Theory of

Caritative
Caring-
Eriksson
CYRIL B. ROMERO RN,
PHD
 “Caritative caring means that we
take “caritas” into use when
caring for the human being in
health and suffering …. Caritative
caring is a manifestation of the
love that ‘just exists’…Caring
communion, true caring, occurs
when the one caring in a spirit of
caritas alleviates the suffering of
the patient” Eriksson

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 Biography
Katie Eriksson is one of the pioneers of
caring science in the Nordic countries.
Eriksson was born on November 18, 1943, in
Jakobstad, Finland.
She belongs to the Finland-Swedish minority
in Finland, and her native language is
Swedish.
She is a 1965 graduate of the Helsinki
Swedish School of Nursing, and in 1967, she
completed her public health received her MA
degree in philosophy in 1974 and her
licentiate degree in 1976
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 She graduated in 1970 from the nursing
teacher education program at Helsinki
Finnish School of Nursing.
She continued her academic studies at
University of Helsinki, where she
received her MA degree in philosophy in
1974 and her licentiate degree in 1976;
she defended her doctoral dissertation
in pedagogy .
1996, she has also served as Director of
Nursing at Helsinki University Central
Hospital, with responsibilities for
research and development of caring
science in connection with her
4 professorship at Åbo Akademi
 In 1972, after teaching for 2 years
at the nursing education unit at
Helsinki Swedish School of Nursing,

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Eriksson was assigned to start and
develop an educational program to
prepare nurse educators at that
institution. Such a program taught
in the Swedish language had not
existed in Finland. This education
program, in collaboration with
University of Helsinki, was the
beginning of caring science
5 didactics.
 Theoretical sources
Greek classics by Plato, Socrates, and

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Aristotle, are her inspiration for the
development of both the substance and
the discipline of caring science
Swedish theologian Anders Nygren (1972)
and Hans-Georg Gadamer (1960/1994).
Nygren and later Tage Kurtén (1987)
provided her with support for her division
of caring science into systematic and
clinical caring science.

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 Eriksson introduces Nygren’s
concepts of motive research,

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context of meaning, and basic
motive, which give the discipline
structure.

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 St. Augustine (1957) and
Søren Kierkegaard
(1843/1943) became
important sources. Eriksson’s
thinking was influenced by
sources such as Thomas
Kuhn (1971) and Karl Popper
(1997), and later by
American philosopher Susan
Langer (1942) and Finnish
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philosophers Eino Kaila
 MAJOR CONCEPTS &
DEFINITIONS
Caritas
Caritas means love and charity.
In caritas, eros and agapé are united,
and caritas is by nature
unconditional love.
Caritas, which is the fundamental
motive of caring science, also
constitutes the motive for all caring.
It means that caring is an endeavor
to mediate faith, hope, and love
9 through tending, playing, and
 Caring communion
Caring communion constitutes the
context of the meaning of caring and
is the structure that determines
caring reality. Caring gets its
distinctive character through caring
communion
It is a form of intimate connection
that characterizes caring.
Caring communion requires meeting
in time and space, an absolute,
lasting presence for granted but pre-
supposes a conscious effort to be
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 Caring communion is characterized
by intensity and vitality, and by
warmth, closeness, rest, respect,
honesty, and tolerance.
It cannot be taken for granted but
pre-supposes a conscious effort to be
with the other.
Caring communion is seen as the
source of strength and meaning in
caring

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 The act of caring
The act of caring contains the caring
elements (faith, hope, love, tending,
playing, and learning), involves the
categories
of infinity and eternity, and invites to
deep communion.
The act of caring is the art of making
something very special out of
something less special.

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 Caritative caring ethics
Caritative caring ethics comprises the
ethics of caring, the core of which is
determined by the caritas motive.
Eriksson makes a distinction
between caring ethics and nursing
ethics.
She also defines the foundations of
ethics in care and its essential
substance.
Caring ethics deals with the basic
relation between the patient and the
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 Nursing ethics deals with the ethical
principles and rules that guide our
work or our decisions.
Caring ethics is the core of nursing
ethics. The foundations of caritative
ethics can be found not only in
history, but also in the dividing line
between theological and human
ethics in general.

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 Ethical caring is what we actually
make explicit through our approach
and the things we do for the patient
in practice.
An approach that is based on ethics
in care means that we, without
prejudice, see the human being with
respect, and that we confirm his or
her absolute dignity.
It also means that we are willing to
sacrifice something of ourselves.
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 The ethical categories that emerge
as basic in caritative caring ethics
are:
human dignity, the caring
communion, invitation,
responsibility, good and evil, and
virtue and obligation.
In an ethical act, the good is brought
out through ethical actions.

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 Dignity
Dignity constitutes one of the basic
concepts of caritative caring ethics.
Human dignity is partly absolute
dignity, partly relative dignity.
Absolute dignity is granted the
human being through creation, while
relative dignity is influenced and
formed through culture and external
contexts
A human being’s absolute dignity
involves the right to be confirmed as
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a unique human being
 Invitation
Invitation refers to the act that occurs
when the carer welcomes the patient
to the caring communion.
The concept of invitation finds room
for a place where the human being is
allowed to rest, a place that breathes
genuine hospitality, and where the
patient’s appeal for charity meets
with a response.

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 Suffering
Suffering is an ontological concept
described as a human being’s
struggle between good and evil in a
state of becoming.
Suffering implies in some sense
dying away from something, and
through reconciliation, the
wholeness of body, soul, and spirit is
re-created, when the human being’s
holiness and dignity appear.
Suffering is a unique, isolated total
experience and is not synonymous
19 with pain
 Three Different Forms
of Suffering
1. Suffering related to illness is
experienced in connection with illness
and treatment.
2. The patient experiences suffering
related to care when the patient is
exposed to suffering caused by care
or absence of caring, always a
violation of the patient’s dignity.
3. Suffering related to life the
situation of being a patient, the
entire life of a human being.
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 Example of No. 2 suffering:
If a person or client is not
taken seriously, not welcome,
being blamed, and being
subjected to the exercise of
power are various forms of
suffering related to care.

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 The suffering human being
The suffering human being is the
concept that Eriksson uses to
describe the patient.
The patient refers to the concept
of patiens (Latin), which means
“suffering.”
The patient is a suffering human
being, or a human being who suffers
and patiently endures.

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 Reconciliation
Reconciliation refers to the drama of
suffering.
A human being who suffers wants to
be confirmed in his or her suffering
and be given time and space to suffer
and reach reconciliation.
Reconciliation implies a change
through which a new wholeness is
formed of the life the human being
has lost in suffering.

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 Having achieved reconciliation
implies living with an
imperfection with regard to
oneself and others but seeing a
way forward and a meaning in
one’s suffering. Reconciliation
is a prerequisite of caritas.

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 Caring culture
Caring culture is the concept that
Eriksson (1987a) uses instead
of environment.
It characterizes the total caring
reality and is based on cultural
elements such as traditions, rituals,
and basic values.
Caring culture transmits an inner
order of value preferences or ethos,
and the different constructions of
culture have their basis in the
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changes of value that ethos
 If communion arises based on the
ethos, the culture becomes inviting.
Respect for the human being, his or
her dignity and holiness, forms the
goal of communion and participation
in a caring culture.
The origin of the concept of culture is
to be found in such dimensions as
reverence, tending, cultivating, and
caring; these dimensions are central
to the basic motive of preserving and
developing a caring culture..
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 Major
assumptions
Eriksson distinguishes between two
kinds of major assumptions axioms
and theses.
Axioms as fundamental truths in
relation to the conception of the world
Theses are fundamental statements
concerning the general nature of
caring science, and their validity is
tested through basic research.

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 ⊷ . The caritative theory of caring is
based on the following axioms and
theses, The axioms are as follows:
• The human being is fundamentally an
entity of body, soul, and spirit.
• The human being is fundamentally a
religious being.
• The human being is fundamentally holy.
Human dignity means accepting the
human obligation of serving with love, of
existing for the sake of others.
• Communion is the basis for all humanity.
Human beings are fundamentally
interrelated to an abstract and/or concrete
other in a communion.
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 Caring is something human by nature,
a call to serve in love.
• Suffering is an inseparable part of
life. Suffering and health are each
other’s prerequisites.
• Health is more than the absence of
illness. Health implies wholeness and
holiness.
• The human being lives in a reality
that is characterized by mystery,
infinity, and eternity.

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 The theses are as follows:
• Ethos confers ultimate meaning on the
caring context.
• The basic motive of caring is
the caritas motive.
• The basic category of caring is
suffering.
• Caring communion forms the context of
meaning of caring and derives its origin
from the ethos of love, responsibility, and
sacrifice, namely, caritative
ethics.playing, and learning in a
sustained caring relationship, which is
30 asymmetrical by nature.
 • Health means a movement in
becoming, being, and doing while
striving for wholeness and holiness,
which is compatible with endurable
suffering.
• Caring implies alleviation of suffering
in charity, love, faith, and hope.
Natural basic caring is expressed
through tending, playing, and learning
in a sustained caring relationship,
which is asymmetrical by nature.

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 Metaparadigm
Nursing
Love and charity or caritas as
the basic motive of caring.
The foundation of caring
profession is an inclination to
help and minister those who
are suffering,
Caring is something natural and
original
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 Human Being
Human being is an entity of
body , soul and spirit.
She emphasized that human
being is fundamentally a
religious being, but not all
recognized this dimension.

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 Environment
She uses the concept of ethos
which originally means a home
or to a place where human
being feels at home. It
symbolizes human being ‘s
inner most space, where he
appears in his nakedness.

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 Health
Health is the soundness,
freshness and well being.
It implies being whole in body,
soul and spirit
A pure concept wholeness and
holiness.

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 Thank
you

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