Martha Rogers

The Science of Unitary & Irreducible Human Beings

CHRISTINE JOY I. PASNO, RN SOUTHERN LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY

Grand Nursing Theorist

Martha Rogers
1914-1994
retrieved from: http://www.nurses.info/nursing__theory__person__rogers__martha.htm

Background
3

Eldest of four children Born on May 12, 1914 in Dallas, Texas Died : March 13 , 1994

Parents : Bruce Taylor Rogers Lucy Mulholland Keener Rogers

Credentials of the Theorist

4

Diploma :Knoxville General Hospital School of Nursing

(1936) Graduation in Public Health Nursing, George Peabody College, Nashville , Tennessee (1937) MA in Public Health Nursing Supervision : Teachers college, Columbia university, New York, 1945 MPH :Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1952 Doctorate in nursing :Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1954 Fellowship: American academy of nursing

Rural public health nurse in Michigan Visiting nurse supervision, education, and practice in

Connecticut Established the Visiting Nurse Service of Phoenix, Arizona Professor and head of the Division of Nursing at New York University (1945-1975) Professor Emerita (1979)

Rogers publication include 3 books and more than

200 articles. She lectured in 46 states. Received honorary doctorates from such renowned institutions as Duquesne University, University of San Diego, Iona College, Fairfield University, Emory University, Adelphi University, Mercy College, and Washburn University of Topeka.

Inspiring Leadership in the Field of Intergroup

Relations by Chi Eta Phi Sorority In Recognition of Your Outstanding Contribution to Nursing by New York University For Distinguished Service to Nursing by Teachers College New York University houses the Martha E. Rogers Center for the Study of Nursing Science In 1996, Rogers was posthumously inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame

Origins
8

Rogers was one of the first nurse scholars to

explicitly identify the person (unitary man) as the central phenomena of nursing concern
1970 Science of Unity Human Beings (SUHB)

Rogers realized there had to be something to know in

nursing that required increased education for its transmission

(Fawcett interview, n.d.)

Purpose
9

SUHB theory offers a new look at nursing,

providing a framework for practice, education and research that moves away from the traditional medical model approach to the delivery of nursing care
(Fawcett interview, n.d.)

To promote human-environment field patterning

and the nursing process

(n.a., 2009, para. 11)

Evolution Over Time

10

Radical Difficult to understand Greatly influenced all facets of nursing

(n.a., 2009, para. 7)

The Slinky
11

Imagine the life process moving along the Slinky

spirals with the human field occupying space along the spiral and extending out in all directions from any given location along a spiral. Each turn of the spiral exemplifies the rhythmical nature of life, while distortions of the spiral portray deviations from natures regularities. Variations in the speed of change through time may be perceived by narrowing or widening the distance between spirals.

Major Concepts
12

Human-unitary human beings

Irreducible, indivisible, multidimensionality energy fields identified by pattern and manifesting characteristics that are specific to the whole and which cannot be predicted from the knowledge of the parts.

13

Health

Unitary human health signifies an irreducible human field manifestation. It cannot be measured by the parameters of biology or physics or of the social sciences.
Nursing

The study of unitary, irreducible, indivisible human and environmental fields: people and their world.

Scope of Nursing
14

Nursing aims to assist people in achieving their

maximum health potential. Maintenance and promotion of health, prevention of disease, nursing diagnosis, intervention, and rehabilitation encompass the scope of nursings goals. Nursing is concerned with people-all people-well and sick, rich and poor, young and old. The arenas of nursings services extend into all areas where there are people: at home, at school, at work, at play; in hospital, nursing home, and clinic; on this planet and now moving into outer space.

15

Environmental Field

An irreducible, indivisible, pandimensional energy field indentified by pattern and integral with the human field.
Energy Field

The fundamental unit of the living and non-living. Field is a unifying concept. Energy signifies the dynamic nature of the field; a field is in continuous motion and is infinite. An energy field identifies the conceptual boundaries of man. This field is electrical in nature, is in continual state of flux, and varies continuously in its intensity, density, and extent. (Rogers, 1970)

Subconcepts
16

Openness

Refers to qualities exhibited by open systems; human beings and their environment are open systems.
Pandimensional

A nonlinear domain without spatial or temporal attributes.

17

Synergy is defined as the unique behavior of whole

systems, unpredicted by any behaviors of their component functions taken separately. Human behavior is synergistic.
Pattern

The distinguishing characteristic of an energy field perceived as a single wave.

18

Principles of Homeodynamics Homeodynamics should be understood as a dynamic version of homeostasis (a relatively steady state of internal operation in the living system). Principle of Reciprocity Postulates the inseparability of man and environment and predicts that sequential changes in life process are continuous, probabilistic revisions occurring out of the interactions between man and environment.

19

Principle of Synchrony

This principle predicts that change in human behavior will be determined by the simultaneous interaction of the actual state of the human field and the actual state of the environmental field at any given point in space-time.

20

Principle of Integrality (Synchrony +

Reciprocy) Because of the inseparability of human beings and their environment, sequential changes in the life processes are continuous revisions occurring from the interactions between human beings and their environment. Between the two entities, there is a constant mutual interaction and mutual change whereby simultaneous molding is taking place in both at the same time.

21

Principle of Resonancy

It speaks to the nature of the change occurring between human and environmental fields. The life process in human beings is a symphony of rhythmical vibrations oscillating at various frequencies. It is the identification of the human field and the environmental field by wave patterns manifesting continuous change from longer waves of lower frequency to shorter waves of higher frequency.

