Jean Watson: Theory of Human

Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring

Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring emerged in the period from 1975-1979 and is largely based on the notion that love and care have therapeutic properties and when used properly with medical competencies, they can become major healing forces. Talking about the premise of her theory. Watson explains: "Care and love are the most universal, the most tremendous and the most mysterious of cosmic forces: they comprise the primal universal psychic energy.... Caring is the essence of nursing and the most central and unifying focus for nursing practice" (1 pp. 32-33).

Watson believes that caring is a science and her theory is grounded in humanism which seeks to provide patients with spiritual, emotional, mental as well as physical comfort and well-being. Watson maintains that nurses can play a major role in complete uplift of the patient and thus must not focus on his physical condition alone. Her theory is based on few critical "conceptual elements" including:

Carative Factors (evolving toward "Clinical Caritas Processes")

Transpersonal Caring Relationship

Caring Moment/Caring Occasion" (3, Watson)

The theory in its more explicit and expanded form also promotes metaphysics, true awareness of self, a sense of purpose, clarity of intention etc. Apart from providing care and comfort to the patient, the theory focuses on the mental and emotional well being of the practitioner as well. Watson maintains that the more aware a nurse is of her own goal and intentions, the better she can take care of her patients. Personal well-being and an awareness of self go hand in hand with patient care and well-being. "This model now more explicitly acknowledges that the nurse or practitioner, who is working with this theory and its underlying philosophy, needs to cultivate a daily practice for self. Practices such as centering, meditation, breathwork, yoga, prayer, connections with nature and other such forms of daily contemplation are essential to the theory's authenticity and success. In other words, if one is to work from a caring healing paradigm, one must live it out in daily life" (2, p. 51).

Jean-Watson's focus on transpersonal relations is an important component of her human caring model. She believes that the ability to extend one's self for complete spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of the other is a significant attribute of nursing. Transpersonal relationship is based on the concept of unity of life. Watson believes that its important to see the entire world as a well connected network in which pain and suffering of one affect others too. "Transpersonal Caring acknowledges unity of life and connections that move in concentric circles of caring-from individual, to other/s, to community, to world, to Planet Earth, to the universe." (3, Watson).

This theory serves as a comprehensive guide to nurses in patient care. Caring is institutionalized in the sense that it is seen as a whole separate science that nurses need to excel in. Watson maintains that the core of nursing is healing and therefore everything that promotes healing such as healthy patient-nurse relationship, carative factors etc. is seen as an important component of caring science. She describes basis of nursing as "those aspects of nursing that actually potentiate therapeutic healing processes and relationships; they affect the one caring and the-one-being-cared-for" (2, p. 50). TRIM is an important term used by the theorist. Watson uses this term to describe the essential tasks connected with caring in the field of nursing. "Trim' referred to the practice setting, the procedures, the functional tasks, the specialized clinical focus of disease, technology and techniques surrounding the diverse orientations and preoccupations of nursing. The 'trim,' however, is in no way expendable. It is just that it cannot be the center of a professional model of nursing [the 'core'] (2, p. 50).