untitled

people as they speak about their personal realities,

explore life options, ponder the possible outcomes

of various choices, and select ways to move on amid

life’s unfolding consequences. The nurse guided by

the human becoming perspective lives a commit-

ment to honor persons as they disclose their reali-

ties in the presence of another who will not judge

or try to control their processes of illuminating

meaning, synchronizing rhythms, and mobilizing

transcendence. The human becoming theory spec-

ifies relationships among particular values and be-

liefs about the human-universe process, quality of

The human becoming theory specifies

relationships among particular values and

beliefs about the human-universe process,

quality of life, and nursing.

life, and nursing. The nurse who embraces these

particular values and beliefs expresses them with

others who recognize the presence of human be-

coming nursing.

As Rosemarie Rizzo Parse (1998) has shown ear-

lier in the chapter, the Theory of Human Becoming

has given rise to a school of thought. The theory’s

assumptions and principles comprise the school of

thought’s ontology, which describes the person as

freely choosing meaning in situation, coexisting

and interrelating multidimensionally with the uni-

verse, and continuously cotranscending with the

possibles in uniquely personal ways. Freely choos-

ing meaning is cocreating reality through one’s

imaginings and self-expressions while living cher-

ished values. Coexisting and interrelating with oth-

ers generates rhythmical patterns and paradoxes

that disclose the ups and downs of living. One con-

tinuously transcends with the possibles through

shifting perspectives of unfolding events and com-

mitting to one course of action over another while

never fully knowing the outcomes.

The human becoming practice methodology

flows from these beliefs and delineates a way of au-

thentically living these beliefs. The essence of the

methodology is structured in the written dimen-

sions and processes published by Parse in 1987; but

less formal guidance was offered in the 1981 text in-

troducing the human becoming theory, then called

“man-living-health.” The dimensions and processes

are stated in the table on p. 192.

Since Parse’s theory was first published, an in-

creasing number of nurses have cited it as having

194 SECTION III Nursing Theory in Nursing Practice, Education, Research, and Administration

Human Becoming in practice also will con-

tinue to be synthesized and conclusions will

be drawn. These syntheses will guide deci-

sions for continually creating the vision for

sciencing and living the art of the Human

Becoming School of Thought for the better-

ment of humankind.

PART TWO:

Applications of

Parse’s Human

Becoming

School of

Thought

Gail J. Mitchell, Sandra Schmidt

Bunkers, & Debra Bournes

Applications

References

Applications

This section of the chapter describes the applica-
tion of Parse’s Theory of Human Becoming in
practice, research, administration, education, and
regulation.

PRACTICE

The human becoming practice methodology
(Parse, 1987) helps nurses know how to be with