Page 163 - Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

F r o m ca ra t i v e F a c t o r 8 t o C a r i t a s P r o C e s s 8
privacy to people in those tribes, but the concept closest to it is that of
the hermit, a private person who does not like other people or civili-
zations. In other words, in some cultures the concept of privacy as we
know it in the Western world does not exist. Other cultures often have
a conflict with privacy notions, placing communal life and people’s
unity, sharing, and engaging over individual needs and concerns. Thus,
for example, a group social-humanitarian focus takes precedence over
individualism. The People’s Republic of China, some societies in the
South Pacific islands, and others are examples of such cultures.
The concept of preserving human dignity is universal, how-
ever. Indeed, one basic right of human dignity includes privacy. The
Caritas Nurse recognizes these basic rights for others as well as for self.
Professional integrity, dignity, and confidentiality are integral aspects
of privacy. A caring-trusting relationship is often dependent on this
aspect of maintaining human dignity.
Supporting a person’s right to privacy can often instill faith and
hope, helping to sustain a caring-trusting relationship. Privacy is a
basic component of this Carative Factor and expands the attention the
nurse brings to the individual needs of others as he or she seeks to pre-
serve human dignity and the integrity of self and others.

Clean aestHetiC surrounDings
Clean aesthetic surroundings are a basic element of this Carative Factor.
The testimony of nursing across time, from Florence Nightingale for-
ward, highlights the importance of clean surroundings. For this rea-
son, cleanliness is often associated with patient care. However, in the
past, custodial institutional care was sterile and industrial, depersonal-
izing and drab. Such institutional darkness that is faceless, harsh, and
sterile can make us feel unwell, exhausted, and disconnected from our
self and our source of energy (Watson 1999). Such anonymity of our
environment can be “life sapping”; consider that historically, hospitals
were considered “warehouses for bodies” instead of places for the soul
(Watson 1999:243). Such separation evokes the feeling that “you know
no one and no one knows you” as a person, and no one cares.
However, even at a superficial level, Nightingale integrated noise,
sound, light, air, taste, sanitation, water, cleanliness, aesthetic beauty,

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