Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring
Jean Watson refers to a human being as, "a valued person in and of him or herself to be cared for, respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted." Watson's core belief was the act of caring is central to nursing. She assumed that when a nurse provides a caring environment, it offers the client to choose the best action for self at a given point in time.
Art therapy fits the model developed by Joan Watson because it is a way of caring for the emotional aspects of a person.
Watson's Ten Carative Factors
- Practice of loving-kindness and equanimity within context of caring consciousness
- Being authentically present, and enabling and sustaining the deep belief system and subjective life world of self and one-being-cared-for.
- Cultivation of one's own spiritual practices and transpersonal self, going beyond ego self.
- Developing and sustaining a helping-trusting authentic caring relationship
- Being present to, an supportive of the expression of positive and negative feelings as a connection with deeper spirit of self and the one-being-cared-for.
- Creative use of self and all ways of knowing as part of the caring process; to engage in artistry of caring-healing practices.
- Engaging in genuine teaching-learning experiences that attends to unity of being and meaning attempting to stay withing other's frame of reference
- Creating healing environment at all levels (physical as well as non-physical), subtle environment of energy and consciousness, whereby wholeness, beauty, comfort, dignity, and peace are potentiated
- Assisting with basic needs, with an intentional caring consciousness, administering 'human care essentials,' which potentiate alignment of mindbodyspirit, wholeness, and unity of being in all aspects of care.
- Opening and attending to spiritual-mysterious, and existential dimensions of one's own life-death; soul care for self and the one-being-cared-for.
Watson's Model makes seven assumptions:
1. Caring can be effectively demonstrated and practiced only interpersonally.
2. Caring consists of carative factors that result in the satisfaction of certain human needs.
3. Effective caring promotes health and individual or family growth.
4. Caring responses accept the patient as he or she is now as well as what he or she may become.
5. A caring environment is one that offers the development of potential while allowing the patient to choose the best action for him or herself at a given point in time.
6. A science of caring is complementary to the science of curing.
7. The practice of caring is central to nursing
1. Caring can be effectively demonstrated and practiced only interpersonally.
2. Caring consists of carative factors that result in the satisfaction of certain human needs.
3. Effective caring promotes health and individual or family growth.
4. Caring responses accept the patient as he or she is now as well as what he or she may become.
5. A caring environment is one that offers the development of potential while allowing the patient to choose the best action for him or herself at a given point in time.
6. A science of caring is complementary to the science of curing.
7. The practice of caring is central to nursing