As a theory of practice, humanistic nursing is derived from individual nurses' actual experiences in their uniquely perceived but commonly shared nursing world. Its development, therefore, depends on the articulation of their angular views and also on the truly collaborative effort of a genuine community of nurses struggling together to describe humanistic nursing practice.
Since the description of nursing phenomena is recognized as a basic and essential step in theory development, this chapter presented an approach and detailed some techniques used by nurses to describe phenomena. It is hoped that these would be viewed critically and creatively; that they would be used, varied, combined adapted, and lead to new methods suited to the description of nursing phenomena. And if they are developed, it is hoped that they will be shared for the growth of humanistic nursing depends not only on using and sharing what we learn but also on describing how we come to know. Then humanistic nursing theory will grow in dialogue.
[1] Loretta T. Zderad, "A Concept of Empathy" (Ph.D. dissertation, Georgetown University, 1968). Josephine G. Paterson, "Echo into Tomorrow: A Mental Health Psychiatric Philosophical Conceptualization of Nursing" (D.N.Sc. dissertation, Boston University, 1969). Loretta T. Zderad, "Empathy--From Cliche to Construct," _Proceedings of the Third Nursing Theory Conference_ (University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Nursing Education, 1970), pp. 46-75. Josephine G. Paterson, "From a Philosophy of Clinical Nursing to a Method of Nursology," _Nursing Research_, Vol. XX (March-April, 1972), pp. 143-146. Josephine G. Paterson and Loretta T. Zderad, "All Together Through Complementary Synthesis," _Image_, Vol. IV, No. 3 (1970-71), pp. 13-16.
The term "humanistic nursing" often is interpreted as implying humaneness. Logically, humane caring must be one aspect (a major aspect) or a natural expression of humanistic nursing practice theory. But the term means more. According to the position being taken here, nursing may be described appropriately as humanistic since at its very base it is an inter-human event. As an intersubjective transaction, its meaning is found in the human situation in which it occurs. As an existential act, it involves all the participants' capacities and aims at the development of human potential, that is, at well-being and more-being. Our approach qualifies, then, as a form of humanism, according to the dictionary definition, being "a system or mode of thought or action in which human interests, values, and dignity are taken to be of primary importance."