Dr.

Jean Watson’s
Theory of Human Caring
(Philosophy and theory of
TRANSPERSONAL CARING)
Background

 Born in southern West Virginia in 1940

 Attended the Lewis Gale School of

Nursing in Roanoke,Virginia from which
she graduated in 1961
Background
 In 1961, moved to Colorado with her
husband, Douglas

 Earned her BSN in 1964

 MSN in psychiatric-mental health nursing

in 1966

 Doctorate in educational psychology and

counseling in 1973
 1997, she experienced accidental injury
that resulted the lost of her left eye.
 1998, her husband , whom she considers
as her physical and spiritual partner and
her best friend, passed away.
Theory Overview
 Emphasized that nursing is the application
of the art and human science through
transpersonal caring transactions to help
persons achieve mind-body-soul harmony,
which generates self-knowledge, self-
control, self-care, and self-healing.
 The nursing model states that “nursing is
concerned with promoting health,
preventing illness, caring for the sick, and
restoring health.” It focuses on health
promotion, as well as the treatment of
diseases.
 According to Watson, caring is central to
nursing practice, and promotes health
better than a simple medical cure. She
believes that a holistic approach to health
care is central to the practice of caring in
nursing.
 Watson’s Philosophy and Science of
Caring is concerned on how nurses
express care to their patients. Her theory
stresses humanistic aspects of nursing as
they intertwine with scientific knowledge
and nursing practice.
Assumptions of the caring science

 1) Caring can be effectively demonstrated

and practice only interpersonally

 2) Caring involves carative factors that

result in the satisfaction of human needs

 3) Effective caring promotes health and

individual family growth
Assumptions continued…
 4) Caring responses accept the person as they
are now and as what they may become

 5) A caring environment is one that offers the

development of potential while allowing the
person to choose the best action for his or
herself at a given point in time.

 6) Caring is more “healthogenic” than it is curing.

 7) The practice of caring is central to nursing.

Watson’s Theory of Caring
 Major Elements:
- Transpersonal caring relationship
- Caring occasion/Caring moment
- Carative Factors
Watson’s Theory of Caring
 Major Elements:
- Transpersonal caring relationship
 How the nurse go beyond an objective assessment
showing concerns, towards the person subjective
and deeper meaning regarding their own health
care situations.
Watson’s Theory of Caring
 Major Elements:
- Caring occasion/Caring moment
 Moment when the nurse and another person come
together in such a way that an occasion for human
caring is created.

-Carative Factors
TEN CARATIVE FACTORS
 Guide for the core of nursing, need to be
addressed by nurses with their patients
when in a caring role.
 Carative term to contrast with curative
Clinical Caritas Process
 As the theory evolved ,the carative
factors evolved into the caritas process

 Caritas means ‘to cherish’

CARATIVE FACTORS CARITAS PROCESSES

1. Formation of humanistic-  "Practice of loving-kindness and

equanimity toward self and other
altruistic system of
within context of caring
values consciousness/ caritas
consciousness.
 "Being authentically present,
2. Instillation of faith-hope enabling , sustaining and
honoring the faith, hope and
belief system and inner
subjective life world of self and
one-being-cared- for“

10 CARATIVE FACTORS
CARATIVE FACTORS CARITAS PROCESSES

3. Cultivation of sensitivity  "Cultivation of one's own

to one's self and to spiritual practices and
others transpersonal self, going
beyond ego self, opening
to others with sensitivity
and compassion“
4. Development of a
 "Developing and
helping-trusting, human
sustaining a helping-
caring relationship
trusting, authentic caring
relationship“

10 CARATIVE FACTORS
CARATIVE FACTORS CARITAS PROCESSES

5. Promotion and  "Being present to, and

acceptance of the supportive of the
expression of positive expression of positive and
and negative feeling negative feelings as a
connection with deeper
spirit of self and the one-
being-cared-for"
 "creative use of self and all
6. Systematic use of a ways of knowing as part
creative problem-solving of the caring process; to
caring process engage in artistry of
caring-healing practices"

10 CARATIVE FACTORS
CARATIVE FACTORS
7. Promotion of transpersonal
teaching-learning
8. Provision for a supportive,
protective, and/or corrective
mental, physical, societal, and
spiritual environment
10 CARATIVE FACTORS
CARITAS PROCESSES
 "Engaging in genuine teaching-
learning experience that
attends to unity of being and
meaning attempting to stay
within other's frame of
reference“
 "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"
CARATIVE FACTORS CARITAS PROCESSES

9. Assistance with gratification of  "assisting with basic needs, with an

human needs intentional caring consciousness,
administering ‘human care
essentials', which potentiate
WATSON’S ORDERING OF NEEDS alignment of mind-body-spirit,
 Lower order needs (biophysical needs) wholeness, and unity of being in all
◦ The need for food and fluid aspects of care“
◦ The need for elimination
◦ The need for ventilation
• Lower order needs (psychophysical
needs)
• The need for activity-inactivity
• The need for sexuality

10 CARATIVE FACTORS
 CARATIVE FACTORS

WATSON’S ORDERING OF NEEDS

 Higher order needs (psychosocial

needs)
◦ The need for achievement
◦ The need for affiliation
• Higher order needs
(intrapersonal-interpersonal
needs)
• The need for self-actualization

10 CARATIVE FACTORS
CARATIVE FACTORS CARITAS PROCESSES

10. Allowance for existential-  "opening and attending to

phenomenological-
spiritual forces
spiritual-mysterious, and
existential dimensions of
one's own life-death; soul
care for self and the one-
being-cared-for

10 CARATIVE FACTORS
The Nursing Metaparadigm
 Person/ human being: a valued person
to be cared for, respected, nurtured and
understood and assisted, in general a
philosophical view of a person as a fully
functional integrated self.
The Nursing Metaparadigm
Health: 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. It is defined as a high level
of overall physical, mental, and social
functioning; a general adaptive-maintenance
level of daily functioning; and the absence of
illness, or the presence of efforts leading to
the absence of illness.
The Nursing Metaparadigm
 Environment/ Society: Society provides
the values that determine how one should
behave and what goals one should strive
toward. 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.”
The Nursing Metaparadigm

 Nursing: “ a human science of persons

and human health-illness experiences that
are mediated by professional, personal,
scientific, esthetic, and ethical human
transactions”