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Many meanings and feelings are associated with the concept of caring. To be able to build a robust theory the central concept needs to be "clearly defined, explained, and predictable" (Walker, & Avant, 2011, p. 157). The purpose of a concept analysis of caring related to Watson's Theory of Human Caring Science is to clarify the definition, attributes, and to demonstrate a model, and to provide related, and illegitimate cases of caring (McEwen & Wills, 2014).
Concept Analysis of Caring
Concepts are terms, words, or phrases that describe an abstract or concrete idea or mental image formed through a perceptual experience with the world. Concepts serve as the building blocks for a theory. Some concepts can be measured empirically by direct observation through the senses. Others cannot be directly observed, measured or verified by others, but are inferred indirectly. The process of a concept analysis is to find a consistent application of a concept and formulate a unified meaning. Studying and analyzing concepts in nursing increases nursing knowledge. The goal of examining the idea of caring is to clarify the definition, and how this phenomenon is part of a nursing theoretical framework. Watson's Theory of Human Caring Science is a summative concept that is abstract in nature. The theory relates to nursing, health, the environment, and is everexpanding. It can apply to qualitative or quantitative study criteria (McEwen & Wills, 2014; Sargent, 2011).
The Walker and Avant (2011) approach to concept analysis will be the process used to analyze Watson's concept of caring. The approach involves eight progressive steps: select the concept; establish the purpose of the analysis; isolate all uses of the concept; define the attributes; develop model cases; address additional cases (e.g. borderline, related, contrary, invented, and illegitimate cases); identify antecedents and consequences, and define empirical referent. According to Walker and Avant (2011), a concept analysis requires investigating a concept from a variety of disciplines, such as nursing, political science, law, psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography, demography, human resources, economics, statistics, and policy and professional groups to analyze a concept. A diverse process was undertaken to analyze Watson's Theory of Human Caring Science. Watson's theory was derived from the disciplines of nursing, psychology, and philosophy. Watson's inspirations came from Nightingale, Rogers, Giorgi, Johnson, and...