Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory

1. Health as Expanding Consciousness: Margaret Newman Chapter 17

2. Overview of Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness • Major concepts are health, consciousness, patterns of movement and space–time • Consciousness is the system’s ability to interact with the environment • Pattern is the “information that depicts the whole and understanding of the meaning of all of the relationships at once”

3. Overview of Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness • Movement is reflection of consciousness that indicates inner organization or disorganization of persons; it communicates harmony or person’s pattern with the environment • Time is considered an index of consciousness • Dimensions of space–time–movement are complementary and linked to one another

4. Major Concepts of Nursing According to Newman • Person: a “center of consciousness within an overall pattern of expanding consciousness” identified by individual patterns of consciousness, and viewed as participants in the transformative process • Environment: viewed as energy field, universe of open systems, and as event, situation, or phenomena interacting with the person

5. Major Concepts of Nursing According to Newman • Health: synthesis that occurs due to the fusion of disease and non-disease that forms health; health as concept is “pattern of the whole” • Nursing: within the nurse-patient interaction the nurse is seen as a “caring, pattern-recognizing presence” and the nursing process is a process of pattern recognition

6. Explicit Assumptions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • Health encompasses disease as a meaningful aspect of health; a manifestation of underlying pattern of person–environment interaction • Pathological conditions can be considered manifestations of total pattern of individual • Health is the expression of consciousness

7. Explicit Assumptions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • The pattern of the individual that eventually manifests itself as pathology is primary and exists prior to structural or functional changes • Removal of the pathology in itself will not change the pattern of the individual • If becoming “ill” is the only way an individual’s pattern can manifest itself, then that is health for that person

8. Implicit Assumptions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • Humans are open energy systems • Humans are in continual interconnectedness with a universe of open systems • Humans are continuously active in evolving their own pattern of the whole

9. Implicit Assumptions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • Humans are intuitive as well as cognitive and affective beings • Humans are capable of abstract thinking and sensation • Humans are more than the sum of their parts

10. Propositions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • Patterning of human health experiences occurs within the context of the environment • Consciousness is a manifestation of evolving pattern of person–environment interaction • The evolving pattern of person–environment interaction can be viewed as a process of expanding consciousness

11. Propositions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • Movement is a pivotal choice point in the evolution of human consciousness • When movement is no longer an option, we learn to transcend the limitations of time–space–movement so as to reach higher levels of consciousness • Movement is a reflection of consciousness • Time is a measure of consciousness

12. Propositions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • The consciousness that characterizes any form of life is expressed in its movement • Manifestations of space–time–movement are indicators of consciousness • The rhythm of living phenomena is a vivid portrayal of the embeddedness of matter (consciousness) in space–time

13. Propositions of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • A person comes into being from the ground of consciousness and loses freedom as he or she is bound in time and finds identity in space • Through movement, a person discovers the world of time–space and establishes personal territory

14. Brief Critique of the Health as Expanding Consciousness Theory • Derived from both inductive and deductive logic • Concepts clearly defined and used consistently throughout the theory • Broad in scope and has been used in several different cultures • Theory is complex and must be understood as a whole rather than by superficially examining the individual concepts in attempt to use the theory

15. Newman’s Theory as a Framework for Nursing Practice • Five steps involved in the application of the theory to practice: • Engagement with the patient • Development of the narrative • Follow-up meetings • Application of the theory • Family and community patterns