Name of the Theory and Main Premise/ Central Theme

Author/s or Proponent/s

Nursing is an “exquisitely interwoven” unity of aspects of the

discipline and profession of nursing.

To be human is to be caring (regardless whether an individual

experienced caring or not).
The purpose of the discipline and profession is to come to
Theory of Nursing as Caring by know persons and nurture them as persons living caring and
growing in caring.
Anne Boykin and Savina O.
Schoenhofer Dance of Caring Persons as a visual representation of the
theory itself, honoring the contributions of each dancer,
including the one being nursed. Also, it emphasizes the
importance of every person involved in the healthcare system
as they live caring meaningfully and each having a place of
value in the system ̶ all are caregivers.

Focuses on assisting nurses in facilitating patients’, families’ and

communities’ healthy transitions.

The goal of healthy transitions is mastery of behaviors,

sentiments, cues and symbols associated with new roles and
Transitions Theory by Afaf identities and non-problematic processes.
Ibrahim Meleis
The theory defined the types (developmental, health and
illness, situational, and organizational), patterns (multiplicity
and complexity, sequentially or simultaneously, degree of
overlap) and properties (awareness, engagement, change and
difference, time span, critical points and events) of transitions.
 The Health Promotion Model reflect the behavioral science
perspective and emphasize the active role of the patient in
managing health behaviors by modifying environmental
context.
Health Promotion Model by Health promotion is motivated by the desire to enhance well-
Nola J. Pender being and to actualize human potential.

Focuses on three areas: individual characteristics and

experiences, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, and
behavioral outcomes

The Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness gave rise to

the following paradigm shifts:
a.) From treatment of symptoms to a search for pattern;
Health as Expanding b.) From viewing disease and disruption as negative to viewing
Consciousness by Margaret An them as part of the self-organizing process of expanding
Newman consciousness.
c.) From viewing the nursing role as addressing the problems of
disease to asking people to get in touch with their own pattern
of expanding consciousness.
 The Humanbecoming Paradigm centers in three themes:

a.) meaning -humanbecoming is freely choosing personal

meaning in situations in the intersubjective process of living
value priorities.

Humanbecoming by b.) rhythmicity -humanbecoming is cocreating rhythmical

Rosemarie Rizzo Parse patterns of relating in mutual process with the universe and;

c.) transcendence -humanbecoming is transcending

multidimensionally with emerging possibles.

The Theory of Modeling and Role-Modeling enables nurses to

Modeling and Role Modeling care for and nurture each client with an awareness of and
by Helen C. Erickson, Evelyn respect for the individual's uniqueness which exemplifies
M. Tomlin, and Mary Ann P. theory-based clinical practice that focuses on the clients'
Swain needs. (Sappington, 1996).
 Founded on the singular concept of human rights, the essential
Symphonological Bioethical agreement of nonaggression among rational people that forms
the foundation of all human interaction.
Theory by Gladys L. Husted
and James H. Husted Its fundamental ethical element describes the rational
relationship between human beings: human rights.
 Metaparadigm

Person Health Environment

Persons Are Caring by Virtue of

Their Humanness
Personhood is Enhanced
Persons Are Whole and Complete Personhood Is Living Life Through Participating in
in the Moment Grounded in Caring Nurturing Relationships
With Caring Others
Persons Live Caring, Moment to
Moment

Transition, a process of Meleis define health as

movement and changes in mastery and she tested that
fundamental life patterns, are definition through proxy Vulnerability is related to
manifested in all individuals. outcome variables such as transition experiences,
fewer symptoms, perceived interactions, and
The daily lives of clients, well-being and ability to environmental conditions
environments and interactions assume new roles. that expose individuals to
are shaped by the context of their potential damage,
transition experience. Transitions Transitions are complex and problematic or extended
cause changes in identities, roles, multidimensional; they have recovery, or delayed or
relationships, abilities and patterns of multiplicity and unhealthy coping.
patterns of behavior. complexity.
 Factors including social,
cultural, physical, that
A biophysical organism with A positive dynamic state not surround the individual’s
unique experiences and merely the absence of life. The individual has the
attributes that determines action. disease. ability to manipulate the
environment to facilitate
positive health behaviors.

