Jean Watson:

Human Caring
Science
A Philosophy-Theory-
Ethic-Research-
Professional Practice
Model
After 30 minutes of discussion,
the learners will be able to:

Understand the background of Jean Watsons

Theory;
Identify and comprehend the 10 Caritas
Processes;
Recognize the Transpersonal Caring
Relationships and Caring Moments;
Differentiate the uncaring and caring
practices; and
Apply the Theory of Human Caring in clinical
practice.
Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC,
FAAN
Real Name: Margaret Jean Harman Watson

An American nurse theorist and nursing

professor who is best known for her Theory of
Human Caring.

She was born on June 10, 1940 in Southern

West Virginia.
Educational Background:

Earned her B.S.N in 1964 from the University

of Colorado

Earned her M.S in Psychiatric and Mental

Health Nursing in 1966 from the University of
Colorado

Earned her Ph.D in Educational Psychology

and Counseling in 1973 from the University of
Colorado.
Positions:

Distinguished Professor- University of Colorado

Health Sciences Center

Dean Emerita- University of Colorado

Former President- National League for Nursing

from 1995-1996

Founder and Director- Watson Caring Science

Institute
Overview of the Theory:

The philosophy of caring and science

examines the relatedness of all and includes,
human science, human caring processes,
experiences and phenomena.

Essence of the theory- Authentic Caring

Watson sees Nursing- Collective caring-
healing role and its mission in society as
attending to, and helping to sustain, humanity
and wholeness.

Watson envisions nursing as a human

science discipline as well as an academic-
clinical profession with a societal mission.
Philosophical Foundations of the Theory:

Traditional nursing knowledge and works of

Nightingale, Henderson, Krueter and Hall-

Watson acknowledges the work of Leininger

and Peplau as background for her work.

In her more recent work, Watson refers to the

works of others, such as Maslow, Heidegger,
Erickson, Levinas, Selye, Lazarus, Whitehead,
de Chardin, and Sarte.
Evolution of the Theory:

Theory of Human Caring- was first published

in 1979.

She developed the Theory of Human Caring

as a guide to promote and restore health, and
improve the quality of life both the nurse and
patient.
She also emphasized that her theory of
human caring sought to balance the cure
orientation of medicine, giving nursing its
unique disciplinary, scientific and professional
standing with itself and its public (Sitzman
2004).

In her theory, she identified the original 10

carative factors but eventually refined as 10
caritas processes (2007).
Assumptions:

Caring can be only effectively demonstrated

and practiced only interpersonally.

Caring consists of caritas processes that result

in the satisfaction of certain human needs.

Effective caring promotes health and individual

or family growth.

Caring responses accept a person not only as

he/she is now but as what he/she may become
A caring environment offers the development
of potential while allowing the person to
choose the best action for himself/herself at a
given time.

Caring is more healthogenic than is curing.

A science of caring is therefore
complementary to the science of curing

The practice of caring is central to nursing.

Major Elements of the Theory:

The major elements that constitute Watsons

continually evolving theory are:

Caritas processes
Transpersonal caring relationships
Caring moments/caring occasions
Caritas- comes from a Greek word meaning to
cherish, appreciate, give special attention to,
and value as precious (Sitzman 2004).
1st Caritas: Humanistic-Altruistic System of
Values- These values are learned early in our
life.

2nd Caritas: Faith and Hope- It facilitates the

promotion of holistic nursing care and positive
health within the patient (Tomey 2004).

3rd Caritas: Sensitivity to self and others- The

recognition of feelings leads to self-
actualization through self-acceptance for both
the nurse and the patient (Tomey 2004).
4th Caritas: Caring Relationships- A trusting
relationship promotes and accepts the
expression of both positive and negative
feelings. It involves congruence, empathy,
nonpossessive warmth, and effective
communication (Tomey 2004).
5th Caritas: Positive and Negative Feelings-
The sharing of feelings is a risk-taking
experience for both nurse and patient. The
nurse must be prepared for either positive or
negative feelings (Tomey 2004).

6th Caritas: Revisiting Evidence and Problem-

Solving- Use of the nursing process brings a
scientific problem-solving approach to nursing
care. The nursing process is similar to the
research process in that it is systematic and
organized (Tomey 2004).
7th Caritas: Teaching-Learning-Coaching- This
caritas is important concept for nursing
because it separates caring from curing. The
nurse facilitates this process with teaching-
learning techniques that are designed to
enable patients to provide self-care,
determine personal needs, and provide
opportunities for their personal growth (Tomey
2004).
8th Caritas: Healing Environment- Nurses
must recognize the influence that internal and
external environments have on the health and
illness of individuals (Tomey 2004).

9th Caritas: Nursing as a Sacred Science- the

nurse recognizes the biophysical,
psychophysical, psychosocial, and
intrapersonal needs of self and patient.

10th Caritas: Allowing for miracles

 The Goals of
Transpersonal Caring
Relationships
Transpersonal relationship depends on:

A commitment from the nurse

Awareness from the nurse

The nurse must go beyond the objective role.

Jean Watson included the work of
Halldorsdottir which is a research on caring
from a patients experiential view and nurse-
patient relationship revealed a continuum
from uncaring to caring (Watson 2012).

The Uncaring versus Caring.

Uncaring can be classified as follows:

Biocidic (life destroying)

Biostatic (life restraining)

Biopassive (life neutral)

Caring can be classified as follows:

Bioactive (life sustaining)

Biogenic (highest level of human to human

caring)
Caring moments/Caring Occasions

A caring moment consists of actions and

choices made by both the nurse and patient.

The moment of coming together presents

them with the opportunity to decide how to be
in the moment and in the relationship as
whereas what to do with and during the
moment.
Metaparadigms

Person- Is a valued person to be cared for,

respected, nurtured, understood and assisted.

Health- 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- A human science of persons and
human health-illness experiences that are
mediated by professional, personal, scientific,
esthetic and ethical human care transactions.

Environment/Phenomenal field- The totality of

human experience of ones being in the world.
This refers to the individuals frame of
reference that can only be known to that
person.
HOW DOES THE THEORY APPLY
TO OUR
NURSING PRACTICE?
PERSONAL QUESTION TO THE
THEORIST
What are the implications of her
theory in the modernized
technology driven health care?
Well, we all need practices that slow us
down and allow us to have a framework to
critique the crazy world of technology and
return to authentic caring-healing practices
and relationships so when nurses use the
theory to guide their professional practices
and advance caring, they change/repattern
the busy technological medicalized world
of sick carereconnecting with the deeply
human dimensions of authentic caring.
Key Summary:

In summary, the central theme of her theory

is that Nursing is concerned with promoting
and restoring health, preventing illness and
caring for the sick. Clinical nursing care is
holistic to promote humanism, health and
quality of living.
References and Web Resources:
Jean Watson (2012). Human Caring Science: A Theory
of Nursing. 2nd Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Melanie McEwen (2007).Theoretical Basis for Nursing
2nd edition. p 191-196.
Kathleen Sitzman,et.al. (2004). Understanding the
work of Nursing Theorists. p 49-54.
Tomey, AM and Alligood (2004). Nursing Theorists and
Their Work. 5th Edition. Elsevier (Singapore) Pte.Ltd.
Carol Taylor, et.al. Fundamentals of Nursing. p 80.
www.facebook.com/watsonjean
http://www.uchsc.edu
www.watsoncaringscience.org
http://www.slideshare.net/SacState35/jean-watson-pre
sentation
 THANK YOU
and
GOD BLESS US ALL!