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208 UNIT III Nursing Conceptual Models

MAJOR CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS—cont’d

Conservation of Personal Integrity manifested through holiness, a testament to spiritu-
Self-worth and a sense of identity are important. ality in all people. “The conservation of personal
The most vulnerable become patients. This begins integrity includes recognition of the holiness of
with the erosion of privacy and the creation of each person” (Levine, 1996, p. 40).
anxiety. Nurses can show patients respect by calling
them by name, respecting their wishes, valuing per- Conservation of Social Integrity
sonal possessions, providing privacy during proce- Life gains meaning through social communities,
dures, supporting their defenses, and teaching and health is socially determined. Nurses fulfill
them. “The nurse’s goal is always to impart knowl- professional roles, provide for family members,
edge and strength so that the individual can resume assist with religious needs, and use interpersonal
a private life—no longer a patient, no longer depen- relationships to conserve social integrity (Levine,
dent” (Levine, 1990, p. 199). The sanctity of life is 1967b, 1969a).

Use of Empirical Evidence • “Every self-sustaining system monitors its own
Levine (1973) believed that specific nursing activities behavior by conserving the use of the resources
could be deducted from scientific principles. The sci- required to define its unique identity” (Levine,
entific theoretical sources have been well researched. 1991, p. 4).
She based much of her work on accepted science • Human beings respond in a singular, yet integrated,
principles. fashion (Levine, 1971a).

Nursing
Major Assumptions Levine (1973) stated the following about nursing:
Introduction to Clinical Nursing is a text for beginning Nursing is a human interaction (p. 1). Professional
nursing students that uses the conservation principles nursing should be reserved for those few who can
as an organizing framework (Levine, 1969a, 1973). complete a graduate program as demanding as
Although she did not state them specifically as as- that expected of professionals in any other disci-
sumptions, Levine (1973) valued “a holistic approach pline . . . There will be very few professional nurses
to care of all people, well or sick” (p. 151). Her respect (Levine, 1965, p. 214).
for the individuality of each person is noted in the
following statements: Nursing practice is based on nursing’s unique
knowledge and the scientific knowledge of other dis-
Ultimately, decisions for nursing interventions ciplines adjunctive to nursing knowledge (Levine,
must be based on the unique behavior of the 1988b), as follows:
individual patient. . . . Patient centered nursing
care means individualized nursing care . . . and It is the nurse’s task to bring a body of scientific
as such he requires a unique constellation of principles, on which decisions depend, into the
skills, techniques, and ideas designed specifically precise situation that she shares with the patient.
for him (1973, p. 6).
Sensitive observation and the selection of rele-
Schaefer (1996) identified the following statements vant data form the basis for her assessment of his
as assumptions about the model: nursing requirements.
• The person can be understood only in the context The nurse participates actively in every patient’s
of his or her environment (Levine, 1973). environment and much of what she does supports