Caring In Nursing: Analysis of Extant Theory

Abstract

Caring in nursing as a substantive area of nursing science has been the focus of considerable scholarly effort. Based on the assumption that caring is the central concept in nursing and is uniquely known and expressed in nursing, this paper focuses on an analysis of major theoretical works related to the concept. Five categories of questions provide a framework for the analysis: ontological, anthropological, ontical, epistemological, and pedagogical.

Nurses'conceptualizations of caring attitudes and behaviours

“…The findings largely supported the concept that carmg is a combination of what the nurse does and what the nurse IS like as a person (Brown 1982) The latter, the nurse as a person, was strongly evidenced as a major component of carmg, with identification of common themes of 'consideration and sensitivity', 'giving of self, 'honesty and sincenty ' and 'general approach' In support of Momson's (1989Momson's ( , 1991 findings, work style was found to be a key component of canng, witb subjects identifying key features such as having time for people, appearing unhumed, and being m control Also in support of Momson's findmgs were elements of motivation, personal qualities and interpersonal approach, identified as themes of 'consideration and sensitivity', 'giving of self, 'honesty and sincerity' and 'general approach', which are congruent with the findings of Brown (1982) These themes stress the importance of the nurse as a person and the psychosocial elements of care (Larson 1984) As found ui other studies (e g Larson 1984, Clarke & Wheeler 1992), caring as a therapeutic intervention was not considered to be a major component Whilst self-actualization and knowledge of self as elements of caring, identified by authors such as Mayeroff (1971) and Boykin & Schoenhofer (1990), were not found m this study, the relationship between canng and loving was identified This supports tbe views of Campbell (1984) and Clarke & Wheeler (1992), who claim that carmg involves a form of love Whilst some of the constructs identified by Lemmger (1981) were identified by subjects, e g empathy, compassion and helpmg behaviours, the cultural elements of c£ire, claimed to be central by Lemmger, were not evident either overtly or covertly…”

“…Canng has been defined m genenc terms, for example by Heidegger (1962) who considered canng to be a universal phenomenon which lnfiuences the ways m which people thmk, feel and behave m relation to one another This genenc sense of canng was also explored by Mayeroff (1971) who descnbed the central ingredients of carmg as knowing, patience, honesty, trust, humility, hope and courage Some of these 'mgredients' are refiected m the wntmgs of nurse scholars Swanson (1991) defined carmg as 'being with' another, as becoming emotionally open to the other's reality, givmg the message that the other's expenence matters to the one canng The knowledge of self and self-actualization is also a recumng theme m defimtions of canng Paterson & 2^erad (1988) propose an existential perspective, mamtaining that as a person more fully expenences being-m-the-world, their ability to express canng behaviours with self and others is enhanced They suggest that canng in nursmg is an actualizmg expenence, both for the nurse and the / Dyson patient Boykin & Schoenhofer (1990) assert that canng m nursing begins with knowing the self as carmg, and beuĉ ared for, and then progresses to knowing others as canng and worthy of care The relationship between canng and loving has also been explored, for example by Campbell (1984) who perceived professional care as bemg a form of love Others have suggested that love is a cntical component of a caring relationship, claiming that it involves the giving of oneself to another and creating fi-iendship through trust, love and value for each other (Clarke & Wheeler 1992) Morse et al (1991), m reviewmg the literature, identified five pnncipal categones, or ways of conceptualizing canng These categones highlight the fundamental views adopted by the authors and include canng perceived as a human trait, canng perceived as a moral imperative, canng perceived as an affect, canng perceived as mterpersonal interaction and caring perceived as therapeutic intervention…”

Caring In Nursing: Analysis of Extant Theory

“…Our reading of the commentator's remarks suggests that she concurs in our effort to bring to the foreground as an issue the need to re-examine the assumptions, goals and ontological ground of nursing has been developed elsewhere (Boykin & Schoenhofer, 1989). It was not our intention in this paper to focus on that well supported claim but to accept it here as a founded assumption.…”

New graduates’ readiness for practice in Swaziland: An exploration of stakeholders’ perspectives

“…Watson believes that nursing is a sacred science and spiritual practice, thus, as nurses, our passion and drive for this practice is invigorated and sustained in the compassionate care we devote to our clients [39] . Nursing is caring [40,41] and the provision of nursing devoid of 'care' may be interpreted as merely a ritualistic performance of medical tasks. Studies have shown that nursing is viewed as an unpleasant job with a lot of distress, hence both passion and professional attitude are essential to coping and providing quality care [31] .…”