Posted: February 8th, 2024

Metaparadigm & Watson Theory

Metaparadigm & Watson Theory
Take one component of the Metaparadigm of Nursing, identify and discuss the concept or concepts of Watson’s Theory of Caring that support that Watson wrote a theory of nursing based on the criteria established in the Metaparadigm of Nursing.

Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring is one of the most influential theories in nursing. Developed in the late 1970s, Watson sought to establish caring as the moral ideal and central focus of nursing practice. Her theory was grounded in the four core concepts that make up the Metaparadigm of Nursing established by Fawcett: person/patient, health/wellbeing, nursing, and environment. This paper will examine how Watson’s theory supports and builds upon each component of the Metaparadigm.
Person/Patient
At the core of Watson’s theory is viewing the person holistically as an energy field with interconnected mind-body-spirit dimensions (Watson, 2008). She recognized that to truly care for another, nurses must see beyond just physical needs and consider higher levels of human caring that attend to emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Watson’s concept of transpersonal caring emphasizes connecting with the inner spirit or soul of another to better understand their whole experience (Watson Caring Science Institute, n.d.). Taking a holistic view of each unique individual supports the Metaparadigm concept of person/patient.
Health/Wellbeing
Rather than focusing solely on disease, Watson took a more holistic view of health as the “unity and harmony within the mind-body-spirit” (Watson Caring Science Institute, n.d., para. 2). She saw health as existing on a continuum, with nurses helping to facilitate movement towards the positive end through caring practices. This broader definition of health as more than just the absence of illness directly upholds the Metaparadigm concept of health/wellbeing. Watson’s theory aims to promote optimal function and sense of wellbeing through caring nurse-patient relationships.
Nursing

A key part of Watson’s theory was establishing caring as the moral ideal and essence of nursing (Watson, 2008). She saw nursing as a human science of caring that could help people gain health, heal, and die with dignity through transpersonal caring relationships. This view supported the Metaparadigm definition of nursing as a discipline focused on caring for individuals, families, and communities to achieve optimal wellbeing (Fawcett, 2005). By emphasizing caring as the core of nursing practice, Watson’s theory clearly aligns with conceptualizing nursing as presented in the Metaparadigm.
Environment
While the Metaparadigm acknowledges environmental factors impact health and wellbeing, Watson’s theory expanded upon this concept. She recognized that caring occurs within contexts, including physical and psychological environments, personal situations, and socio-cultural influences (Watson, 2008). A key part of Watson’s theory involves nurses using caring practices to cocreate a healing environment between themselves and patients that facilitates wholeness (Watson Caring Science Institute, n.d.). This expanded view of how environment influences health outcomes directly supports the Metaparadigm definition.
Theory Concepts Supporting the Metaparadigm
Several specific concepts from Watson’s Theory of Caring provide concrete examples of how she built upon the Metaparadigm’s foundational ideas:
Transpersonal Caring Relationship: As mentioned, Watson saw the caring connection between nurse and patient as going beyond basic physical needs to include higher human caring and spiritual elements (Watson, 2008). This holistic view supports the Metaparadigm’s person/patient and nursing concepts.
Caring as the Moral Ideal: Establishing caring as the essence and moral center of nursing practice aligns directly with the Metaparadigm’s definition of nursing as a caring-focused discipline (Watson, 2008; Fawcett, 2005).
Caring as Central to Healing: Watson’s theory positioned caring practices at the heart of how nurses can help facilitate healing and improved wellbeing (Watson Caring Science Institute, n.d.). This supports the Metaparadigm concepts of health/wellbeing.
Caring and Non-Caring Therapies: Watson (2008) discussed how caring versus non-caring therapies and practices impact health outcomes, directly relating to the Metaparadigm’s health/wellbeing concept.
Caring Environment: As mentioned, Watson’s view of how nurses can cocreate a healing environment through caring practices expands the Metaparadigm’s environmental concept (Watson Caring Science Institute, n.d.).
These core concepts demonstrate how Watson built a theory that directly supports each element of the Metaparadigm of Nursing as established by Fawcett through focusing on caring-based relationships and practices.
Implications for Nursing Practice
Watson’s Theory of Caring has significantly influenced nursing education, research, and clinical practice since its development. Some implications of her theory in relation to the Metaparadigm include:
Education – Watson’s theory emphasizes the need for caring-based curricula that attend to developing nurses’ technical, esthetic, personal, and ethical caring abilities (Watson, 2008). This prepares them to uphold the Metaparadigm in practice.
Research – Watson’s concepts like transpersonal caring and caring modalities versus curing have driven new areas of nursing research focused on caring outcomes and how they impact health/wellbeing (Watson, 2008).
Practice – The theory encourages nurses to see patients holistically as mind-body-spirit energy fields and focus on establishing caring relationships to facilitate healing environments and optimal functioning (Watson Caring Science Institute, n.d.).
Administration – Watson’s emphasis on caring as the moral center of nursing supports administrators ensuring practice models, standards, and cultures reinforce this focus on caring for the whole person.
Public Policy – Advocating for health policies grounded in Watson’s holistic, caring-based perspective could help reshape systems to better meet all dimensions of person/patient wellbeing.
In these ways, Watson’s theory continues to guide nursing in fully upholding the Metaparadigm of nursing established by Fawcett through emphasizing caring-based relationships and practices across all aspects of the profession.
Conclusion
Jean Watson developed her influential Theory of Caring by building upon the four core concepts that make up the Metaparadigm of Nursing: person/patient, health/wellbeing, nursing, and environment. Her theory views caring as the essence of nursing and moral ideal for helping individuals achieve optimal mind-body-spirit functioning and health. Specific concepts like transpersonal caring relationships and cocreating a healing environment directly support how the Metaparadigm defines nursing’s focus on the whole person within their lived context. Watson’s theory remains highly relevant as it encourages nurses to uphold the foundational Metaparadigm through establishing caring-based practices across education, research, administration, policy and direct patient care. Overall, Watson grounded her influential perspective in the established Metaparadigm to develop a theory that has significantly shaped the philosophy and practice of nursing.
References
Fawcett, J. (2005). Contemporary nursing knowledge: Analysis and evaluation of nursing models and theories (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
Watson, J. (2008). Nursing: The philosophy and science of caring (Rev. ed.). Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado.
Watson Caring Science Institute. (n.d.). Core concepts of Jean Watson’s theory of human caring/caring science. Retrieved from https://www.watsoncaringscience.org/jean-watsons-theory-of-human-caring/core-concepts-of-watson%E2%80%99s-theory/

______________________
Metaparadigm of Nursing
Link the theory you developed in Weeks 2 and 5 with the Metaparadigm of Nursing. Each of the elements of the Metaparadigm should be represented in your theory. Revise your theory if necessary to include each of the components of the Metaparadigm.

Check Price Discount

Study Notes & Homework Samples: GNUR 577 Case Study Diagnostic Analysis Paper »Sociocultural Theory