History Of Self-Transcendence Theory

The Theory of Self-Transcendence: History of the Theory

The theory of self-transcendence is a middle-range nursing theory which was developed by Pamela Reed (Cramer, 2013; Smith & Liehr, 2008). Self-transcendence theory establishes a framework for healthcare providers through the promotion of well-being during life-altering events (Reed, 2008). In addition, this theory provides a holistic framework for nursing care focused on the relationship between persons and their environment (Reed, 2008). This can be achieved by creating self-transcendence activities that promote improved well-being through a broadening of personal boundaries (Reed, 2003). As a result, this facilitates the general public 's acceptance of grieving and loss while enhancing

It postulates that development continues throughout an individual 's lifespan in relation to changes in health, illness, loss, and awareness of personal mortality through intrapersonal, interpersonal, temporal and transpersonal expansion (Bohner, 2017; Joireman & Duell, 2005). Self-transcendence is proposed to facilitate the integration of complex and conflicting elements of living, aging, and dying (Fresson et al., 2017). The theory is applicable to many contexts of healthcare, to healthy and to dying patients, to understanding what promotes well-being in patients and to the study of nurses and other care providers who work with ill individuals (Fresson et al., 2017). Thus, the aim of this paper is twofold: to identify theorist’s background, the paradigmatic origins and internal dimensions of the theory of self-transcendence and to trace major developments of the theory in research and practice aspects and discover factors that influenced changes in the

Currently, Reed is on the faculty of the University of Arizona College of Nursing in Tucson, where she teaches, conducts research, and serves in administrative roles, including Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (Smith & Liehr, 2014). Reed has mentored a number of Master and doctoral students in the research on self-transcendence (Masters, 2012). Reed has received numerous awards for doctoral teaching in philosophy of nursing science and practice, and for her theory development courses (McCarthy & Bockweg, 2012). Reed has published numerous articles and book chapters, and she co-edited the sixth edition of Perspectives on Nursing Theory with Shearer in 2012. In 2011, Reed and Shearer published “Nursing Knowledge and Theory Innovation: Advancing the Science of Nursing Practice”, promoting a philosophy and methods of practice-based knowledge development. Reed is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and a member of a number of professional organizations, including Sigma Theta Tau International, the American Nurses Association, and the Society of Rogerian Scholars (Masters, 2012). She serves on the editorial review boards of numerous journals and was a Contributing Editor for a Nursing Science Quarterly column, Scholarly Dialogue (Smith & Liehr,