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Rosemarie Rizzo Parse

Human Becoming Theory
Melody Devlin
Amber Hart
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Background

 Graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where

she later served as the dean of nursing.

 Master’s and Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.

 Professor and Coordinator of the Center for Nursing

Research at Hunter College of the City of New York (1983-
1993)

 Professor and Niehoff Chair at Loyola University Chicago

(1993-2006).

“Parse is an articulate, courageous, and vibrant leader with a strong vision

and a deliberate determination to advance the discipline of nursing . . . With
a perspective that focuses on quality of life and human dignity from the
perspective of patients, families and communities”
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Published Author

 Published 9 books

 Over 100 articles

 Renowned speaker on Nursing Education, Theory to over 300

local, national and international venues in 30 different
countries on 5 continents
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Awards
 Lifetime Achievement Awards from:
 Nursing Research Society
 Asian American Pacific Islander Nursesa

 Rosemarie Rizzo Parse Scholarship endowed in

her name at the Henderson State College of
Nursing

 Society of Rogerian Scholars honored her by

awarding the Martha E. Rogers:

Golden Slinky Award

 2008 New York Times Nurse Educator of the Year
Award
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Currently . . .

 Consultant and Visiting Scholar at the New York University

College of Nursing

 Founder and current Editor of Nursing Science Quarterly

 President of Discovery International, inc.

 Founder of the Institute of Humanbecoming

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Origin of the Humanbecoming
Theory
 Originally Published in 1981 and was entitled “Man-living-
health”

 Renamed in 1992 to remove the word “man” which was formerly

in the dictionary as human kind.

 Developed as a human science nursing theory in the tradition of

Dilthey, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty and Gadamer.

 Assumptions were synthesized from works of European

philosophers: Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty

 Along with the works of American nurse theorist Martha Rogers.

 Called a “School of Thought” because it encompasses: otology,

epistemology and methodology
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Assumptions

The human is:

 C-oexisting while co-constituting rhythmical patterns.
 Open, freely choosing meaning with situation, bearing
responsibility for decisions.

 Becoming is:
 Human-living-health
 Rhythmically coconstituting humanuniversw
 Human’s value priority patterns
 Transcending with possibles
 Human’s emerging
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Basic Concepts of the Human
Becoming Theory

Meaning
“Nurses live the art of humanbecoming in
true presence with the unfolding of
illuminating meaning, synchronizing
rhythms, and mobilizing transcendence.”
(Cody and Bournes, 2010)

Rhythmicity

Transcendence
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Parse for Dummies!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9OcXfS4nNU&feature=r
esults_video&playnext=1&list=PL3A9EE8A6ABEB6B94
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Meaning

 “Structuring
meaning is the imaging and valuing of
languaging” (Cody and Bournes, 2010)

 In
English: People coparticipate in creating what is
real for them through self-expression in living their
values a chosen way.
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Rhythmicity

 Configuring rhythmical patterns of relating is the revealing-

concealing and enabling-limiting of connecting-separating.

 Translation: Living moment to moment one shows and does

not show self as opportunities and limitations emerge in
moving with and apart from others.
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Transcendence

 “Co-transcending with possibles is the powering and

originating of transforming”

 Translation: Moving beyond the “now” moment is forging a

unique personal path for oneself in the midst of ambiguity
and continuous change.
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Principles

 Structuring meaning is the imaging and valuing of

languaging.

 Configuring rhythmical patterns is the revealing-concealing

and enabling-limiting of connecting-separating.

 Contransceding with possibles is the powering and

originating of transforming.
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Four Postulates
 Illimitability
 “Indivisible unbounded knowing extended to infinity, the all-at-once
remembering and prospecting with the moment.” (Parse, 2007)

 Paradox
 “an intricate rhythm expressed as a pattern preference” Paradoxes
are not “opposites to be reconciled or dilemmas to be overcome but,
rather, lived rhythms” (Parse, 2007)

 Freedom
 “contextually construed liberation” Humans are free and
continuously choose ways of being with their situations. (Parse, 2007)

 Mystery
 “unexplainable, that which cannot be completely known” unutterable,
unknowable nature of the indivisible, unpredictable, ever-changing
human universe. (Parse, 2007)
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Paradoxes

 Imaging: explicit-tacit; reflective-prereflective

 Valuing: Confirming-not confirming

 Revealing-Concealing: disclosing-not disclosing

 Connecting-Separating: attending-distancing

 Powering: pushing-resisting; affirming-not affirming; being-

nonbeing

 Originating: certainty-uncertainty; conforming- not

conforming

 Transforming: familiar-unfamiliar

Retrieved from :http://discoveryinternationalonline.com/wp-

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Nursing Paradigms and Parse’s
Theory
 Person
 Open being who is more than and different from the sum of the parts

 Environment
 Everything in the person and his experiences
 Inseparable, complimentary to and evolving with

 Health
 Open process of being and becoming, involves synthesis of values.
 Health is not static but, rather, is ever-changing as humans choose ways of
living.

