Foundation of Humanistic Nursing Theory
Logic of Phenomenological Methodology
THEORETICAL ROOTS
Phenomenon of Community
Chapter Four
Phenomenon of Community
The community affects how humanistic nursing occurs and Dr. Paterson wrote about her view of community (in an abstract sense), community and time, and the evolution of the human soul through the community.
She quoted Plato as describing the community as a macrocosm and the macrocosm is a reflection of the microcosms that are within. Each nurse in the community is a microcosm that can affect it. There are a myriad of different communities but as part of the community of nurses we are colored by certain biases, labels, diagnoses and so forth. These are some concepts (rightly or wrongly) that are worn by the nursing community. Dr. Paterson related that these assumptions need to be looked within the nurses' self.
"In our very personal, intimate, involved professional nursing relations with other man we are privileged to be included in human happenings open to no other group (P & Z, p. 38)." With this, nurses are often unaware of the pricelessness that this inclusion into community has. As nurses, there is a key given to the most intimate knowledge from the simple to the complex that is conferred within a community and must be honored and held in trust.
Dr. Paterson also related that she learned the concepts, labels, biases, and assumptions that nursing as a group was taught or picked up. She came to value knowledge taught from others and denied herself as a source of knowledge and did not value her own ideas and questioning as such.
Each nurse: A noetic locus. Each nurse is a "knowing place." Paterson looked at a variety of existentialist thinkers and came to the knowledge that she had within herself ideas of value and worth. She had discovered gold right in her back yard after searching the world for it.
Each new soul is born with an empty canvas to be colored layer by layer, first with the views of his nuclear family that also brings a view of the family's collected pasts, and then as the world is experienced by the soul, those experiences are imprinted on the brain. Views and knowledge are influenced by family, community, environment, and take place and are shaped over time as one experience molds and remodels another. Dr. Paterson discussed responsible authority and how parents shape their children. She gave examples of how her community affected her life and gave examples from her childhood and indirectly related how the times (see timeline history in about P & Z) influenced her views.
"Man becomes ever more" is a section devoted to the works of Martin Buber, a philosophical anthropologist and rabbi, whom Dr. Paterson refers to in much of Humanistic Nursing. This refers to the stages of man from infant to adult, 'I-Thou', 'I-It', and 'We', with man's relating to others as 'We' (P & Z, p. 44-45).
In the community nursing section (p. 45-48) Dr. Paterson looked towards the works of Plato and Frederich Nietzsche to bring forth the idea of regulating and controlling almost every dimension of an individuals existence to bring about the ideal man and community. She explored the "worth of souls" (Smith, Cowdery, & Whitmer, 1829/1995) and the idea of the super elite, super people ,and ideal communities. She suggested that as nurses, we place a value on people and make choices for them in accordance thereof. She discussed the need to "bracket" and "hold in abeyance" these notions and how this is a difficult professional goal.
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