Health as an Expanding Consciousness - Research Paper Example

? Health as an Expanding Consciousness Health as an Expanding Consciousness Introduction of Theorist and Biography Newmanwas born on 10th October, 1933 in Memphis, Tennessee. She was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics and English at Baylor University in Waco in 1954. In 1962, she was awarded another Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. She received a Master’s degree in Medical-Surgical Nursing and Teaching in 1964 at the University of California. In 1971, she was awarded a Doctorate of Nursing Science and Rehabilitation at New York University (Newman, 1994). She completed her graduate studies at New York University from 1971 to 1976. During this time, she worked and taught alongside nursing theorist Martha Rodgers. In 1977, she was the professor in charge of graduate nursing studies at Pennsylvania State. In 1984, she was a nurse theorist at the University of Minnesota and later served as the Director of Nursing at the clinical research center at the University of Tennessee. Newman is one of the successful female nursing scholars and theorists in the 21st century. She has taught and led research activities in several institutions. Her education achievements serve as a challenge to nursing students in the university. The purpose of the theory is to present the relationship between individual consciousness and health conditions. Concepts Expanding Consciousness Consciousness Movement Time Space Pattern Pattern recognition Transformation Definition of concepts a. Consciousness is the information capacity of the system and its ability to interact with the environment. Consciousness does not cover only the cognitive and affective awareness but includes the interconnectedness of the living system (Endo, 2004). Expanding consciousness is becoming aware of oneself, finding meaning in life, and reaching new levels of connectedness with other populace and the globe. Pattern is information that presents the whole, creates understanding of the meaning of the whole, and relationships at once. Coming in touch with one’s person helps become aware of the other persons pattern, which is called pattern recognition. Transformation is a change that occurs at once rather than gradually in a linear fashion. Movement is a reflection of consciousness and person conveys self awareness through the movement from posture, language, and body (Newman, 1994). Time is a function of movement and a measurement of consciousness that centers primarily on the perceived duration. . Space is the three-dimensional expanse where all matter exists. Rationale Statements and Propositions Some individuals suffer from chronic diseases and other disabilities that cannot be separated from their health issues. Nurses view such individuals as those faced with uncertainty, debilitation, loss, and death in the long run (Picard, Jones and Newman, 2005). Structure Newman begins by stating and defining concepts used in the theory. She then states the propositions and assumptions made in the theory. The paradigm shift is them stated by explaining the shift from instrumental view to relational view. The meta-paradigm shows the relationship between the person, environment, health, and nursing. The theory assumes that: Health encompasses conditions that are referred to as illness or pathology. Pathological conditions can act as a manifestation of the total pattern of the person. The pattern that manifests itself as pathology exists prior to structural or functional changes. Removal of the pathology will not change the pattern of the individual. If the pattern of an individual can only be manifested by becoming ill, then that is the health of that particular individual. Health is an expansion of consciousness. Theory critique Origin and Context Newman conceived the idea of health as expanding consciousness when caring for her who has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Newman, 1995). Both Newman and her mother experienced alterations in movement, time, space, and consciousness. They also developed a great sense of connectedness and increased insight into the meaning of health and experience. This made Newman realize that having a disease does not make someone unhealthy and time, space, and movement are related to health. Individuals with ALS lose the functionality of voluntary movements due to damage done on the brain. However, the cognitive ability and human senses are not affected by the disease and the person can make sound decisions. The presence of disease indicates the pattern of health and an individual can remain healthy even in the presence of disease. According to Prigonine theory, a patient progress form one level of organization to another, and nurses require the right timing in order to help patients identify their health patterns (Newman, 2007). Scope Health professionals consider the state of health being disease and its opposite non-disease as elements of health. From Roger’s theory of Unitary Human Beings, patterns of interaction between people and the environment determine the health of an individual (Parker and Smith, 2010). Consciousness is a manifestation of the interaction of people and the environment. A health profession can help a patient recover from a health condition such as addiction by helping them determine the pattern of interaction with the environment. Patients with bad habits such as smoking can improve their health by identify their smoking pattern, and consequently improve their health condition. Boundaries There are no real boundaries between the environment and human beings. Both are units of the whole process that is identified by the pattern. Every human being has a unique pattern and is open and in a continuous interaction with the environment. The client-nurse boundary creates a window of opportunity for transformation in the health experience. However, the theory is not applicable to people with cognitive impairment. The nurse should depend on the facts given by the patient, which should be sensible, and accurate (Picard, Jones and Newman, 2005). Inaccurate information may lead to poor judgment. The theory cannot be applied effectively on young children who are in the initial stages of consciousness. Children lack the ability to understand and explain the patterns of interaction to health professionals. Meaning The consciousness of an individual evolves and is coextensive with the universe. The interaction of an individual with the environment determines his or her health. Nursing professionals should work together with patients in a respectful sense. Nurses should help patients