22

Principle of Helicy

The human-environment field is a dynamic, open system in which change is continuous due to the constant interchange between the human and environment. This change is also innovative. Because of constant interchange, an open system is never exactly the same at any two moments; rather, the system is continually new or different. (Rogers, 1970)

Science of Unitary Human Beings

23

Five basic assumptions underlay Rogers' conceptual framework: 1. Wholeness 2. Openness 3. Unidirectionality 4. Pattern and Organization 5. Sentience and Thought
(Rogers as cited in Barrett, 2009, para. 4)

Science of Unity Human Beings

24

There are four main topics (metaparadigms) that are

addressed by nursing theorists:

1. 2. 3. 4.

People Environment Health Nursing

(Rogers as cited in Barrett, 2009, para. 5)

Application to Health
25

Individually defined
Multicultural dimensions Influenced by health behaviors

Goal of nursing: health promotion

Application to Nursing
26

Promote health

Positive optimistic approach

The study of unitary, irreducible, indivisible human

& environmental fields: people and their world.

(Rogers as cited in McEwen & Wills, 2007, p.204)

Application to Environment
27

Continually exchanging energy with the unitary

human being
Constant state of change
Helix Represents environment energy field Co-existing & interactive with unitary human

INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENT

28

Environment Energy Field

Human Being Energy Field

Application to Person
29

Unitary energy system Whole entity sum of the parts

Continually exchanging energy with the

environment These energy fields may be described as open systems, with each person having his/her own unique pattern of energy which constitutes the persons identity.
(Tettero, Jackson, & Wilson, 1993, p.777)

Examples of Application to:

30

Nursing Practice Education Research

Application to Nursing Practice

31

Promote Health

Maintain Health

Prevent Illness

Strengths
32

Rogers concepts provide a worldview from which

nurses may derive theories and hypotheses and propose relationships specific to different situations. Rogers work is not directly testable due to lack of concrete hypotheses, but it is testable in principle.

Weaknesses
33

It is an abstract, unified, and highly derived

framework and does not define particular hypotheses or theories. Concepts are not directly measurable thus testing the concepts validity is questionable. It is difficult to comprehend because the concepts are extremely abstract. Nurses roles were not clearly defined. No concrete definition of health state.

Critique of the Theory

34

CLARITY SIMPLICITY GENERALITY EMPIRICAL PRECISION DERIVABLE CONSEQUENCES SPECIFIC EXAMPLES

Clarity
35

Major elements of Rogers work:

5 key definitions 3 principles of homeodynamics 6 assumptions

This approach appears simplistic But is difficult for nurses to understand Too abstract

Parsimony
(McEwen & Wills, 2007)

Simplicity
36

Ongoing studies and work within the model have served to simplify and clarify some of the concepts and relations. However, when the model is examined in total perspective, some still classify it as complex More work is required: use in practice, research and education needed May determine that the model is simple

(Tomey & Alligood, 2006)

Generality
37

Rogers theory is a synthesis of phenomena

Important to nursing
Abstract, unified, and highly derived framework Does not define particular hypotheses or theories

Instead provides a worldview

Nurses may derive theories and hypotheses and

propose relationships specific to different situations

(McEwen & Wills, 2007)

Rogers Theory Applied to ADN Program

38 Increasing diversity Humans and their environment characterized by increasingly complex change Example: Nursing students as they study will find their beliefs changing Continuous change Humans and their environment are constantly changing and evolving together Example: Sleep patterns change as humans age Mutual process Continuous interaction between humans and their environment and is constantly changing Example: As an new nursing student learns skills, coming aware of the way their tensions elicit to the patient

(Hellwig & Ferrante, 1993)

integrality

helicy

resonancy

Empirical Precision
39

Early criticism identified

major limitations

Difficult to understand principles Lack of working definitions Poor tools for measurement

Deductive in logic

Characteristic lack of immediate empirical support

(Tomey & Alligood, 2006)

Derivable Consequences
40

Intends to assist in the understanding of human

evolution and human potential Organized in a manner that place nursings identity as a science Focus is on the human and environmental connection as highly significant Many have used the conceptual model for research

(Tomey & Alligood, 2006)

Summary
41

To understand the Rogers Theory principles and

concepts requires:

A general education base A readiness to part from the traditional Be imaginative in viewing our world

New and challenging theories are emerging to move

the understanding of the unitary human being

(Tomey & Alligood, 2006)

References
42

Fawcett, J. (n.d.). Interview of Martha Rogers nursing theory [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1XN3rPKndE Heggie, J., Schoenmehl, P., Chang, M., & Grieco, C. (1989). Selection and implementation of Dr. Martha Rogers' nursing conceptual model in an acute care setting. Clinical Nurse Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, 3(3), 143-147.

Hellwig, S. & Ferrante, S. (1993). Martha Rogers model in associate degree education. Nurse Educator, 18(5), 25-27.
McEwen, N. & Wills, E. (2007). Theoretical basis for nursing (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkin n.a. (2009). Martha Rogers. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/17667393/NURSING-THEORIST-MARTHAROGERS

References
43

Read, P., Shearer, N., & Nicoll, L. (2004). Perspectives on nursing theory (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkin Tettero, I., Jackson, S., and Wilson, S. (1993). Theory to practice: Developing a Rogerian-based assessment tool. Journal of Advance Nursing, 18(5), 776-782. doi:10.1046/j.13652648. 1993.18050776.x

Tomey, A. & Alligood, M. (2006). Nursing theorists and their work (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
Wright, B. W. (2007). The evolution of Rogers s Science of Unitary/Human Beings: 21st century reflections. Nursing Science Quarterly, 20(1), 64-67.doi: 10.1177/089-4318406296295