Watson Caring Science Overview

Study Notes

Margaret Jean Harman Watson

Born June 10, 1940, Welch, West Virginia
Youngest of 8 children
Attended high school in West Virginia and Lewis Gale School of Nursing in Roanoke, Virginia
Married Douglas Watson in 1961, they have two daughters, Jeniffer and Julie
Earned:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1964
- Master’s degree in Nursing in 1966
- Doctorate in educational psychology and counseling in 1973
Joined the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Nursing in faculty and administrative roles
Founded the Center for Human Caring at the University of Colorado in 1980. It is the nation’s first interdisciplinary center using human caring knowledge for clinical practice, scholarship, administration, and leadership.

Watson Caring Science

The Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI) was established from the groundwork laid by the Center for Human Caring
Between 1978 and 1981, Watson served as chairperson and assistant dean of the undergraduate program, implemented the nursing PhD program, and served as director of the PhD program at the University of Colorado School of Nursing

Watson's Works

Author of 11 books and co-author of 9 books
Published countless articles in nursing and interdisciplinary journals
Some notable publications:
- Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring (1979), 1st book
- Nursing: Human Science and A Theory of Nursing (1985), 2nd book
- Postmodern Nursing and Beyond (1999), 3rd book
- her fourth book, comprises a collection of 21 instruments to assess and measure caring and received the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award

Theory of Human Caring

This theory focuses on how nurses can create caring relationships with patients. It emphasizes the importance of empathy, compassion, and understanding.
Watson developed ten "Carative Factors" which she later renamed "Caritas Processes" that are meant to help nurses provide compassionate care.

Ten Carative Factors and Caritas Processes

Factor/Process 1: The formation of a humanistic-altruistic system of values / Practice of loving-kindness and equanimity within the context of caring consciousness.
Factor/Process 2: The instillation of faith-hope / Being authentically present and enabling and sustaining the deep belief system and subjective life-world of self and one being cared for.
Factor/Process 3: The cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to others / Cultivation of one’s own spiritual practices and transpersonal self, going beyond the ego self.
Factor/Process 4: Development of a helping-trust relationship; became development of a helping-trusting, human caring relation / Developing and sustaining a helping trusting authentic caring relationship.
Factor/Process 5: The promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings / Being present to, and supportive of, the expression of positive and negative feelings as a connection with deeper spirit and self and the one-being-cared for.
Factor/Process 6: The systematic use of the scientific problem solving method for decision making; became systematic use of a creative problem solving caring process / “Creative use of self and all ways of knowing as part of the caring process; to engage in the artistry of caring-healing practices”.
Factor/Process 7: The promotion of transpersonal teaching-learning / Engaging in genuine teaching-learning experience that attends to unity of being and meaning, attempting to stay within others’ frame of reference.
Factor/Process 8: The provision of supportive, protective, and (or) corrective mental, physical, societal, and spiritual environment / Creating healing environment at all levels (physical as well as nonphysical, subtle environment of energy and consciousness, whereby wholeness, beauty, balance and harmony are potentiated).
Factor/Process 9: The assistance with gratification of human needs / Assisting the one-being-cared for to grow, expand, and actualize their potential.
Factor/Process 10: The allowance for existential-phenomenological-spiritual forces / The acceptance of the inevitability of death and the fostering or acceptance of the spiritual dimension of life-death.