In southern part of West Virginia – Margaret Jean Harman Watson, grew up in a town called Welch. After moving to Colorado, Watson continued her nursing education and graduate studies at the University of Colorado. She earned a baccalaureate degree in nursing in 1964 at the Boulder campus, a master’s degree in psychiatric–mental health nursing in 1966 at the Health Sciences campus. She worked activity in various community programs and with experience and academic progress; she became an expert in human caring, health and healing (Pajnkihar et al., 2017). She served as distinguished nursing professor and with many of her significant nursing theories, she became the pioneer of transpersonal nursing theory.
Watson bases the transpersonal theory with an emphasis on transpersonal and interpersonal attributes of the congruence (Jesse & Alligood, 2013), the empathy (Clark, 2016) and imparting of an emotional warmth to the patient. These was the cardinal thinking behind formulation of this theory. Watson points to phenomenological approach by Carl Rogers and supports the view that the role of nurse is not to manipulate or to control the subjects but to comprehend the big picture of clinical servicing and patient centric nursing based on caring, wholeness and holistic healing of the subjects.
The major concepts of transpersonal theory are :- A). Formation of Humanistic altruistic vale system – the practice of altruism is the core motive and characteristic of a good nurse. B). Instilling Faith and Hope – This concept incorporates the humanistic and the altruistic values, facilitating a holistic and positive care of the patient population. C). Being sensitive to self and to others- Self-acceptance and self-actualization helps in recognition of feeling and this is pertinent to nurse and to the patient. D). Acceptance, promotion, expression of the positive and the negative Feelings – sharing feelings is an important aspect of nursing care. Providing a comfort level to the patient in where, he or she can share his internal thought processes is more than essential. E). Taking up of a systematic problem-solving approach and subsequent decision-making – Using the nursing process with a problem-solving method to nursing care. F). Promotion of an Interpersonal Teaching and Learning – is a cruicial concept for nursing which separates curing from caring. The concept deals with informed care and then shifts the responsibility of health and wellness to patient himself. The theorist uses the ideas of a holistic care that targets healing of body, mind and soul to make the treatment process – an experientially beneficial process for both the patient and the nurse. These are the major underpinnings of transpersonal theory (Masters, 2014).
The theory can be used in daily nursing practice and especially with end of life patients or chronic neuropsychological patients where psychological and spiritual support become core areas of patient-centered care. A humanistic nursing or human becoming nurse should imperatively adhere to the principles and concepts of transpersonal nursing. It can be applied across all departments of patient care and this theory can be treated as a fundamental, transcendental concept in medical and community health nursing.
References
Clark, C. (2016). Watson’s human caring theory: Pertinent transpersonal and humanities concepts for educators. Humanities, 5(2), 21.
Jesse, D. E., & Alligood, M. R. (2013). Watson’s philosophy and theory of transpersonal caring. Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book, 1191.
Masters, K. (2014). Nursing theories: A framework for professional practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Pajnkihar, M., McKenna, H. P., Štiglic, G., & Vrbnjak, D. (2017). Fit for practice: Analysis and evaluation of Watson’s theory of human caring. Nursing science quarterly, 30(3), 243-252.
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