JEAN WATSON

“THEORY OF
TRANSPERSONAL
CARING”

SESSION 4
Theory of Transpersonal
Caring
“Nursing is the human science of
persons and human health – illness
experiences that are mediated by
professional,personal, scientific,
aesthetic, and ethical human care
transactions.”
● Was born and grew up in a small town of
Welch West Virginia; Youngest of the eight
children
● JEAN WATSON began developing her theory
while she was assistant dean of the
undergraduate program at
● University of Colorado.
● In 1978-1981 she served as coordinator and
director of the PhD program.
❖ She worked from 11 curative factors to
formulate her 10 carative factors.
❖ She modified 10 factors slightly over
time and developed the caritas
processes, which have a spiritual
dimension and use a more fluid and
evolutionary language.
❖ Authorized 11 books which reflect the
evolution of her theory of caring
● 1st BOOK – Nursing: The Philosophy and
Science of Caring (1979) - Use 10
carative factors but evolved to include
“caritas”(connection between caring and
love)
● 2nd BOOK – Nursing: Human Science
and Human Care – A Theory of
Nursing(1985) - Addressed her
conceptual and philosophical problem in
nursing.
THEORETICAL SOURCES
>Transpersonal caring Relationship - foundational of her
theory; it is a special kind of human care relationship- a union
with another person-high regard for the whole person and
their being in the world.Carative factors into Caritas
processes

“caritas” originates from the Greek vocabulary, meaning to

cherish and to give special loving attention.Watson uses the
term “carative” instead of “curative
 10 Elements of Carative Factors
Watson introduced the concept of clinical caritas process, which have replaced her carative
factors.The word “caritas” originates from the Greek vocabulary, meaning to cherish and to give
special loving attention. The following are the translation of the carative factors into clinical caritas
processes:

CARATIVE FACTORS CLINICAL PROCESSES

1.Humanistic-altruistic system of 1. Practice of loving kindness and

value equanimity (self-control/composure) within
context
of caring consciousness.
10 Elements of Carative Factors
CARATIVE FACTORS CLINICAL PROCESESS

2. Faith-Hope 2. Being authentically present, and enabling

and sustaining the deep belief system and
subjective life world of self and the
one-being-cared-for.

3. Sensitivity to self and others 3. Cultivation of one’s own spiritual practices and
transpersonal self, going beyond
ego self, opening to others with sensitivity and
compassion.

4. Helping-trusting, human care 4. Developing and sustaining a helping-trusting,

relationship authentic caring relationship.
10 Elements of Carative Factors
CARATIVE FACTORS CLINICAL PROCESSES

5.Expressing positive and 5. Being present to, and supportive of, the
negative feelings expression of positive and negative
feelings as a connection with deeper spirit of self
and the one-being-cared-for.

6. Creative problem-solving 6. Creative use of self and all ways of knowing as

caring process part of the caring process to
engage in artistry of caring-healing practices.

7. Transpersonal teachinglearning 7. Engaging in genuine teaching-learning

experience that attends to unity of being and
meaning, attempting to stay within other’s frames
of reference.
 10 Elements of Carative Factors
CARATIVE FACTORS CLINICAL PROCESSES

8. Supportive, protective, and/or 8. Creating a healing environment at all levels

corrective mental, physical, (physical as well as non-physical), subtle
environment of energy and consciousness, whereby
societal, and spiritual wholeness, beauty, comfort,
environment dignity, and peace are potentiated.

9. Human needs assistance 9. Assisting with basic needs, with an intentional

caring consciousness, administering
“human care essentials”, which potentiate alignment
of mind-body-spirit, wholeness,
and unity of being in all aspects of care, tending to
both the embodied spirit and
evolving spiritual emergence.
10 Elements of Carative Factors
CARATIVE FACTORS CLINICAL PROCESSES

10. Opening and attending to

10. Existential-phenomenologicalspiritual spiritual-mysterious and existential
forces dimensions of one’s own
life-death; soul care for self and the
one-being-cared-for.
 1. The nurse’s moral commitment in
protecting and enhancing human dignity
as well as the deeper/higher self.

