untitled

can be verified by examining the phenomenon
itself.
Dr. Paterson and Dr. Zderad describe five phases
to their phenomenological study of nursing. These
phases are presented sequentially but are actually
interwoven, because as with all of Humanistic
Nursing Theory, there is a constant flow between,
in all directions, and all at once emanating toward
a center that is nursing. The phases of humanistic
nursing inquiry are:

• Preparation of the nurse knower for coming to
  know


• Nurse knowing the other intuitively


• Nurse knowing the other scientifically


• Nurse complementarily synthesizing known
  others


• Succession within the nurse from the many to
  the paradoxical one

Enfolded in these five phases are three con-

cepts that are very basic to Humanistic Nursing

Theory: bracketing, angular view, and noetic loci.

These will be taken up as we discuss the phases of

inquiry.

Preparation of the Nurse

Knower for Coming to Know

In the first phase, the inquirer tries to open herself

up to the unknown and to the possibly different.

She consciously and conscientiously struggles

with understanding and identifying her own “an-

gular view.” Angular view involves the gestalt of

the unique person mentioned earlier. It includes

the conceptual and experiential framework that

we bring into any situation with us, a framework

that is usually unexamined and casually accepted as

we negotiate our everyday world. Later in the

130 SECTION II Evolution of Nursing Theory: Essential Influences

past experiences "all-at-once" his current being

social relationships

his hopes, d

reams, and

fears

education

gender

, race, religion

individualized

patterns for c

oping

image and expectation of other

past experienc

es with helpers

interweaves

FIGURE 11–3 Patient and nurse gestalts.