Nursing Theory for the 21st CenturyCaring and the Science of Unitary Human BeingsSmith, Marlaine C. RN, PhD Author Information Associate Professor; Director, Masters Program; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; School of Nursing; Denver, Colorado Advances in Nursing Science: June 1999 - Volume 21 - Issue 4 - p 14-28 Buy Abstract The purpose of this article is to clarify the ambiguity surrounding the concept of caring through situating it within one conceptual system, the Science of Unitary Human Beings. An analysis of the dialogue on caring in nursing is presented. A process of concept clarification was developed to examine points of congruence between existing literature on caring and theoretical niches expressing similar meanings in the Science of Unitary Human Beings. The process resulted in the synthesis of five constitutive meanings of caring in the Science of Unitary Human Beings: manifesting intentions, appreciating pattern, attuning to dynamic flow, experiencing the infinite, and inviting creative emergence. Narratives were developed to ground the abstract meanings in concrete human experience. Copyright © 1999 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
