The totality of human experience
moment (one's being in the world) ... is the
individual's Frame of reference that
can only be known to that person"
I 5. Transpersonal e. to be Cared for, respected, nurtured,
____
caring moment understood, and assisted"
D 6. Phenomenal field f. The past is prior to, or in a different
____ mode of being than the present, but it
7. Life is not clearly distinguishable.
g. A human caring science of persons
____H and human health-illness experiences
that are mediated by professional,
personal, scientific, esthetic, and
8. Harmonydisharmon ethical human care connections and
y relationships.
____A h. defined as spiritually, mentally,
emotionally and physically being-in-
9. Time theworld as a unitary being which is

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 F continuous in time and space"
____
i. in a way that allows for the release
and flow of his or her intersubjective
feelings and thoughts and pent-up
energy.

IV. MODEL/DIAGRAM/PARADIGM

Directions: Fill in the paradigm the 10 Carative Processes of

Jean Watson based on the statement below. Write your
answers on the wheel below.

CLUES

1. The sharing of feelings is a risk-taking experience for both nurse and patient.
The nurse must be prepared for either optimistic or pessimistic feelings.

2. This factor is an important concept for nursing in that it separates caring from
curing. The nurse facilitates this process that are
designed to enable patients to provide self-care, determine personal
needs, and provide opportunities for their personal growth.

3. Are learned early in life, but can be greatly influenced by nurse educators.
This factor can be defined as satisfaction through giving Jean Watson and
extension of the sense of self.

4. This is crucial for transpersonal caring. This promotes and accepts the
expression of both positive & negative feelings.

5. The nurse recognizes the biophysical, psychophysical, psychosocial, and

intrapersonal needs of self and patient.

6. Nurses must recognize the influence that internal & external environments
have on the health and illness of individuals. This
includes comfort, privacy, safety and clean, aesthetic surroundings

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7. Use of the nursing process brings a scientific problem-solving approach to
nursing care, dispelling the traditional image of nurses as the doctor’s
handmaiden.

8. The recognition of feelings leads to self-actualization through self-

acceptance for both the nurse and the patient. As nurse

acknowledge this factor, they become more genuine, authentic and sensitive to
others

9. Watson considers this factor to be difficult to understand. It is included

to provide a thought-provoking experience leading to a better

understanding of the self and others.

10. This factor, incorporating humanistic and altruistic values, facilitates the
promotion of holistic nursing care and positive health within the
patient population

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 Promotion and
Acceptance of the Promotion of
Expression of Interpersonal
Positive and Teaching-Learning
Negative feelings

Formation of
Humanistic
Instillation of Faith- Altruistic System of
Hope Values

Allowance for Development of a

Existential- Helping-Trust
Phenomenological Relationship
Forces

Assistance with
Cultivation of Gratification of
Sensitivity of Self Human Needs
and to Others Provision for
Supportive,
Protective, and
Systematic use of Corrective
the Scientific Mental,
Problem-Solving Physical,
Method for Sociocultural,
Decision Making and Spiritual
Environment

V. USEFULNESS, TESTABILITY, PARSIMONY &

VALUE IN EXTENDING NURSING SCIENCE

Critical thinking with Watson's philosophy and science of caring offers a

holistic and humanistic approach in the assessment, diagnosis, planning,
implementation, and evaluation phases of the nursing process. On the basis of I0
carative assumptions, Watson's theory provides a framework on which nurses
can establish a precedent of collaboration to assist the patient in gaining control,
knowledge, and health. The following exercises demonstrate critical and
reflective thinking from the perspective of Watson's theory.
1. Examine your own values and beliefs to
ascertain how each of Watson's 10 carative
assumptions would fit with your own personal
philosophy of caring in relation to the patient,
environment, health, and nursing.
CRITICAL
THINKING
THEORETICAL FOUNDATION IN NURSING | Nursing PhilosophiesJean Watson 57
 2. Think of a time in your life when you felt someone truly cared for
you. Then think of a time when you demonstrated care for another person.
(These can be either healthcare related or not.) Then identify what
the major characteristics of those interactions were.

1. Watson’s theory is comparatively

parsimonious. Why do you think so?
____________________________________W
atson’s theory is comparatively parsimonious.
____________________________________De
spite the definition of several new ideas, there are
____________________just ten critical variables that nurses must address.
________________
____________________________________There are also six “working
assumptions” and three
factors for caring science.
____________________________________

2. What are the six “working assumptions” of this theory?

1________________________________________________________________. An
ontologic assumption of oneness, wholeness, unity, relatedness, and connectedness. 2. An
epistemologic assumption that there are multiple ways of knowing. 3. Diversity of knowing
assumes
________________________________________________________________ all
and various forms of evidence can be included. 4. A caring science model makes these diverse
________________________________________________________________
perspectives explicitly and directly. 5. Moral-metaphysical integration with science evokes spirit 6.
A ________________________________________________________________
caring science emergence founded on new assumptions, makes explicit an expanding unitary
________________________________________________________________
energetic world view with a relational human caring ethic and ontology as a starting point.
3. How does Jean Watson describe the connection between nursing and
caring?
According to Jean Watson, the essence of nursing is caring. Watson identified care as the most
________________________________________________________________
essential service that nursing can serve to mankind, and this aspect of caring has been
________________________________________________________________
undervalued in nursing practice. Care serves as the most crucial part of nursing since it provides
________________________________________________________________ for

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direct connection between the patient and the nurse. Care may assist a patient in being more
________________________________________________________________
knowledgeable, comfortable, and in

control.
____________________________________________________________

____

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