Nursing Theory Reflection 3

Chapter 25

Self-Transcendence

Chapter 25

Self-Transcendence Theory:

Pamela G. ReedPamela G. Reed

Overview of Self-Transcendence Theory: Overview of Self-Transcendence Theory: Three Central Concepts

Self-transcendence: capacity to expand self-• Self-transcendence: capacity to expand self- boundaries intrapersonally, interpersonally, temporally, and transpersonally temporally, and transpersonally

• Well-being: feeling whole and healthy, according • Well-being: feeling whole and healthy, according to one’s own criteria for wholeness and health

• Vulnerability: awareness of personal mortality • Vulnerability: awareness of personal mortality and the likelihood of experiencing difficult life situationssituations

• Moderating-mediating factors are personal and • Moderating-mediating factors are personal and contextual variables such as age, gender, life experiences, and social environment that experiences, and social environment that influence the relationships between vulnerability and self-transcendence and vulnerability and self-transcendence and between self-transcendence and well-being Nursing activities that facilitate self-• Nursing activities that facilitate self- transcendence are points of intervention

Major Concepts of Nursing Based on Reed’s Self-Transcendence TheoryReed’s Self-Transcendence Theory

• Person: human beings developing over the lifespan in interaction with other persons and lifespan in interaction with other persons and within an environment

• Environment: composed of family, social • Environment: composed of family, social networks, physical surroundings, and community resourcescommunity resources

Major Concepts of Nursing Based on Reed’s Self-Transcendence TheoryReed’s Self-Transcendence Theory

• Health: well-being is a sense of feeling whole and healthy, according to one’s own criteria for and healthy, according to one’s own criteria for wholeness and health

• Nursing: role of nursing activity is to assist • Nursing: role of nursing activity is to assist persons through interpersonal processes and therapeutic management of their environment therapeutic management of their environment to promote health and well-being

Assumptions of the Self- Transcendence TheoryTranscendence Theory

• Focus of the discipline of nursing should be on • Focus of the discipline of nursing should be on building and engaging knowledge to promote health processes health processes

• Persons are open systems who impose Persons are open systems who impose conceptual boundaries upon themselves to define their reality and to provide a sense of wholeness and connectedness within define their reality and to provide a sense of wholeness and connectedness within themselves and their environment

Assumptions of the Self- Transcendence TheoryTranscendence Theory

• Self-imposed conceptual boundaries fluctuate across the life span and are associated with across the life span and are associated with health and development

• Self-transcendence is a developmental • Self-transcendence is a developmental imperative that must be expressed for a person to realize a sense of wholeness and person to realize a sense of wholeness and connectedness

Propositions of the Self-Transcendence TheoryTheory

• Self-transcendence is greater in persons facing end-of-own-life issues than in persons not end-of-own-life issues than in persons not facing these issues

• Conceptual boundaries are related to well-• Conceptual boundaries are related to well- being

• Increased vulnerability is related to increased • Increased vulnerability is related to increased self-transcendence

Propositions of the Self-Transcendence TheoryTheory

• Self-transcendence is positively related to • Self-transcendence is positively related to well-being

• Personal and contextual factors influence the relationship between vulnerability and self-relationship between vulnerability and self- transcendence

• Personal and contextual factors influence the • Personal and contextual factors influence the relationship between self-transcendence and well-beingwell-being

Brief Critique of the Self- Transcendence TheoryTranscendence Theory

Derived using deductive reformulation• Derived using deductive reformulation • Easy to understand with terms used consistently Easy to understand with terms used consistently • Number of concepts and relationships is minimal,

yet still meaningful and fairly comprehensive yet still meaningful and fairly comprehensive • Can be applied to a wide variety of situations • Concepts are broad and abstract but empirical • Concepts are broad and abstract but empirical

indicators have been identified and scales developed for research and theory developmentdeveloped for research and theory development

The Self-Transcendence Theory as a Framework for Nursing CareFramework for Nursing Care

• Assessment and Planning: nurse assesses indicators of self-transcendence, well-being, indicators of self-transcendence, well-being, vulnerability, and moderating–mediating factors that influence relationships between factors that influence relationships between vulnerability and self-transcendence and between self-transcendence and well-beingbetween self-transcendence and well-being

The Self-Transcendence Theory as a Framework for Nursing CareFramework for Nursing Care

• Implementation: actions may focus directly on • Implementation: actions may focus directly on person’s inner resources for self-transcendence or indirectly on personal and contextual factors or indirectly on personal and contextual factors that affect relationship between vulnerability and self-transcendence and relationship and self-transcendence and relationship between self-transcendence and well-being Evaluation: based on effectiveness of activities • Evaluation: based on effectiveness of activities to facilitate self-transcendence and well-being