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184 UNIT II Nursing Philosophies
Generality level developing concepts and theory, the theory is
Eriksson’s theory is general in the sense that it aims at rooted in clinical reality and teaching. The whole cari-
creating an ontological and ethical basis of caring, tative theory and the caring that are built up around
while at the same time it constitutes the core of the the theoretical core get their distinctive character
discipline and thus involves epistemology as well. and deeper meaning. The ultimate goal of caring is to
Eriksson’s theory is also general as a result of the wide alleviate suffering and serve life and health.
convincing force it receives through its theoretical Knowledge formation, which Eriksson sees as a her-
core concepts and its theoretical axioms and theses. meneutic spiral, starts from the thought that ethics pre-
There may be a risk that a too-general theory be- cedes ontology. In a concrete sense, this implies that the
comes diffuse in relation to different caring contexts. thought of human holiness and dignity is always kept
Eriksson, however, has always stressed the impor- alive in all phases of the search for knowledge. Ethics
tance of describing the core concepts on an optimal precedes ontology in theory as well as in practice.
level of abstraction in order to include all of the com- Eriksson’s caring science tradition and discipline
plex caring reality that simultaneously carries a wealth of caring science form a basis for the activity at the
of signification that opens up understanding in vari- Department of Caring Science at Åbo Akademi Univer-
ous caring contexts. sity. Eriksson’s caritative caring theory and the discipline
of caring science have inspired many in the Nordic
Accessibility countries, and they are used as the basis for research,
Eriksson’s thinking as a whole has reached an under- education, and clinical practice. Many of her original
standing that extends to other disciplines and profes- textbooks, published mainly in Swedish, have been
sions. She has developed a language and a rhetoric translated into Finnish, Norwegian, and Danish.
that has reached researchers as well as practitioners in
the human scientific field. The empirical precision of
Eriksson’s theory demonstrated in multiple deductive CASE STUDY
testings manifests a combination of the clarity, sim-
plicity, and generality of the theory combined with a The case presented is a philosophy of practice, by Ulf
rich substance and clearly formulated ethos. Donner, leader of the Foundation Home at the psy-
chiatric nursing home in Finland that for 15 years
Importance has based its practice on Eriksson’s caritative theory
Eriksson’s work on developing her caritative caring of caring.
theory for 30 years has been successful, and particularly Even at an early stage in our serving in caring
in the Nordic countries there is abundant evidence that science, we caregivers recognized ourselves in the
her thinking is of great importance to clinical practice, caring science theory, which stresses the healing
research, and education, and also to the development of force of love and compassion in the form of tend-
the caring discipline. By her development of the carita- ing, playing, and learning in faith, hope, and char-
tive theory of care, Eriksson created her own caring ity. The caritative culture is made visible with
science tradition, a tradition that has grown strong and the help of rituals, symbols, and traditions, for
has set the tone for nursing advancement and caring instance, with the stone that burns with the light
science. of the Trinity and the daily common time for
spiritual reflection. In every meeting with the suf-
fering human being, the attributes of love and
Summary charity are striven for, and the day involves discus-
Eriksson has been a guide and visionary who has gone sions of reconciliation, forgiveness, and how we as
before and “ploughed new furrows” in theory develop- caregivers can tend by nourishing and cleansing
ment for many years. Eriksson’s caritas-based theory on the level of becoming, being, and doing. In the
and her whole caring science thinking have developed struggle in love and compassion to reach a fellow
over the course of 30 years. Characteristic of her human being who, because of suffering, has with-
thinking is that while she is working at an abstract drawn from the communion to find common