Ways of Knowing Essay

Ethical practice is another component of the social contract of nursing which is a reflection of the values, beliefs and moral principles of the nursing profession. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has established the “Code of Ethics for Nurses” which serves as a “guideline” for the nursing profession in which clinical judgements and

Barbara Carper’s Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing explains the several patterns of knowing as they impact nursing theory development. Carper identified four types of knowing in nursing. These four types of patterns of knowing are: empirical knowing, aesthetics, ethical knowing and personal knowing. This author will analyze these four patterns of knowing and how they relate to nursing today.

“Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and forgiving heart one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.” Nursing is more than just doing assessments and giving medications; it is going beyond that to know what is right or wrong, what can and cannot be done, and what is considered harming the patients rather than doing them good. In nursing, there is a fine line between what is considered to be negligence and beneficence. According to Marquis (2017), “Ethics is the systemic study of what a person’s conduct and actions should be with regard to self, others human beings, and the environment (pg. 83), on the other hand, it does not necessarily mean that their

According to Carper, one pattern described in the pattern of knowing is aesthetics. Aesthetics is essentially empathy, or having the capacity to understand what another person is experiencing (Carper, 1978). Aesthetics is purely subjective, exclusive, and open to interpretation. “Aesthetics require from the nurse to be fully engaged in the moment of the experience and interpret a client situation all at once by elucidating the meaning of the process and looking beyond the situation to focus on what might be (envisioning), so as to act according to what has been envisioned (Mantzorou & Mastrogiannis, 2011, p. 253). In essence, aesthetics is the process of nursing that involves caring for our

Throughout the development of theory in the discipline of nursing there are concepts of knowledge that are fundamental. Four of these patterns of knowing were first explored by Carper (1978) which included: empirical knowing, ethical knowing, personal knowing, and aesthetic knowing. Later, an additional facet was added by Chinn and Kramer (2008) which introduced emancipitory knowing. While all of these forms of knowledge are critical for holistic nursing care, this paper will place an emphasis on personal knowledge and how it contributes to the development of knowledge within nursing and the roles of advanced care practitioners.

Evidence-based practice can also be described as research-based practice, in such practices, one has to justify the

Carper’s ways of knowing provide a fundamental source of information regarding nursing knowledge and practice. Any professional field is built around a variety of knowledge tenets, which help to organize ideas, test those ideas, and then apply them. Carper’s ways of knowing outline fundamental patterns of deriving knowledge and building experience as far as teaching and the practice of nursing are concerned (Zander, 2007). These patterns are used to explain or develop theory in the teaching of nursing, besides helping practitioners to build more knowledge and to enhance their practice. Carper’s ways of knowing identifies four different patterns of knowledge, which are analyzed in this case within their syntactical and conceptual frameworks. They include empirical, personal, ethical, and aesthetic.

The five fundamental patterns of knowing are empirical, aesthetical, personal, ethical and sociopolitical. The patterns or ways of knowing help with the development and application of nursing knowledge. Empirical knowing embodies “factual and publicly verifiable descriptions, empiricism and theoretical explanations or predictions” (Carper, 2012 p.25). In my Oncology setting the science of nursing is very relevant to practice. I use science daily in calculating body surface area for chemotherapy drugs, chemotherapy protocols and febrile-neutropenia protocols with the initiation of specific antibiotics are some examples. Empirical knowing provides facts from empirical research for nursing care and interventions. Aesthetical knowing is known as the “art and act” of nursing, it highlights empathy. This pattern of knowing recognizes the nurse’s perception of what is significant in an individual patient’s behaviour (Carper, 2012). I utilize the art of nursing by acknowledging the patient’s feelings and being present for them during a difficult time and the ability to establish a meaningful connection with the patient.

Nursing is a profession that involves commitment, understanding, and the acceptance of evolving change. This paper will discuss how the five ways of knowing encompass science (empirics), art (aesthetics), personal, ethical, and socio-political (emancipatory) knowledge. This writer will also describe in this paper how the five ways of knowing are applicable in a clinical context. Being aware of the diverse types of knowing supports the nurse in the multi-dimensional facets nursing will carry them through. According to Carper (1978) understanding the multiple ways of knowing brings greater awareness of the complexity and diversity of nursing knowledge.

Sensing (S) and intuiting (N) dissect the focus of a person’s attention (1998). Sensing refers to using “facts” to determine a decision. Someone who identifies with sensing also is patient, likes to establish a routine, imitative and us good at checking /“reading the fine print”. With intuition (N) refers to using a “gut

So I bring up this controversial topic again, about both mental and physical health and how important it is to take some time out of our crazy busy lives as nurses just to sit with our patients for a few minutes to discuss their pain. By pain, I mean both mental and physical pain. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a situation I was involved in as a nursing student in the clinical setting and how I can critically analyze this situation using Carper’s Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing (1978). This model has helped many practitioners to consider what they learn throughout reflection on their experience within a holistic way.

Empiricism is based from sensory experience and observed facts. This view emphasizes that “scientific knowledge can be derived only from sensory experience” (Alligood, 2014, p. 15). Examples of sensory experience are seeing, feeling and hearing facts. This approach is labeled the research-then-theory strategy. An example that Alligood provides is that “formulating a differential diagnosis requires collecting the facts and then devising a list of possible theories to explain the facts” (2014, p. 16). Empiricists believe that reason alone does not give knowledge (Markie, 2017).

As I have mentioned, epistemology done empirically is better known as naturalized epistemology. However, traditional epistemology, otherwise seen as normative, can help us understand philosophy. When I say normative, I mean the matters of rationality and justification. Jaegwon Kim describes this form of normative epistemology in his essay, What is ‘Naturalized Epistemology’? where he comments,

As of recent decades, the topic of climate change has become a controversial debate between those who support the claim and those who believe it does not exist. Climate change, simply put, is the change in distribution of weather patterns that extend over a longer period of time. One of the major debates is whether global climate change is due primarily to anthropogenic, also known as man-made, causes or it is all part of a natural cycle. This argument introduces bigger topics that are related to the issue, such as the impact of carbon footprints, the current position towards the Paris Agreement, and the future health/economic risks that may arise in southern New Jersey, specifically. Both sides of the

Knowledge is produced differently for everyone based on how they came to be and what their personal style is. The different ways of knowing can help distinguish how we gain knowledge and how we know what we know (Faulkner & Faulkner, 2016). After analyzing the different ways of knowing, I can distinguish which of those ways would affect my research process. I can then begin to understand my personal ontology and epistemology about how knowledge is produced. After I established how I believe my knowledge is produced, I am able to locate myself into a specific paradigm that relates to how I conduct research. Throughout this paper, I will discuss my personal ways of knowing and what paradigm I relate to.