the possibility for each to “become” in concert with
the other. According to Josephine Paterson and
Loretta Zderad, in nursing, the purpose of this dia-
logue, or intersubjective relating, is, “nurturing the
well-being and more-being of persons in need”
In nursing, the purpose of this dialogue, or
intersubjective relating, is, “nurturing the
well-being and more-being of persons in
need.”(1976, p. 4). Humanistic Nursing Theory is
grounded in existentialism and emphasizes the
lived experience of nursing. One of the existential
themes that it builds on is the affirmation of being
and becoming of both the patient and the nurse,
who are actualized through the choices they make
and the intersubjective relationships they engage in.
The new adventurer in Humanistic Nursing
Theory may at first find some of these terms and
phrases awkward. When I spoke to a colleague of
the “moreness” and of “relating all at once,” she re-
marked, “Oh, oh, you’re beginning to sound just
like them,” meaning Dr. Paterson and Dr. Zderad.
But this vocabulary reflects a grasp of nursing as an
ever-changing process. Just as nursing in actual
practice is never inert, so Humanistic Nursing
Theory is dynamic. Consider Josephine Paterson’s
own description of humanistic nursing: “Our ‘here
and now’ stage of Humanistic Nursing Theory de-
velopment at times is experienced as an all-at-once
octopus at a discotheque, stimulation personified,
gyrating in many colors” (1977, p. 4).
If asked to conceptualize Humanistic Nursing
Theory succinctly, I would have to say, “call and
response.” These three words encapsulate the core
themes of this quite elegant and very profound
theory. Through this paradigm, Josephine Paterson
and Loretta Zderad have presented a vision of
nursing that is amenable to variation in practice
settings and to the changing patterns of nursing
over time.
According to Humanistic Nursing Theory, there
is a call from a person, a family, a community, or
from humanity for help with some health-related
issue. A nurse, a group of nurses, or the community
of nurses hearing and recognizing that call respond
in a manner that is intended to help the caller with
the health-related need. What happens during this
There is a call from a person, a family, a
community, or from humanity for help
with some health-related issue. A nurse, a
group of nurses, or the community of
nurses hearing and recognizing that call
respond in a manner that is intended to
help the caller with the health-related
need. What happens during this dialogue,
the “and” in the “call and response,” the
“between,” is nursing.dialogue, the “and” in the “call and response,” the
“between,” is nursing.
In their book Humanistic Nursing(1976), Drs.
Paterson and Zderad share with other nurses their
method for exploring the “between,” again empha-
sizing that it is the “between” that they conceive of
as nursing. The method is phenomenological in-
quiry (Paterson & Zderad, 1976 p. 72). Engaging
in the phenomenological process sensitizes the in-
quiring nurse to the excitement, anticipation, and
uncertainty of approaching the nursing situation
openly. Through a spirit of receptivity, a readiness
for surprise, and the courage to experience the un-
known, there is an opportunity for authentic
relating and intersubjectivity. “The process leads
one naturally to repeated experiencing of and re-
flective immersion in the lived phenomena”
(Zderad, 1978, p. 8).
This immersion into the intersubjective experi-
ence and the phenomenological process helps to
guide the nurse in the responsive interchange.
During this interchange, the nurse calls forth all
that she is (education, skills, life experiences, intu-
ition, etc.) and integrates it into her response. A
common misconception that students of Human-
istic Nursing Theory may have is that it asserts that
the nurse must provide what it is that the patient is
calling for. Remember the response of the nurse is
guided by all that she is. This includes his or her
professional role, ethics, and competencies. A par-
ticular nurse may not actually be able or willing to
provide what is being called for, but the process of
being heard, according to this theory, is in itself a
humanizing experience.
Look at the conceptual framework of Human-
istic Nursing Theory in Figure 11–1 to help explain
and illustrate some of its basic concepts and as-
sumptions. Humanistic nursing is a moving processCHAPTER 11 Josephine Paterson and Loretta Zderad’s Humanistic Nursing Theory and Its Applications 127