Jean Watson’s Human Caring Theory Nursing models provide an important basis for nursing work. They provide nursing practitioners with values and principles they can employ in their work to enhance patient outcomes and ensure a more gratifying professional journey. Jean Watson’s theory of human caring is one such theory. Indeed, the theory is one of the widely appreciated theories of nursing. This paper provides an analysis of this theory. The paper specifically describes the background of the theory, key assumptions, strengths and weaknesses, as well as its application in clinical practice.

Jean Watson developed her nursing theory in the late 1970s. The development of the theory was primarily influenced by Watson’s personal views, experiences, studies, and participation in the nursing curriculum (Watson, 2012). More specifically, her encounters with caregivers and patients as well as the loss of her eye and her spouse through suicide substantially shaped her personal and professional journey. By developing the theory, she aimed to redefine the meaning of nursing. Her theory has without a doubt transformed nursing practice in the last four decades or so.

Watson’s theory is based on a number of principles: authentic presence (deep belief in others), practice of love and kindness, forging a caring-healing environment, cultivating spiritual practice, and allowing miracles or inexplicable events. The theory is premised on the following assumptions: caring is practised more effectively only interpersonally; effective caring involves satisfying certain human needs; effective nursing improves individual health and family wellbeing;...

These principles and assumptions make Watson’s model especially unique compared to other nursing models.
Conceptually, Watson’s theory is characterised by three major elements: 1) carative factors; 2) transpersonal relationship; and 3) caring moment (Watson, 2012). Carative factors constitute a particularly crucial component of nursing practice. Also referred to as caritas processes, the concept of carative factors essentially denotes the combination of love and kindness in the nursing process. This means that the practice of nursing goes beyond specialty, treatment interventions, procedures, clinical setting, functional tasks, and other ordinary processes or activities. The model identifies 10 carative factors: development of humanistic, altruistic values; inspiring faith and hope; sensitivity to self and others; formation of a helping-trusting caring relationship; systematic employment of problem solving concepts in the caring process; cultivation of interpersonal teaching-learning; allowing the portrayal of both positive and negative emotions; facilitating the fulfilment of human needs; allowing existential-spiritual forces; and offering a supportive physical, mental, social, and spiritual environment.

The love-kindness equanimity facilitates a transpersonal caring relationship – a caring relationship that focuses on not just physical health, but also other elements of wellbeing…