Throughout Newman's work, the

terms client, patient, person,
individual, and human being are ofHealth is the major concept
used interchangeably.
Persons constitute individual
patterns of consciousness and are
defined as "centers of
consciousness within an overall
pattern of expanding
consciousness."
Newman's theory of health
as expanding consciousness. Environment is described
as the larger whole, which
Health encompasses contains the consciousness
conditions heretofore of the individual.
described as illness or, in
medical terms, pathology.
 Health as living quality. Environment as
humanbecoming.
Person as Human universe. Living quality is conveys the
idea that people are -everything in the person
-open being who relate with the constantly changing. and his experiences
universe and cannot be reduced -inseparable,
to component parts and be Living quality is the becoming complimentary to and
understood visible-invisible becoming of evolving with the person
the emerging now as humans
A person chooses certain patter live their lives structuring Living community-
preferences that create both meaning, configuring humanuniverse cocreation
opportunities and restrictions all- rhythmical patterns of with the predecessors,
at-once. relating, and cotranscending contemporaries and
with possibles. successors, august
presence

"Health is a state of physical,

mental, and social wellbeing,
A patient is given treatment and Environment is not
not merely the absence of identified
instruction; a client participates in the theory as
disease or infirmity. It
in his or her own care. an entity of its own.
connotes a state of dynamic
equilibrium among the
A client is one who is considered Theorists see environment
various subsystems [of a in
to be a legitimate member of the the social subsystems as
holistic person]."
decision-making team, who the interaction between
always has some control over the self and others both
It is affected by the
planned regimen, and who is cultural and individual.
individual's spiritual drive,
incorporated into the planning Biophysical stressors are
which as a greater influence
and implementation of his or her seen as part of the
on the person's total state of
own care as much as possible environment.
wellbeing that any of the
subsystems.
 The environment
established by
The Husteds define a person as symphonology is formed by
an individual with a unique agreement.
character structure possessing
the right to pursue vital goals as Health is a concept applicable "Agreement is a shared
he chooses. to every potential of a sate of awareness on the
person's life. Health involves basis of which interaction
A person takes on the role of a not only thriving of the occurs."
patient when he has lost or physical body, but also
experienced a decrease in happiness. Context is the interweaving
agency, resulting in his inability to of the relevant facts of a
take the actions required for situation: Context of the
survival or happiness. situation, context of
knowledge and context of
agent's awareness.
 Application and Contributions to

Nursing Education Nursing/Practice

The Theory of Nursing as Caring became

the foundation for the paradigm shift of
nursing practice focusing on activities to
The concept of Dance of Caring the lens of practice emphasizing the
Person was used in nursing education intention to know and nurture the
as it implies to the roles of the faculty, person as caring.
students and administrators are
Nursing Is Both a Discipline recognized, prized and celebrated as It includes being able to enter the
and a Profession they dance together rhythmically in client's world
the study of nursing. a.) directly to respond uniquely and
assist the nurse in securing resources to
nurture persons as they live and grow in
caring, and;
b.) indirectly through the stories of
colleagues in other roles.

Because of its comprehensiveness,

applicability and affinity with health,
transitions theory has been applied to
any human phenomena of interest and
Nurses are primary caregivers Transitions theory is widely used in concern to nurses, such as illness,
of clients and their families graduate education and recovery, birth, death and loss, as well as
who are undergoing undergraduate education throughout immigration.
transitions. the nursing curricula across countries.
The theory is also useful in explaining
health and illness transitions such as the
recovery process, hospital discharge, and
diagnosis of chronic disease.
 The Health Promotion Model was
placed behind illness care in the past, Health Promotion Model is relevant to
because clinical education was the nursing profession as it applies
Works in collaboration with conducted primarily in acute care across the life span and is useful in a
the clients to create the settings. Increasingly, the health variety of settings. The model applies the
condition for optimal health. promotion model is incorporated in formation of community partnerships
nursing curricula as an aspect of with its consideration of the
health assessment, community health environmental context and extends to
nursing, and wellness-focused global health promotion.
courses.

Research and practice are interwoven.

