Landi L. Schock
NUR/ 513
May 28, 2012
Sharon Little-Stoetzel
Comparison and Analysis Theories Paper
Caring is described by nursing theorists as the core or essence of nursing. The concept of caring is being used by current and older theorists for the last 100 years. It seems as though “caring” and “nursing” go hand in hand. Four nursing leaders, Madeleine Leininger, Jean Watson, and the combination of Patrician Benner and Judith Wrubel all have care as their core concept. This paper will compare and contrast these theorists on what caring is to each of them.
Madeleine Leininger first developed her theories about caring in the 1950s. She is the proponent of transcultural nursing and human care theory. According to Cohen (1991) “Leininger’s definition of caring states that caring is the central and unifying domain for the body of knowledge and practices in nursing. Caring in the generic sense refers to those assistive, supportive or facilitative acts towards or for another individual or group with evident or anticipated needs to ameliorate or improve a human condition or lifeway ” (pp. 899-909). Key to Leininger’s belief is that human caring is universal, but the expressions, processes, and patterns vary among cultures. According to Cohen (1991) “Leininger also differentiates professional caring as those cognitive and culturally learned behaviors, techniques, processes, or patterns that enable or help an individual, family, or community to improve or maintain a favorable healthy condition or lifeway ” (pp. 899-909).
Leininger also talks about how human beings are inseparable from their cultural background and social structures. Her Sunrise Theoretical/Conceptual Model of Transcultural Care Diversity and Universality says that cultural and sociocultural factors of each person affect how each person takes on factors, meanings, and expressions of health and caring systems. This model has wide