"CARING IN NURSING CONVEYS

PHYSICAL ACTS, BUT EMBRACES THE

MIND-BODY-SPIRIT AS IT RECLAIMS
THE EMBODIED SPIRIT AS ITS
FOCUS OF ATTENTION."
MARGARETTE JEAN
WATSON
PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE OF CARING AND
THEORY OF TRANSPERSONAL CARING
BIOGRAPHY OF JEAN WATSON
Jean Watson (June 10, 1940 – present) is an American nurse theorist and nursing professor
known for her “Philosophy and Theory of Transpersonal Caring.”
Jean Watson was born Margaret Jean Harmon and grew up in Welch, West Virginia, in the
Appalachian Mountains.
Attended Lewis Gale School of Nursing in Roanoke, Virginia, where she graduated in 1961;
an M.S. in Psychiatric-Mental Health in Nursing in 1966 at the Health Sciences Campus; and
a Ph.D. in educational psychology and counseling in 1973
In 1997, she experienced an accidental injury that resulted in the loss of her left eye, and
soon after, in 1998, her husband passed away .Watson states that she is “attempting to
integrate these wounds into my life and work. One of the gifts through the suffering was
the privilege of experiencing and receiving my own theory through the care from my
husband and loving nurse friends and colleagues.”
 METAPARADIGM
Person —a valued person in and of themselves to be cared for, respected,
nurtured, understood, and assisted
Health —a high level of overall physical, mental, and social functioning, a general
adaptive-maintenance level of daily functioning, the absence of illness, or
the presence of efforts leading to the absence of illness.

Nursing —a science of persons and health-illness experience mediated by

professional, personal, scientific, and ethical care interactions. Watsons
seesNursing as having to move educationally in two areas of stress and
developmental cinflicts to provide holistic care, which she believes is
central to the practice of Nursing.
Environment —The environment provides the values that determine how one should
behave and what goals one should strive toward. These values are
affected by change in the social, cultural, and spiritual arenas, which in
turn affects the perception of the person and can lead to stress.
PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY OF
TRANSPERSONAL CARING
Watson's philosophy and theory of human science often referred to as “Theory of Human
Caring” can be traced through the last 25 years, from its earliest beginnings as a textbook
that was originally planned to present an integrated curriculum for undergraduate nursing
programs but evolved instead into an original structure for basic nursing process.

Some key aspects of her philosophy and theory of transpersonal caring:

Transpersonal Caring

Holistic Care

Caring as the Essence of Nursing

TRANSPERSONAL CARING
Watson's theory emphasizes the transpersonal nature of caring, transcending the individual
and personal.

HOLISTIC CARE
Watson's philosophy promotes holistic care, which takes into account not only the physical
aspects of health but also the emotional, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. It
recognizes that patients are unique and complex beings.

CARING AS THE ESSENCE OF NURSING

According to Watson, caring is the core essence of nursing.

6 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS
1. CARING CAN BE EFFECTIVELY
DEMONSTRATED AND
PRACTICED ONLY
INTERPERSONALY.
2. EFFECTIVE CARING
PROMOTES HEALTH AND
INDIVIDUAL OR FAMILY
GROWTH.
3. CARING RESPONSES
ACCEPT A PERSON NOT ONLY
AS HE OR SHE IS NOW BUT AS
WHAT HE O SHE MAY BECOME.
4. A CARING ENVIRONMENT IS
ONE THAT OFFERS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF POTENTIAL
WHILE ALLOWING THE PERSON
TO CHOOSE THE BEST ACTION
FOR HIMSELF OR HERSELF AT A
GIVEN POINT IN TIME.
5. CARING IS MORE "HEALTHOGENIC" THAN IS
CURING. THE PRACTICE OF CARING INTEGRATES
BIOPHYSICAL KNOWLEDGE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF
HUMAN BEHAVIOR TO GENERATE OR PROMOTE
HEALTH AND TO PROVIDE CARE TO THOSE WHO
ARE ILL. A SCIENCE OF CARING IS THEREFORE
COMPLEMENTARY TO THE SCIENCE OF CURING.
6. THE PRACTICE OF CARING IS
CENTRAL TO NURSING.
 10 CARATIVE FACTORS
As a framework for providing a format and focus for nursing
phenomena
1. FORMATION OF A 2. INSTILLATION
HUMANISTIC-ALTRUISTIC OF FAITH-HOPE
SYSTEM OF VALUES
 4. DEVELOPMENT
3. CULTIVATION
OF A HELPING-
OF SENSITIVITY
TRUSTING,
TO ONE’S SELF
HUMAN CARING
AND TO OTHERS
RELATIONSHIP
5. PROMOTION AND 6. SYSTEMATIC USE
ACCEPTANCE OF OF A CARATIVE
THE EXPRESSION OF PROBLEM-SOLVING
POSITIVE AND CARING PROCESS
NEGATIVE FEELINGS
 8. PROVISION FOR A
7. PROMOTION OF SUPPORTIVE,
TRANSPERSONAL PROTECTIVE AND
TEACHING-LEARNING CORRECTIVE MENTAL,
PHYSICAL, SOCIETAL
AND SPIRITUAL
ENVIRONMENT
 10. ALLOWANCE
9. ASSISTANCE
FOR
WITH
EXISTENTIAL-
GRATIFICATION
PHENOMENOLOG
OF HUMAN
ICAL-SPIRITUAL
NEEDS
FORCES