utilize their inner power to improve their health condition. Helping a patient understand problematic patterns can increase his or her consciousness leading to a reduction in problematic patterns of behavior. Symptoms and pain felt by the patient should provide information necessary for improving the health condition of the patient. Clarity Newman has defined and described the concepts and the dimensions of the theory. This includes stating the assumptions, defining terms, and stating the supplication areas in the health profession. This theory is open to several interpretations and concepts by health professionals that can be applied by practitioners in any level. Clear understanding of the theory is necessary for adequate application and empirical testing. Simplicity The theory must be understood without isolating the concepts stated in order to appreciate the intricacy of health as the consciousness of a person. Newman states her propositions that scholars and practitioners can use to develop their hypothesis. This makes it possible to apply this theory in different areas of research and study. The theory has been presented simply as it aims to explain and predict how consciousness can improve the health of a person. The appliance of this hypothesis is straight forward, but the practitioner has to develop ways of observing the patient’s patterns. The multiple factors that need to be considered hinder therapists from constantly applying this theory into practice. Generality The concepts of the theory have a broad scope since they relate to health. This makes it possible to apply the theory in different areas within the health field. The concepts have a broad applicability across both typical and clinical populations. The theory can be applied to different cultures across a wide range of nursing practices. The theory is also applicable in different areas of research and training within the nursing profession. This theory is applicable to patients undergoing rehabilitation for different forms of addiction. Drug addicts can benefit by applying the theory to identify the patterns that led them to substance abuse. Accessibility Newman has published several editions of books containing this theory. Several researchers and scholars have tested the aspects of the theory using different scientific methods. Different improvements of the theory and publications have made it more applicable and accessible. Concepts stated in the theory have been refined by scholars and researchers and improvements to the theory are contained in several publications. Hypothesis tests have been conducted scientifically and the findings have been documented (Endo, 2004). Widespread application of the theory in nursing cases is another form of availability for the theory due to clinical reasoning utilized in its application. Importance The view of health as an expanding consciousness provides an evolving guide to health professionals in various disciplines. This theory challenges nursing practitioners to adapt a different approach to health issues of patients. The theory defines a new concept of health that can help nursing professionals attend to their patients. Making people aware of their interaction patterns with the environment can help reduce the use of medicine and therapy to improve their health. Adequacy The theory sufficiently explains the relationship between a human and the environment (George, 2010). The level of understanding of an individual’s patterns on interaction helps a person alter the health conditions. It also explains how a nurse and other people can help patients become conscious of their behavior patterns to improve their health. Newman has stated the assumptions and concepts that are required when applying the theory in nursing. This makes it possible to apply the theory with minimum reference from other theories and supportive researches. Testability The theory can be proven to be true or false by applying it in real life nursing experiences. Previous applications have revealed that by helping a patient identify destructive behaviors patterns such as smoking, the patient can improve the health condition by avoiding such behaviors. The propositions can be applied to patients suffering from different illnesses and belonging to different age groups to determine its applicability. Usefulness to nursing Nurses help client identify different patterns of interaction determine the health patterns. The nurse builds a nurse-client relationship that helps the nurse develop tolerance for uncertainty in the patient’s behavior (George, 2010). Health professionals consider the state of being as disease and its opposite non-disease as elements of health. Newman proposes that nurses should search for patterns instead of treating symptoms. Pain and disease should act as information and should not be treated as negative entities. Nursing is a form of intervention that aims at improving the health condition of a patient. This intervention should help a patient identify the health patterns instead of nurses treating visible symptoms. Practice/Education/Research Researchers can develop ways of identifying the pattern of interaction between the patient and the environment. The theory does not include methods of pattern identification; therefore, learners and nurses have to use other literature to identify patterns of interaction (Newman, 2007). Nursing students can utilize the theory to understand the process of creating the patient-client relationship. Students can also learn methods of interpreting information provided by patterns as a way of helping patients improve their health conditions. References Endo, E. (2004). Nursing praxis within Margaret Newman’s theory of health as expanding consciousness. Nursing Science Quarterly, 17, 110-115. George, J. B. (2010). Nursing Theories: The Base for Professional Pursing Practice (6th Ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Newman, M. A. (1994). Health as expanding consciousness (2 Ed.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett. ------------------. (1995). A developing discipline: selected works of Margaret Newman. New York: National League for Nursing. -----------------. (2007). Transforming presence: the difference that nursing makes (1 Ed.). Philadelphia: F.A Davis. Parker, M. E., and Smith, M. C. (2010). Nursing theories and nursing practice (3rd Ed.). Philadelphia: F.A Davis. Picard, C., Jones, D. A., and Newman, M. A. (2005). Giving voice to what we know: Margaret Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness in nursing practice, research, and education. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Read More