Teaching the theory of health as
"Caring in the human health expanding consciousness moves from The role of the nurse in this experience is
experience" is the focus of a dichotomous view of health to a to help individuals recognize their
nursing. view that accepts disease as a patterns, which results in the
manifestation of health. illumination of action possibilities that
Nursing is regarded as a open the way for transformation.
connection between the Students and nurses utilizing
nurse and patient, and both Newman's theory face personal Movement and time are intrinsic part of
grow in the sense of higher transformation by learning to nursing intervention, that is, range-of-
levels of consciousness. recognize patterns through nurse- motion, ambulation, turning, coughing,
client interactions. and deep-breathing. These parameters
are used each day by the nurse in
practice.
 Parse believes it is a unique
service to humankind. The theory has fueled many scholarly
dialogues about outcomes in living
Parse has articulated clearly the art of nursing, in sciencing, and in The theory has made a difference to
nurses and to persons (patients)
that she believes "nursing is a education when different theories experiencing humanbecoming
science, the practice of which guide nursing endeavors. professionals living true presence.
is a performing art". From this
view, nursing is a learned Parse created a humanbecoming The theory has been lived by nurses in
discipline, and nursing teaching-learning model that has the operating theater, in parishes, in
theories guide sciencing been used in a variety of ways with shelters, in boards of nursing, in acute
(research) and living the art students in academic settings. care hospitals, in long-term and
(practice). community settings, and in any setting
To date, most students who study the where nurses have relationships with
Nursing is the loving, true humanbecoming paradigm are guided persons and families.
presence with the other to by the theory in their living the art of
promote health and the nursing and in sciencing.
quality of life.

The nurse is a facilitator, not The theory has been used as a tool to
an effector. Our nurse-client gather information to identify the client's
relationship is an interactive, need assets, deficits, developmental
interpersonal process that residual, attachment-loss and grief
aids the individual to identify, Metropolitan State University in St. status, and potential therapeutic
mobilize, and develop his or Paul, Minnesota, selected modeling interventions.
her own strengths to achieve and role-modeling as the conceptual
a perceived optimal state of framework for their curriculum, and The beauty of this theory is that it can be
health and well-being. students are taught theory-based applied within any setting and with any
practice throughout the program. population.
5 aims of nursing
intervention: Build trust, The theory has been used in academic Erickson noted a revolutionary idea,
Affirm and promote client's setting to facilitate student learning. calling for the client to be the head of
strengths, promote positive the healthcare team, and has gained
orientation, facilitate acceptance as has the notion that nurses
perceived control, set health- can practice independently.
directed mutual goals.
 Using this theory as a basis for nursing
interactions directs the student in
ethical practice from the beginning of The Husted Symphonological model for
"A nurse take no actions that learning nursing practice.
The concept of context can be used as ethical decision making stresses the
are not interactions." centrality of the individual and the
the basis for assessment. necessity of reason directed by context
Agency is the capacity of an Bioethical standards direct the and is vital in existing and emerging
agent to take action toward a student in choosing appropriate health care systems.
chosen goal. A nurse as an approaches, timing, and type of This model provides a philosophical
agent takes action for a interventions for each patient. framework to ensure ethical care
patient, one who cannot act delivery by nurses and all other
on his own behalf. Because of the holistic approach and disciplines of health care.
central concern for the patient,
symphonology can be incorporated
easily into existing nursing curricula.
tions to

Research and EBP

The Theory of Nursing as Caring

answer the calls for practice models
that speak to the essentiality of
caring in nursing.

The application of this theory

according to several studies are
unique to the setting and the
persons involved. Nevertheless,
these similarities and differences
demonstrate the power of Nursing as
Caring to transform practice in a way
that reflects unity without
conformity and uniqueness within
oneness.

Transitions theory was often used as

a parent theory or situation-specific
theories. It was also utilized for
doctoral dissertations.
The health promotion model is a tool
for research. It has applications
emphasizing the importance of the
assessment of factors believed to
influence health behavior changes.

Newman stated that research should

center around "participatory
investigations in which subjects
(clients) are our partners, our core-
searchers, in our search for health
patterns."
Parsesciencing and humanbecoming
hermeneutic sciencing generate new
knowledge about humanuniverse
universal living experiences.

Sciencing findings have enhanced

understanding of how people
experience hope while imaging new
possibilities and how people create
moments of respite amid the
anguish of grieving a loss.

Findings from research studies

utilizing the theory continue to
support and validate the self-care
knowledge construct and the
importance of support and control as
well as other theoretical linkages.

Concept of the adaptive potential

assessment model (APAM). The
APAM focuses on an individual's
ability to mobilize resources when
confronted with stressors rather than
to adapt to them.
 Symphonology in research is useful
in relation to the researcher-subject
agreement.

Brown (2001c) suggested using the

bioethical standards to develop an
ethical informed consent protocol to
centralize the good of the individual
for the consent of surrogates in
researches involving vulnerable
populations.