Jean Watson Theory

Course : M.Sc.
Nursing
Subject Name : Advance Nursing Practice
Unit & Title :VI-Philosophy with Nursing theories
Topic : Nursing theories -part 2

Jean Watson
Prepared by : Prof. Mrs. R.Radha

Jean Watson
Overview
• Introduction
• Assumptions
• Primary carative factors
• Factors
• Major concept
• Theory and nursing process
• Characteristic of a theory
• Strengths & Limitations
• Example
• Conclusion
• References
Introduction
• Theorist - Jean Watson was born in West

Virginia, US
• Educated: BSN, University of Colorado, 1964,
MS, University of Colorado, 1966, PhD,
University of Colorado, 1973
• Distinguished Professor of Nursing and Chair in
Caring Science at the University of Colorado
Health Sciences Center.
• Dean of Nursing at the University Health
Sciences Center and President of the National
League for Nursing
Conti…
• Undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing

and psychiatric-mental health nursing and PhD
in educational psychology and counseling.
• Six (6) Honorary Doctoral Degrees.
• Research has been in the area of human caring
and loss.
• In 1988, her theory was published in “nursing:
human science and human care”
• Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Seven Assumptions
• Caring can be effectively demonstrated and

practiced only interpersonally.
• Caring consists of carative factors that result in
the satisfaction of certain human needs.
• Effective caring promotes health and individual
or family growth.
• Caring responses accept person not only as he
or she is now but as what he or she may
become.
Assumptions
• 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.
• Caring is more “ healthogenic” than is curing.
A science of caring is complementary to the
science of curing.
• The practice of caring is central to nursing.
Primary Carative Factors
• The formation of a humanistic- altruistic system

of values.
• The installation of faith-hope.
• The cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to
others.
• The development of a helping-trust relationship
• The promotion and acceptance of the
expression of positive and negative feelings.
Primary Carative Factors
• The systematic use of the scientific problem-

solving method for decision making
• The promotion of interpersonal teaching-learning.
• The provision for a supportive, protective and /or
corrective mental, physical, socio-cultural and
spiritual environment.
• Assistance with the gratification of human needs.
• The allowance for existential-phenomenological
forces.
Factors
Factors
• The first three carative factors form the

“philosophical foundation” for the science of
caring. The remaining seven carative factors
spring from the foundation laid by these first
three…
1. The formation of a humanistic- altruistic system of
values
• Begins developmentally at an early age with

values shared with the parents.
• Mediated through ones own life experiences, the
learning one gains and exposure to the
humanities.
• Is perceived as necessary to the nurse’s own
maturation which then promotes altruistic
behavior towards others.
2. Faith-hope
• Is essential to both the carative and the curative

processes.
• When modern science has nothing further to
offer the person, the nurse can continue to use
faith-hope to provide a sense of well-being
through beliefs which are meaningful to the
individual.
3. Cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to others
• Explores the need of the nurse to begin to feel

an emotion as it presents itself.
• Development of one’s own feeling is needed to
interact genuinely and sensitively with others.
• Striving to become sensitive, makes the nurse
more authentic, which encourages self-growth
and self-actualization, in both the nurse and
those with whom the nurse interacts.
• The nurses promote health and higher level
functioning only when they form person to
person relationship.
4. Establishing a helping-trust relationship
• Strongest tool is the mode of communication,

which establishes rapport and caring.
• Characteristics needed to in the helping-trust
relationship are:
– Congruence
– Empathy
– Warmth
• Communication includes verbal, nonverbal and
listening in a manner which connotes empathetic
understanding.
5. The expression of feelings, both positive and negative
• “Feelings alter thoughts and behavior, and they

need to be considered and allowed for in a
caring relationship”.
• Awareness of the feelings helps to understand
the behavior it engenders
7. Promotion of interpersonal teaching-learning
• The caring nurse must focus on the learning

process as much as the teaching process.
• Understanding the person’s perception of the
situation assist the nurse to prepare a cognitive
plan.
8. Provision for a supportive, protective and /or corrective mental,
physical, socio-cultural and spiritual environment
• Watson divides these into eternal and internal

variables, which the nurse manipulates in
order to provide support and protection for the
person’s mental and physical well-being.
• The external and internal environments are
interdependent.
• Nurse must provide comfort, privacy and
safety as a part of this carative factor.
9. Assistance with the gratification of human needs
• It is based on a hierarchy of need similar to that

of the Maslow’s.
• Each need is equally important for quality
nursing care and the promotion of optimal
health.
• All the needs deserve to be attended to and
valued.
10. Allowance for existential-phenomenological forces
• Phenomenology is a way of understanding

people from the way things appear to them, from
their frame of reference.
• Existential psychology is the study of human
existence using phenomenological analysis.
CONTI…
• This factor helps the nurse to reconcile and

