The Science of Unitary Human Beings is a theory in health care, especially the practice of nursing, that the human individual as united with his/her environment and interpreted the nature of human beings as irreducibly complex. That is, a human being exists as a whole that cannot be broken down or simplified to the sum of its parts in the treatment of an illness. This theory, which relies heavily esoteric or pseudoscientific concepts of energy in addition to concepts of psychological energy was initially developed by Martha E. Rogers as a model for nurse practitioners that deals with the philosophy of nursing. Rogers' views are holistic in their approach and concerned with education, research, and the service of humankind by nurses. Her theory is controversial because it challenged nursing theories of the time with its basis on an open worldview. However, has come to be accepted by many mainstream nursing specialists as well as pracitioners of alternative medicine, many of whom operate within New Age fields of thought. It the foundational theory for the Society of Rogerian Scholars.

The Science of Unitary Human Beings provides a framework for practice, education and research that departs from the traditional medical model's approach to nursing care. Rogers' framework also presents an alternative to traditional nursing, which she characterized as: reductionistic, mechanistic, and analytic.

The Concept of the Unitary Human

Rogers' theory asserts that it is inappropriate to address only a patient's isolated body part as causing them harm and instead seeks to treat as a whole, healing them completely. This approach takes into account the patient's mind and environment as well as their physical well-being. Rogers believed nursing is both a science and an art. Nurse practitioners choose their field of work based on an interest in the profession's focus on the patient.

An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing

This book by Rogers, published in 1970, first advanced the theory of Unitary Human Beings throughout the nursing world. The cover of the book depicts a Slinky stretched across a black surface, the illustration representing the space and time continuum which we occupy. Other books by Rogers included: Educational Revolution in Nursing (1961), Reveille in Nursing (1964), Nursing Science and Art: A Prospective (1988), Nursing: Science of Unitary, Irreducible, Human Beings (1990), and Vision of Space Based Nursing (1990).

Basic Assumptions and Concepts

Five basic assumptions underlay the conceptual framework of the Science of Unitary Human Beings: wholeness, openness, unidirectionality, pattern and organization, and sentience and thought. Her intention and hope was to create a more positive and productive relationship between nurse and patient. <Barrette>^[1]

Some basic concepts in the Science of Unitary Human Beings assert:

The "energy field" as a functional unit of a living human being.
A "pattern," perceived as a single wave is a distinguishing characteristic of an energy field.
The existence of humans within a pan-dimensional, non-linear domain without spatial or temporal attributes.
The "human field," which is, in Rogers' words, "an irreducible, pan-dimensional energy field identifiable by pattern and manifesting characteristics that are specific to the whole and that cannot be predicted from the knowledge of the parts. The human being is characterized by the capacity for abstraction and imagery, language and thought, sensation and emotion."^[2]
The "environment field," identifed as an irreducible, pan-dimensional energy field identified by its pattern and integrated with the human field.
The life process of human beings evolves irreversibly and unidirectionally along a space-time continuum.

To understand Rogers' theory, these previously stated details have to be understood as her assumptions about humankind and its relationship with the natural world. The title of her theory "Unitary Human Beings" can be misleading. It should not be interpreted as cheapening each individual human's "uniqueness" but rather her concept of energy fields surrounding each human emphasizes the difference in patterns in energy that are emitted from each of us.

Theories Derived From Unitary Human Beings Theory

The perspective rhythm model "person, health, wellness-illness and metaparadigm" (Fitzpatrick 1983)^[3]
Theory of health as expanding consciousness (Newman, 1986)^[4]
Theory of creativity, actualization and empathy (Alligood 1991)^[5]
Theory of selftranscendence "deductive reformulation" (Reed 1997)^[6]
Power as knowing participation in change (Barrett 1998)^[7]

Research Tools Derived from the Science of Unitary Human Beings

Perceived field motion scale^[8]
Human field rhythm scale^[9]
Temporal experience scale^[10]
Assessment of dream experience scale^[11]
Person environment participation scale^[12]
Leddy healthiness scale^[13]
Garon assessment of pain scale <Widener University School of Nursing>^[14]

Practices Derived from the Science of Unitary Human Beings

Therapeutic Touch

Criticisms

The principal criticism of the Science of Unitary Human Beings is that it is not actually science but pseudoscience.^[15] Terms such as "energy field" may sound as if they come from physics but they actually refer to a form of esoteric energy or psychological energy, which--especially in the case of the former--are very different from physical energy. this isnt helpful

Practitioners of Unitary Health Care

Treatment and healing practices based on Rogers' theory are referred to as Unitary Health Care. Specific practitioners include:

Francis C. Bileym Ph.D. - a registered nurse (RN) in Great Britain who lectures at the University of Wales
Michael Ammende - a German registered nurse who teachings Rogerian theory and also runs workshops in Therapeutic Touch. He has translated An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing into German.
W. Richard Cowling, Ph.D. - a registered nurse in Virgina who offers session on "Unitary Pattern Appreciation" described as, "A new approach to deeper understanding of underlying pattern and connections to experiences, perceptions, and expressions of life."
Elizabeth A. M. Barrett, Ph.D. - a registered nurse in New York who practices "Health Patterning", a process that help people understand feelings and thoughts through Therapeutic Touch, imagery, and meditation as well as sensory stimulation using sound, light, color, and motion.
Margaret A. Newman, Ph.D. - a registered nurse in New York who developed a related theory she calls "Health as Expanding Consciousness" that asserts every human being, regardless of health and emotional state, "is part of the universal process of expanding consciousness."^[16]
Vidette Todaro-Franceshi - author of The Enigma of Energy: Where Science & Religion Converge (date needed) which is based on Rogerian theory.

References

Barrett, Elizabeth A.M. Using Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings in Nursing Practice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 1, p. 50-51. 1988.

Widener University School of Nursing, Chester, PA 19013, USA. National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. Library of National Medicine; National Institutes of Health, 1996. pubmed.gov

Rogers, Martha E. An Introduction to Theoretical Basis of Nursing. 1970.

Williams, Stephen. Fantastic Archeology: the Wild Side of North American Prehistory. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991.

Society of Rogerian Scholars. 2008. societyofrogerianscholars.org

Biley, Francis. Energy fields nursing: a brief encounter of a unitary kind. International Journal of Nursing Studies 30(6) 519-525.

Biley, Francis C. Energy Fields Nursing: An Exploration of New and Re-Discovered (Boundaries for Practice). Lecturer in Nursing, University of Wales College of Nursing. 2000.

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