2. The nurse’s caring consciousness

communicated to preserve and honor the
embodied spirit, therefore, not reducing
Transpersonal caring
relationship the person to the moral status of an
object.
characterizes a special
kind of human care 3. The nurse’s caring consciousness and
relationship that connection having the potential to heal
since experience, perception, and
depends on: intentional connection are taking place
● The term “transpersonal” means to go beyond
one’s own ego and the here and now, as it allows
one to reach deeper spiritual connections in
promoting the patient’s comfort and healing.
Finally, the goal of a transpersonal
relationshipcorresponds to protecting,
enhancing, and preserving the person’s dignity,
humanity, wholeness, and inner harmony.
● A caring occasion is the moment (focal point in
space and time) when the nurse and another
person come together in such a way that an
occasion for human caring is created.
● Assistance with the gratification of human
needs describes the role of the nurse in
promoting wellness and health through the
achievement of basic human needs according to
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Theory Assertions

● The theory acknowledges the unity of the

person’s mind-body-spirit.
● The mind is the point of access to the body and
the spirit.
● The spirit relates to a person’s soul, the inner self,
the essence of the person, the spiritual self.
● It is the spirit that allows the person to transcend
the “here and now” coexisting with past, present,
and future, all at once through, creative
imagination and visualization.
● Watson ascertains that the care of the soul
remains the most powerful aspect of the art of
caring in nursing.
MAJOR ASSUMPTIONS

● Nurse’s ability to connect with another at this

transpersonal spirit to spirit level is translated via means
of communication, into nursing human art and acts or
intentional caring- healing modalities.
● Caring-healing modalities within the context of
transpersonal caring/ caritas consciousness potentiate
harmony, wholeness and unity of being by releasing some
of the disharmony.
● Ongoing personal & professional development and
spiritual growth
● Nurse’s own life history, previous experiences etc. Are
valuable teachers for this work.
● Other facilitators are personal growth experiences such as
psychotherapy and other models for spiritual awakening.
● Continuous growth for developing and maturing within a
transpersonal caring model is ongoing.
Theory in view of 4 metaparadigms

1. (Nursing) -“Nursing is the human science of persons

and human health – illness experiences that are
mediated by professional, personal, scientific,
aesthetic, and ethical human care transactions.”
2. (Person) - PERSONHOOD (HUMAN BEING)

“a unity of mind/body/spirit/nature”Unitary Transformative

Paradigm-Holographic thinking: “…unity within an evolving
emergent world view-connectedness of all…” 3 words: Mind
-Body -Soul… humans cannot be treated as objects and that
humans cannot be separated from self, other, nature, and the
larger universe.”
Theory in view of 4 metaparadigms

3. (Health) - Jean Watson – “… unity and harmony within the

mind, body, and soul…” “…illness is not necessarily disease;
[instead it is a] subjective turmoil or disharmony within the
spheres of the person, for example, in the mind, body, and
soul, either consciously or unconsciously.

4.(Environment) - SOCIETY - provides the values that

determine how one should behave and what goals one should
strive toward. Watson stated: “Caring (and nursing) has
existed in every society. Every society has had some people
who have cared for others. A caring attitude is not transmitted
from generation to generation by genes. It is transmitted by
the culture of the profession as a unique way of coping with its
environment”
Nursing Education:

Watson’s writings focus on educating graduate

nursing students and providing them with
ontological, ethical, and epistemological bases
for their practice, along with research
directions. Watson’s caring framework has
been taught in numerous baccalaureate nursing
curricula.
Nursing Research:

Watson’s theory to reduce distress

experienced by infertile women. Her theory
and the application of theory of clinical
practice hospital organizations have been
their major weakness of research. Nelson
and watson report on studies
carried out in seven countries.
Nursing Practice: Administration and Leadership

It calls for administrative practices and embrace

caring, even in a health care environment of
increased acuity levels
of hospitalized individuals, short hospital stays,
increasing complexity of technology, and rising
expectations in the
"task" of nursing.
Application of the Theory

One major implication of the theory is in

the realm of bedside nursing where
nurses of today have particularly begun
to neglect. The essence of nursing is in
the caring aspect and caring is taking
the wholeness, the totality, of the
patient in consideration. More
importantly, nurse of today should try to
care for a patient for who he is. After all,
all of us were created equal and in His
likeness.
 References:
Alligood, Martha R. (2018)
Nursing Theories and their work (9th ed.), 3
Kiliney Road Winsland Singapore: Elsevier
(Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Martha Raile Alligood,