Explication of the Philosophical

An
Assumptions of the Roy Adaptation Model
SISTER CALLISTA ROY, RN, PHD*

In this paper, the philosophical assumptions for theorizing and re-

search based on the Roy adaptation model of nursing are explicated.
The common philosophical heritage of nursing and the author’s perspec-
tive of the discipline are examined. Some highlights of the developments
of the Roy adaptation model are reviewed. Eight assumptions about the
adapting person in society are articulated, derived from the theorist’s
nursing heritage, perspective of the discipline, and specific life values.
The philosophical assumptions are categorized by the general principles
of humanism and veritivity, a term coined to connote the richness of
rootedness in an absolute truth. This principle is compared to rational-
ism and relativism as two other world views. The author describes how
veritivity as a world view leads to the values of conviction, commitment,
and caring based on the value of the individual in society in the context
of the purposefulness of all of human existence.

Nursing as a practice disipline has a strong ing, (b) the author’s perspective of the disci-
philosophical heritage that is relevant to both pline and the clinical science of nursing, and
the social mandate and the scholarly develop- (c) specific assumptions about the adapting
ment of the discipline. Given today’s crucial person in society that are derived from these
ethical issues and the rapid development of perspectives and the theorist’s value orienta-
nursing theory and research, nurse theorists tions.
are compelled to explicate the basic assump-
tions of their work. The assumptions of any
given conceptual model are both philosophic Philosophical Heritage of Nursing
and scientific. The articulation of these as-
The essence of nursing through the ages has
sumptions can contribute greatly to both the been rooted in the relationship between nurse
focus and development of the scheme of sub-
stantive knowledge inherent in the model. The and patient. This was true for Florence Night-
scientific assumptions of the Roy adaptation ingale, who was revered in the popular image
model of nursing have received more attention of the lady with the lamp. Nightingale is rec-
in the literature (Andrews & Roy, 1986; Gort- ognized as one of the greatest humanitarians
ner et al., 1984; McKay et al., 1978; Riehl &
of the 19th century. She founded modern
Roy, 1974, 1980; Roy, 1970, 1976, 1983a, nursing on military and religious principles.
1983b, 1984a, 1984b, 1985, 1987a, 1987b, However, as Palmer notes ( 1983), in Nightin-
1988, in press; Roy & Anway, in press; Roy & gale’s letters to the probationers at St.
Andrews, 1986; Roy & Obloy, 1978; and Roy Thomas’ Hospital, she identified a crucial dif-
& Roberts, 1981) than have the philosophical ference between nursing and other occupa-
tions : &dquo;The main, the tremendous difference is
assumptions (Riehl & Roy, 1974, Roy, 1981, that nurses have to do with these living bodies
1983b). The purpose of this paper is to begin and no less living minds: for the life is
to close this gap at a particularly timely point ...

in social and professional developments. The human life-with living, that is conscious
philosophical basis for the author’s theorizing forces, not electric or gravitation forces, but
and research will be specified by examining human forces&dquo; (p. 14).
In the middle of the next century, the nurs-
(a) the common philosophical heritage of nurs-
ing literature in North America provided fur-
Key Words: Roy Adaptation Model, Veritivity, Philosoph- ther insights about the nurse-patient relation-
ical Assumptions, Humanism
ship. In 1952, Peplau defined nursing as &dquo;a
Received October 12, 1987 significant, therapeutic, interpersonal proc-
Accepted October 23, 1987 ess&dquo; (p. 16). In this view, nursing functions
*School of Nursing, Boston College, Boston, MA. cooperatively with other human processes that
make health possible for individuals in com-
munities. In this same era, Orlando ( 1961 )
described nursing care as looking at patient

26
behavior, identifying the patient’s need for report notes that altruism involves courage,
help, and responding to this need. Travelbee integrity, morality, and objectivity. These
(1966) added the dimension that suffering is a value themes are seen in current writings by
common life experience and that human rela- such authors as Leininger ( 1981 ) and Watson
tionships are what help people cope with suf- ( 1979, 1985).
fering. Basically, nursing is a relationship of Thus one notes, in the early development of
human being to human being. modern nursing and in its expanding years in
the United States, a commitment to persons
as individuals in a social context. Current writ-
assumptions of any given
The ings and deliberations in the field reflect the
conceptual model are both philosophic challenge of living out this commitment in a
and scientific. rapidly changing world. It is within this heri-
tage that contemporary nurse theorists de-
velop their concepts of nursing.
Johnson (1974) emphasized the social re-
sponsibility of the profession as well as its Perspective of the
Discipline
interpersonal dimension. In the era of devel- The author’s perspective of the discipline of
opment of specific models to guide nursing
practice and curriculum, she proposed three nursing can be traced to the influence of John-
criteria for evaluating models. Evaluating the son (1968), who spoke of nursing knowledge