 Nursing
 A human science and art that uses an abstract boy of knowledge to serve
people.
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A little more on Parse and Nursing

 Nursing is both a profession and a discipline.

 The goal of a discipline is to expand knowledge about human
experiences through creative conceptualization and research.
 The goal of a profession is to provide service to humankind
through living art of science.

“Members of the nursing profession are responsible

for regulating the standards of practice and
education based on disciplinary knowledge that
reflects safe health service to society in all
settings”

-Parse, 1999
+ Symbol of Humanbecoming
Theory
 Black and White
 Opposite paradox
significant to ontology of
human becoming

 Green
 Hope

 Center Joined
 Co Created mutual human
universe process at the
ontological level & nurse
person process

 Green and Black Swirls

Intertwining
 Human-Universe co creation
as an ongoing process of
becoming
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Are you still Awake????
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Theory Overview:
Parse Scholars Beliefs
 Quality of Life from patient’s perspective

 Diagnostic practice fails to respect humankind

 Standardized nursing interventions disregard human dignity

 Understanding human experience= individual freedom

 Humans are change with the process of living

 Inherent freedom is to be honored by nurses

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Theory Overview:
Real World Example
 Chronic Pain
 Nurses should ask patient to describe pain in detail
 Physiological, psychological, situational factors
 Nurses should be aware of patient’s life situation
 By listening to patients, pain can be improved
 Treatment plan can be developed
 Patients feel closer to nurses who listen
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Theories use in Practice
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Theories Use in Nursing

 Differentiates Nursing from other disciplines.

 Not applicable in Acute or Emergent Care.

 Does not utilize nursing process

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Theory used in Nursing Setting
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Parse and Research

 Strengths:
 Provides Research Methodologies
 Enhances understanding of human lived experience, health, quality of
life and quality of nursing practice.
 Expands the theory of human becoming
 Builds new nursing knowledge about universal lived experiences
which may ultimately contribute to health and quality of life.

 Weaknesses:
 “closed circle”
 Rarely quantifiable results
 Difficult to compare to other research studies
 Differentiates nursing from other disciplines & not applicable in other
disciplines
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Example of Research using
Humanbecoming Theory

 Humanbecoming 80/20 Model

 80% of time in direct patient care practicing humanbecoming
 20% of time learning about humanbecoming
+ Used in Nursing Research
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Fawcett’s Criteria
Significance
 Are the metaparadigm concepts & propositions explicit?
 Yes

 Are the philosophical claims explicit?

 Yes

 Is the conceptual model from which derived from explicit?

 Yes, Martha Rogers

 Are the authors of antecedent knowledge acknowledged?

 Yes, acknowledges Martha Rogers
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Fawcett’s Criteria
Internal Consistency & Parsimony
 Are the context and content of the theory congruent?
 Yes

 Do the concepts reflect semantic clarity & consistency?

 Yes

 Is the theory content stated clearly & concisely?

 Yes
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Fawcett’s Criteria
Testability & Empirical Adequacy
 Is the research methodology identified & congruent
w/philosophical claims?
 Yes

 Will data obtained from research sufficiently capture the

essence of the theory?
 Yes

 Are the findings from studies of descriptions of personal

experiences congruent with theory concepts?
 Yes

 Are theoretical assertions congruent with empirical evidence?

 Yes
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Fawcett’s Criteria
Pragmatic Adequacy
 Are education & special training required before application of theory
in nursing practice?
 Yes- language of Humanbecoming

 Has the theory been applied in the real world of nursing?

 Yes- 80/20 study mentioned earlier

 Is it feasible to implement practice derived from theory?

 Yes

 Can you measure the effectiveness of the theory?

 Yes- qualitative measurement

 Can you compare outcomes of the theory when used vs. not used?
 Yes
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Fawcett’s Interview with Parse

 http://www.virtualcurriculum.com/N3225/Fawcett_Parse.pdf
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References

 Cody, W., Bournes, D., Parse’s Humanbecoming School of Thought. May 2010.
Retrieved electronically from: www.humanbecoming.org

 Parse, R. R.,The Humanbecoming School of Thought in 2050. Nursing Science

Quarterly, 2007, 20, pp 307-311. Retrieved from:
http://www.discoveryinternationalonline.com/site/ontology.html

 Nursing Theories; A Companion to nursing theories and models: Rosemarie

Rizzo Parse. Updated October 27, 2011. Retrieved from:
http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Rosemary_Pars_Human_Becomin
g_Theory.html

 Parker, M E., Smith, M C., Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice 3rd Ed.
Chapter 16: Rosemarie Rizzo Parse’s Humanbecoming School of Thought. Pp
277-287.2010 F. A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, PA.

 Liehr, P. Looking at symptoms with a middle-range theory lens. Proceedings,

Aug 2005, 3(5), 152-157. Retrieved from: http://www.jhasin.com/