Jean Watson Essay

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Jean Watson is an American nurse theorist and nurse professor who is mostly known for her Theory of Human Caring. The main concept of the theory is caring for the purpose of healing, dignity, respecting the wholeness of humanity. Jean Watson refers to human being as valued person to be cared, respected, nurtured, understood and assisted. Within caring theory, the primary nursing consideration is the creation of caring, the relationship with the patient. Watson’s caring philosophy is used to guide transformative models of caring and healing practices for nurses, different healthcare professionals, caregivers and patients worldwide. Watson believes that it is possible to read, study, learn, research, teach about the theory, but to truly understand one has to personally experience it. (Sitzman & Watson, 2014).

According to Jean Watson health is defined as high level of physical, social and mental functioning. Watson indicates throughout her work that all human beings have inherent needs to participate in caring exchanges, both as giver and receiver and that nursing holds the essence of this fundamental need. (Sitzman & Eichelberger, 2011). Realizing individual’s self-worth as a human being, Watson strongly feels that no person should be objectified and treated as an object. (Keegan & Drick, 2011).
She defines environment/society addresses the idea that nurses have existed in every society a caring attitude is transmitted from generation to generation by the culture of the nursing profession. According to Watson she wants nursing to move beyond objectivism, verification, definitions and concern itself more with meaning, relationships. She wants nursing to be more concerned with the pursuit of hidden truths, development of new knowledge regarding human caring-healing. (Watson, 2012). To Watson her theory is humanistic approach to nursing that emphasizes human

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