mediate the incongruity of viewing the person
holistically while at the same time attending to the
hierarchical ordering of needs.
• Thus the nurse assists the person to find the
strength or courage to confront life or death.
Watson’s theory and the four major concept
Major concept
1. Human being
Human being refers to a valued person in and of him
or herself to be cared for, respected, nurtured,
understood and assisted; in general a philosophical
view of a person as a fully functional integrated self.
He, human is viewed as greater than and different
from, the sum of his or her parts.
Conti…
2. Health
• Watson adds the following three elements
to WHO definition of 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 that leads its absence)
Conti…
3. Environment/society
• According to Watson, caring (and nursing) has
existed in every society.
• A caring attitude is not transmitted from
generation to generation.
• It is transmitted by the culture of the profession
as a unique way of coping with its environment.
Conti…
4. Nursing
• “Nursing is concerned with promoting health,
preventing illness, caring for the sick and restoring
health”.
• It focuses on health promotion and treatment of
disease. She believes that holistic health care is
central to the practice of caring in nursing.
• She defines nursing as…..
“a human science of persons and human health-
illness experiences that are mediated by professional,
personal, scientific, esthetic and ethical human
transactions”.
Watson’s theory and nursing process
• Nursing process contains the same steps as the

scientific research process. They both try to
solve a problem. Both provide a framework for
decision making.
Conti…
1. Assessment
• Involves observation, identification and review of
the problem; use of applicable knowledge in
literature.
• Also includes conceptual knowledge for the
formulation and conceptualization of framework.
• Includes the formulation of hypothesis; defining
variables that will be examined in solving the
problem.
Conti…
2. Plan
• It helps to determine how variables would be
examined or measured; includes a conceptual
approach or design for problem solving. It
determines what data would be collected and
how on whom.
3. Intervention
• It is the direct action and implementation of the
plan.
• It includes the collection of the data
Conti…
4. Evaluation
• Analysis of the data as well as the examination
of the effects of interventions based on the data.
• Includes the interpretation of the results, the
degree to which positive outcome has occurred
and whether the result can be generalized.
• It may also generate additional hypothesis or
may even lead to the generation of a nursing
theory.
Watson’s theory and the Characteristic
• Logical in nature.
• Relatively simple
• Generelizable
• Based on phenomenological studies that
generally ask questions rather than state
hypotheses.
• Can be used to guide and improve practice.
• Supported by the theoretical work of numerous
humanists, philosophers, developmentalists and
psychologists.
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
• This theory places client in the context of the family, the
community and the culture.
• It places the client as the focus of practice rather than
the technology.
Limitations
• Biophysical needs of the individual are given less
important.
• The ten caratiive factors primarily delineate the
psychosocial needs of the person.
• Needs further research to apply in practice.
Example
• To apply the theory and solve them condition of

the first three carative factors form the
“philosophical foundation
• The detailed descriptions of the carative factors
can give guidance to those who wish to employ
them in practice or research
Conclusion
• Watson provides many useful concepts for the

practice of nursing.
• She ties together many theories commonly used
in nursing education.
• The detailed descriptions of the carative factors
can give guidance to those who wish to employ
them in practice or research
References
• Timber BK. Fundamental skills and concepts in Patient

Care, 7th edition, LWW, New Yok.
• George B. Julia , Nursing Theories- The base for
professional Nursing Practice , 3rd ed. Norwalk,
Appleton & Lange.
• Wills M.Evelyn, McEwen Melanie (2002). Theoretical
Basis for Nursing Philadelphia. Lippincott Williams&
wilkins.
conti…
• Meleis Ibrahim Afaf (1997) , Theoretical Nursing :

Development & Progress 3rd ed. Philadelphia,
Lippincott.
• Taylor Carol,Lillis Carol (2001)The Art & Science Of
Nursing Care 4th ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott.
• Potter A Patricia, Perry G Anne (1992) Fundamentals
Of Nursing –Concepts Process & Practice 3rd ed.
London Mosby Year Book
THANK YOU

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Course : M.Sc.

Topic : Nursing theories -part 2

Prepared by : Prof. Mrs. R.Radha

• Theorist - Jean Watson was born in West

• Undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing

• Caring can be effectively demonstrated and

• A caring environment is one that offers the

• The formation of a humanistic- altruistic system

• The systematic use of the scientific problem-

• The first three carative factors form the

• Begins developmentally at an early age with

• Is essential to both the carative and the curative

• Explores the need of the nurse to begin to feel

• Strongest tool is the mode of communication,

• “Feelings alter thoughts and behavior, and they

• The caring nurse must focus on the learning

• Watson divides these into eternal and internal

• It is based on a hierarchy of need similar to that

• Phenomenology is a way of understanding

• This factor helps the nurse to reconcile and

• Nursing process contains the same steps as the

• To apply the theory and solve them condition of

• Watson provides many useful concepts for the

• Timber BK. Fundamental skills and concepts in Patient

• Meleis Ibrahim Afaf (1997) , Theoretical Nursing :

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