social congruence, social significance, and so- of order, disorder, and control. These notions
cial utility of a given model can be helpful as were used in the depiction of the relationship
criteria extrinsic to the content of the model.
Johnson was committed to the purposeful and
goal-directed development of the theoretical The basic science of nursing focuses on
knowledge of the emerging profession within human life processes.
the context of society.
Nursing’s concern with both individual
needs and the social responsibility of a profes-
sion has given rise to much discussion of the
between conceptual models and theory devel-
ethical problems in the nurse-patient relation-
opment (Roy, 1983a, p 458). The conceptual
ship (Davis & Aroskar, 1983; Murphy & model provides a view of the person that is
Hunter, 1983; Yarling & McElmurry, 1986). .

crucial in creating and selecting basic science

The moral foundation of nursing is recognized,
theories about how the person functions. This
but whether or not nurses are free to be moral,
because of multiple accountabilities for pa- process of theorizing and doing research about
human function is termed the basic science of
tient care, is questioned. Furthermore, the
nursing. Furthermore, the view of the person
complexities of practice environments in a is influenced by the given model’s stated goal
rapidly changing society give rise to increasing of nursing. This goal influences the theories
ethical dilemmas for nurses. Nurses are con- about the person, but more significantly, it
fronted with decisions, such as whether or not
to cooperate with a medical order to discon- shapes the theorizing and research that de-
tinue food and fluids for a brain-damaged per- velop the science of nursing practice.
The author no longer refers to knowledge of
son. They may be involved in the setting of
order and disorder. Citing the commonalities
policies regulating who can be informed of a of nursing identified by Donaldson & Crowley
positive AIDS test for patients whom they have (1978), the understanding of basic life proc-
known for a long time.
esses and nursing action to promote and en-
hance these processes (Roy, 1985) is focused
on instead. Further described is the perspec-
The author no longer refers to tive of a basic and clinical science in an inte-
knowledge of order and disorder. grative metaparadigm for nursing (See Figure
1). This broad view of the domain of nursing
may be basic to a variety of conceptual models
In describing the essentials of professional for nursing science within the discipline. The
nursing, a recent panel of educators (American basic science of nursing focuses on human life
Association of Colleges of Nursing, 1986) listed processes as the core of knowledge to be de-
seven values in addition to liberal education veloped. These life processes are mutually in-
and knowledge and professional nursing prac- teractive with the total ecology. This element
tice as basic in educating a nurse. The essen- of the integrative metaparadigm represents a
tial values are identified as altruism, equality, dynamic incorporation into a larger unit of
aesthetics, freedom, human dignity, justice, what Fawcett (1983) described as person and
and truth. Each value implies certain attitudes environment in the metaparadigm of nursing
and personal qualities. For example, the panel recognized through the early 1980s.
27
 on the Roy adaptation model with colleagues
around the world; and work in developing a
PhD program in the nursing curriculum at
Boston College. The operationalizing of the in-
tegrated metaparadigm is based on under-
standing of the following: z

1. The American Academy of Nursing state-

ment on the agenda for knowledge develop-
ment for the year 2000 ( 1985),
2. The American Nurses’ Association Social
Policy Statement ( 1980),
3. Work of the Nurse Theorist Group (Kim,
McFarland, & McLane 1984),
4. Functional health patterns developed by
Gordon (1987);
5. Murphy’s work in ethical reasoning (Murphy
& Hunter 1983); and
6. Understanding of the person as an adaptive
1.
system (Andrews & Roy, 1986; Roy, 1970,
Figure Integrated metaparadigm of nursing science. 1984a; Roy & Roberts, 1981) and of the
focus of clinical knowledge development
The clinical science of nursing is based on (Roy, 1985, 1987c).
the basic science of nursing as well as on the
history and philosophy of nursing, which in- The life processes are currently identified as
cludes a strong ethical heritage. It has an ex-
tensive system of substantive knowledge re-
regulating, thinking, becoming, valuing, relate
lated to the diagnosis and treatment of the
ing, feeling, and acting. They are at the core
of human activity at both the individual and
patterning of the life processes in wellness and group levels. A process such as thinking de-
traditional life situations, in chronic and acute
velops within a specific ecologic situation, for
illness, and particularly in life situations when example, the genetic and neurologic makeup
the positive processes are threatened by health and the immediate environment of the person,’
technologies and behaviorally induced health including factors such as nutrition, perceptual
problems. The intended outcome of both the and interactional stimulation, and the per-
development and use of clinical nursing sci- son’s place in the social structure. The result
ence is to enhance the positive life processes of the development and use of all of the life
and the person’s patterns of functioning.
processes is the person’s functional life pat-
These expanded views of nursing and health terns. It is from these patterns that the person
are derived from, and in turn contribute to, or group responds to health problems. Thus
the basic nursing science of human life proc- the nurse may observe that a person seems to
esses. know very little about his or her own health
status, even after repeated sessions to teach
the nature and management of a chronic ill-
The clinical science of nursing is based ness. To develop clinical knowledge related to
on the basic science of nursing. the phenomenon of lack of knowledge requires
a full understanding of thinking as a life proc-
ess, how it develops in the individual context,
This integrative metaparadigm is viewed as and how it operates in the specific context in
a synthesis of cutting-edge movements in the which the nurse deals with this person. A
discipline as well as having roots in the au- model of thinking from an information proc-
thor’s own professional experiences. Notable essing approach has been developed and ex-
among these experiences were her education plored clinically (Roy, in press).
in masters and PhD programs with D. E. John- Thus, the author’s perspective of the disci-
son at the University of California, Los Ange- pline is that of an integrated metaparadigm
les, work as a pediatric nurse and a basic social that has the dynamism of life processes at its
scientist, and postdoctoral study in neurosci- heart and the functional life patterns emanat-
ence nursing with C. R. Robinson at the Uni- ing from that center and being manifested in
versity of California, San Francisco. Other im- human responses to actual or potential health
portant experiences include chairing of the problems. The basic science of nursing deals
Nurse Theorist Group of the National Confer- with the domain of understanding and further
ence on Nursing Diagnosis; participating in the developing the explanatory theories about life
American Academy of Nursing Task Force on processes. Considerable emphasis is placed on
the Development and Utilization of Nursing the related clinical science of nursing. This
Knowledge and in the Social Justice Secretar- clinical science focuses on understanding and
iat of the Sisters of St. Joseph; on-going work developing the predictive midrange theories
28
 related to the diagnosis and treatment of hu-
man responses within the functional patterns. Assumptions about the Adapting Person in
Society
The philosophical assumptions of the Roy
Development of the Roy Adaptation Model of adaptation model are derived from the theo-
Nursing rist’s nursing heritage, perspective of the dis-
Just as the author’s perspective on the dis-
cipline, and specific life values. They reflect
the inherent tension of the reality that the
cipline, of nursing has developed over the past human person is self-contained with individ-
20 years, so has the conceptual framework, ual needs, yet is interdependent in sharing the
the Roy adaptation model of nursing. From its common needs of humankind (see, for exam-
beginning, when the author was a masters
student in pediatric nursing at the University ple, Gilligan, 1982). Accordingly, these as-
of California, Los Angeles, the model has been sumptions are categorized by the general prin-
ciples of humanism and veritivity, a term
shaped by use in clinical practice and by the coined by the author.
pursuit of related theory building and re-
search.
The model was based on systems theory
Principles basic to the assumptions
(Von Bertalanffy, 1968) and on Helson’s
(1964) adaptation level theory. The four adap- Humanism is the term used for a broad
tive modes were added to meet the needs of movement in philosophy and psychology that
student nurses to have a framework for as- recognizes the person and subjective dimen-
sessment. It was from 500 samples of patient sions of human experience as central to know-
behavior in a variety of clinical situations that ing and to valuing. The relevant tenets of hu-
