1. Rosemarie Rizzo Parse
Human Becoming Theory
Melody Devlin
Amber Hart

2. 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 ( )
Professor and Niehoff Chair at Loyola University Chicago ( ).
“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”

3. 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
Humanbecoming Hermeneutic Method and Parse Method
Published multiple qualitative research studies about lived experiences of health and quality of life (such as hope, laughing, joy-sorrow, feeling respected, contentment, feeling very tired and quality of life with Alzheimers disease)

4. 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

5. 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
As editor of science quarterly she organized a venue for nursing scholars to meet and debate matters of nursing theory and research development

6. 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

7. Assumptions The human is: Becoming 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
Assumptions synthesis of ideas from ideas from the Science of Unitary Human Beings and from existential phenomenological thought
Humans are experts on their own health and quality of life
Humans live all at onces in freely choosing meanings that arise with illimitable experiences.

8. Basic Concepts of the Human Becoming Theory
Meaning
Rhythmicity
Transcendence
“Nurses live the art of humanbecoming in true presence with the unfolding of illuminating meaning, synchronizing rhythms, and mobilizing transcendence.”
(Cody and Bournes, 2010)

9. Parse for Dummies!
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10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.
Referred to as the humanbecoming theory

14. Four Postulates Illimitability Paradox Freedom Mystery
“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)

15. 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 : content/uploads/2011/11/2011HBontology.pdf
Paradoxes along with concepts are described as the humanuniverse, presented as apparent opposites- further specifying the uniqueness of the humanbecoming language. They are not opposites or problems to be solved but rather are ways huans live their chosen meanings
Imaging-the symphony is a unique story of the human as mystery emerging with the explicit tacit knowings
Connecting-separating- is being with and apart from others, ideas, objects and situations all at once
Powering- humans are everchaning, moving on with the possibilites of their intended hopes and dreams. A changing diversity unfolds as humans affirm and do not affirm in the pushing and resisting of powering.
Originiating to be like others and unique all at once
Transforming- changing diversity occurs here

16. 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.

17. 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

18. 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

19. Are you still Awake????

20. 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

21. 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

22. Theories use in Practice

23. Theories Use in Nursing
Differentiates Nursing from other disciplines.
Not applicable in Acute or Emergent Care.
Does not utilize nursing process

24. Theory used in Nursing Setting

25. Parse and Research Strengths: Weaknesses:
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
No control group or standardized questions

26. 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

27. Used in Nursing Research

28. Fawcett’s Criteria Significance
Are the metaparadigm concepts & propositions explicit?
Yes
Are the philosophical claims explicit?
Is the conceptual model from which derived from explicit?
Yes, Martha Rogers
Are the authors of antecedent knowledge acknowledged?
Yes, acknowledges Martha Rogers

29. Fawcett’s Criteria Internal Consistency & Parsimony
Are the context and content of the theory congruent?
Yes
Do the concepts reflect semantic clarity & consistency?
Is the theory content stated clearly & concisely?

30. 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?
Are the findings from studies of descriptions of personal experiences congruent with theory concepts?
Are theoretical assertions congruent with empirical evidence?

31. 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?
Language needed:
Humanbecoming and humanuniverse as one word to create one concept and further confirms the idea of indivisibility
Three human becoming principles contain nine concepts written in verbal form with –ing ending to make clear the importance of the ongoing process of change as basic to humanunviverse emergences
Paradoxes as apparent opposties further specifying the uniqueness of the humanbecoming language

32. Fawcett’s Interview with Parse

33. References
Cody, W., Bournes, D., Parse’s Humanbecoming School of Thought. May Retrieved electronically from:
Parse, R. R.,The Humanbecoming School of Thought in Nursing Science Quarterly, 2007, 20, pp Retrieved from:
Nursing Theories; A Companion to nursing theories and models: Rosemarie Rizzo Parse. Updated October 27, Retrieved from: 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 F. A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, PA.
Liehr, P. Looking at symptoms with a middle-range theory lens. Proceedings, Aug 2005, 3(5), Retrieved from: