Jean Watson developed her Theory of Caring based on her experiences as a nurse. She identified 10 Carative Factors that are essential to caring for the whole person. These factors address both psychosocial and spiritual needs. Watson's theory places an emphasis on seeing the individual within their social context and focusing on caring rather than curing. The strengths of the theory are its holistic approach, but its limitations include giving less attention to physical needs. The document discusses the development of Watson's theory and how its focus on caring aligns well with hospice nursing.

1. JEAN WATSON
THEORY OF
CARING
By Michelle Downey

3. JEAN WATSON’S BACKGROUND
 Margaret Jean Harmon was born in a small town in the
Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia in the 1940’s.
 She graduated from the Lewis Gale School of Nursing in 1961
and then continued her nursing studies at the University of
Colorado.
 In 1961, she married Douglas Watson and in 1963 & 1967, they
had two daughters.
 She received her Ph.D. in educational psychology and counseling
in 1973.
(Watson Caring Science Institute,
2010)

5.  She served as Dean of Nursing at the University Health Science
Center.
 She was the President of the National League for Nursing and
she is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
 She has six honorary degrees, including an International
Honorary Doctorate in 2003, and an Honorary Doctor at Sciences
in Nursing in 2010.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

6. SOCIAL CHANGES IN NURSING WHILE
JEAN WATSON FORMED HER THEORY
 On January 6, 1975, the ANA held formal ceremonies to honor the
first nurses certified by the association.
 The number of registered nurses was estimated at 961,000.
 In 1977, the ANA introduced a health services bill that expanded
primary care services, in area where there were shortages, nurse
practitioners worked in concert with doctors.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

7.  In 1978, the ANA proposed a bill that would revise the
system of federal funding for mental health, requiring
states to provide comprehensive planning and
coordination of programs.
 By the year 1979, there was an estimated 1,123,200
registered nurses employed.
(nursingworld.org, 2015)

8. JEAN WATSON’S 4 MAJOR
CONCEPTS
 A human being is viewed as greater than and different from the
sum of his/her parts.
 Health – high level of overall physical, mental and social
functioning and the absence of illness.
 Environment/Society – caring and nursing has existed in every
society, it is not transmitted from generation to generation but by
culture as a unique way of coping with the environment.
 Nursing is concerned with promoting health, preventing illness
and caring for the sick and restoring health, holistic care being
central.
(Watson Caring Science Institute,
2010)

9. JEAN’S DEFINITION OF NURSING
“A human science of persons and humans health-illness
experience that are mediated by professional, personal,
scientific, esthetic and ethical human transactions”.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

10. JEAN’S 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.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

11. SEVEN ASSUMPTIONS
 Caring responses accept a person not only as he/she is not, but
as what he/she may become.
 A caring environment is one that offers the development of
potential, while allowing the person to choose the best for
himself/herself, at a given point in time.
 Caring is more “healthogenic” than curing. A science of caring is
complementary to the science of curing.
 The practice of caring is central to nursing.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

12. JEAN WATSON’S THEORY STRENGTHS
AND LIMITATIONS
 The strengths of her theory are that is places the client in the
context of the family, the community and the culture. Her theory
places the client as the focus of practice rather than technology.
 The limitations are the biophysical needs of the individual are
given less importance. The ten carative factors primarily
delineate the psychosocial needs of the person. Her theory
needs further research to apply in practice.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

13. WATSON’S 10 CARATIVE FACTORS
 Practicing loving-kindness and equanimity.
 Becoming an authentic person, present and enabling through a
sustainable deep belief system.
 Cultivating a personal spiritual lifestyle.
 Develop and sustain authentic caring relationships.
 Becoming aware and supporting both positive and negative
feelings in self and others.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

14.  Learn to creatively use self and all the ways of knowing as part of
the caring process, using the engaging artistry to promote
caring/healing practices.
 Learning to engage in genuine teaching/learning that create
meaningful experiences, within another’s frame of reference.
 Becoming aware of how to create a healing environment at every
level, so wholeness, beauty, dignity, comfort and most importantly
peace is potentiated.
 Always assisting with basic needs, keeping intentional caring
conscious, administering ‘human care essentials,’ aligning the
mind/body/spirit to create wholeness in all aspects of care.
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

15.  Becoming open and attending to the mysteries of life/death and
the soul being for, “allowing and being open to miracles.”
(Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010)

16.  Jeans Watson’s theory can be applied to all types of nursing. I
feel it especially relates to Hospice Care. Persons at the end of
life need all of the elements that Watson developed in her 10
Carative Factors. I have a deep interest in hospice care/palliative
care and plan to use Watson’s method in my nursing practices.

17. REFERENCES
Watson Caring Science Institute. (2010). Retrieved from http://
watsoncaringscience.org/about-us/jean-bio/
American Nurses Association. (2015). ANA History. Retrieved
from
http://www.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/AboutA
NA/History/BasicHistoricalReview.pdf