Nowadays, a lot of people choose nursing as a profession.

There are many reasons to consider in

becoming a professional nurse, but compassion is often a trait required of nurses. This is for the
reason that taking care of the patients’ needs is its primary purpose. Jean Watson‘s “Philosophy
and Theory of Transpersonal Caring” mainly concerns on how nurses care for their patients,
and how that caring progresses into better plans to promote health and wellness, prevent illness
and restore health.

In 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

 What is Watson's Theory of Transpersonal Caring?

 Assumptions
 Major Concepts
o Society
o Human being
o Health
o Nursing
o Actual Caring Occasion
o Transpersonal
 Subconcepts
o Phenomenal field
o Self
o Time
 10 Carative Factors
 Watson's Hierarchy of Needs
 Watson's Theory and The Nursing Process
 Analysis
o Strengths
o Weakness
 Conclusion
 References
 External Links
 See Also

What is Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring?

According to Watson’s theory, “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.

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The nursing model also states that caring can be demonstrated and practiced by nurses. Caring
for patients promotes growth; a caring environment accepts a person as he or she is, and looks to
what he or she may become.

Assumptions
Watson’s model makes seven assumptions: (1) Caring can be effectively demonstrated and
practiced only interpersonally. (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 potential 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.

Major Concepts
The Philosophy and Science of Caring has four major concepts: human being, health,
environment or society, and nursing.

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.”

Human being

Human being is a valued person to be cared for, respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted; in
general a philosophical view of a person as a fully functional integrated self. Human is viewed as
greater than and different from the sum of his or her parts.

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.
Nursing

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

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.

Transpersonal

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.

Subconcepts
Phenomenal 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.

10 Carative Factors
Watson devised 10 caring needs specific carative factors critical to the caring human experience
that need to be addressed by nurses with their patients when in a caring role. As carative factors
evolved within an expanding perspective, and as her ideas and values evolved, Watson offered a
translation of the original carative factors into clinical caritas processes that suggested open ways
in which they could be considered.
The first three carative factors are the “philosophical foundation” for the science of caring, while
the remaining seven derive from that foundation. The ten primary carative factors with their
corresponding translation into clinical caritas processes are listed in the table below.

Carative Factors and Caritas Processes

Carative Factors Caritas Process

1. “The formation of a humanistic-altruistic system “Practice of loving-kindness and equanimity within

of values” the context of caring consciousness”

“Being authentically present and enabling and

2. “The instillation of faith-hope” 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 “Cultivation of one’s own spiritual practices and
others” transpersonal self going beyond the ego self”

4. “Development of a helping-trust relationship”

“Developing and sustaining a helping trusting
became “development of a helping-trusting,
authentic caring relationship”
human caring relation” (in 2004 Watson website)

“Being present to, and supportive of, the

5. “The promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings as a
expression of positive and negative feelings” connection with deeper spirit and self and the one-
being-cared for”

6. “The systematic use of the scientific problem

“Creative use of self and all ways of knowing as
solving method for decision making” became
part of the caring process; to engage in the artistry
“systematic use of a creative problem solving
of caring-healing practices”
caring process” (in 2004 Watson website)

“Engaging in genuine teaching-learning experience

7. “The promotion of transpersonal teaching- that attends to unity of being and meaning,
learning” attempting to stay within others’ frame of
reference”

“Creating healing environment at all levels

8. “The provision of supportive, protective, and (or) (physical as well as nonphysical, subtle
corrective mental, physical, societal, and spiritual environment of energy and consciousness,
environment” whereby wholeness, beauty, comfort, dignity, and
peace are potentiated)”

9. “The assistance with gratification of human “Assisting with basic needs, with an intentional
needs” caring consciousness, administering ‘human care
essentials,’ which potentiate alignment of mind
 body spirit, wholeness, and unity of being in all
aspects of care”

10. “The allowance for existential-

“Opening and attending to spiritual-mysterious and
phenomenological forces” became “allowance for
existential dimensions of one’s own life-death; soul
existential-phenomenological spiritual forces” (in
care for self and the one-being-cared for”
2004 Watson website)

Watson’s Hierarchy of Needs

Within assisting with the gratification of human needs, Watson’s hierarchy of needs begins with
lower-order biophysical needs or survival needs, the lower-order psychophysical needs or
functional needs, the higher order psychosocial needs or integrative needs, and finally the higher
order intrapersonal-interpersonal need or growth-seeking need.Watson’s Hierarchy of Needs