physiologic needs, self-concept, role function, manism have been summarized and include
and interdependence were identified. The creative power, purposefulness, holism, sub-
early work on the regulator and cognator as jectivity, and interpersonal relationships (Roy,
the central processing mechanisms of the 1983b).
adaptive system was not further developed un- Secular humanism is currently regarded as
til some time after the initial publications in an approach to respecting the value of human
the 1970s. nature without adherence to a religious creed.
After nearly a decade of efforts (Roy, 1973, Having deep roots in religious faith and rec-
1976) to develop the model for nursing curric- ognizing the potential consequences of ex-
ula, attention was turned to further theoretical treme forms of secular humanism, the author
work. In Roy & Roberts ( 1981 ), the theory of has found it necessary to seek another way to
the person as an adaptive system was devel- express beliefs about the meaning of human
oped. Additional theories were described rela- existence. When no term in the philosophical
tive to each adaptive mode, and numerous ex- literature seemed to connote the depth of the
amples were given of theory building based on notion she was attempting to express, the au-
the model premises. Each adaptive mode was thor chose to coin a word and began some
described as a system with the major concepts years ago to speak of the principle of veritivity
and internal functioning of each identified. (Roy, 1984c). The word comes from the Latin
Propositional statements were developed and word veritas, meaning truth. The philosophi-
interrelated. These midrange theories were cal premise asserted is that there is an abso-
then used to illustrate the derivation of testa- lute truth. While others have explored the pos-
ble research hypotheses. sibility of a central life force, for the author,
The author’s research related to the con- absolute truth is known as a creator, God. In
cepts of the model have included an interven- this world view, persons are the discoverers of
tion study related to the role function mode truth, and truth is viewed as a unity of oneness
(Roy, 1967); a pilot study to examine patient that is the creator. Persons as individuals and
outcomes of the nurses’ management of par- as members of society come from, participate
ticular contextual stimuli (Roy, 1972); an in- in, and are destined to return to this source of
tervention study related to enhancing cognator creation. This view was poetically explored in
effectiveness (Roy, 1986); a survey project to medieval time by Dante, who used the image
examine the interrelationships of patient de- of the rose to express final unity in paradise.
cision making, powerlessness, adaptation, The unity of being and convergence of the
and wellness (McKay et al., 1978; Roy, 1977, universe was described by de Chardin ( 1956),
1978); and both qualitative and quantitative the Christian paleontologist, in bold terms
explorations of the dimensions of the coping even before the discoveries of science that sup-
mechanisms (Roy, 1975, 1987d). Other theo- port this view. A related view of a person’s
retical efforts have looked at the family and place in nature is reflected in a recent defini-
community and administrative groups as tion of healing. Rush ( 1981 ) notes that healing
adaptive systems (Anway & Roy, in press; Roy, is obtaining balance or harmony and a proper
1983b, 1984b). relationship with one’s deity.
29
 Veritivity can be defined as a principle of exposure to learning about the nervous system
human nature that affirms a common pur- in anatomy and physiology class. The reality
posefulness of human existence. Within presented in this class proved to her the exist-
Christianity and some other world religions, ence of God just as well as the arguments about
this purpose is final union with God, the cre- the uncaused caused and the unmoved
ator, and with the rest of humankind in the mover that were taught in metaphysics class.
state commonly called heaven. A belief in In later postdoctoral studies in neuroscience
something absolute outside of oneself allows nursing, the ability to see this field as a prism
one to reach to the infinite rather than limit that catches some of the transcendent light
the possibilities of human nature. The author beyond was maintained and deepened.
approaches life and professional work with the
premise that human nature is rooted in relat-
edness to the absolute truth of the creator. For Veritivity can be defined as a principle
the theorist, this is a justified belief, or another of human nature that affirms a
form of real knowledge (Ewing 1951, p. 21). common purposefulness of human
Within the broad principles of humanism and existence.
-

veritivity, the author has begun to explicate

the values implied by these two philosophical
principles.
’
In further exploring the basis of this intuited
value, the approach taken by Popper was
Values inherent in the philosophical principles found helpful. The 1981 book he co-authored
As the Roy adaptation model gained wide- with Eccles, The se f and its brain, has been
spread use in nursing education and practice, described as creating a vital link between phi-
the author was frequently asked to speak losophy and science. Each author presents his
about the work. In interactions with audiences argument for interactionism, then the philos-
around the world, the author became aware opher and the neurobiologist discuss the exist-
that many of the value orientations that were ence of consciousness as one of the greatest
assumed in her work were not obvious to read- riddles of cosmology. Popper agrees with
ers. Three possible world views were compared Kant’s argument that men are not machines
(a) rationalism, in which the scientific mode is and that materialism transcends itself. He in-
used to know truth by empirical fact, (b) rela- troduces the notion of creative evolution, or
tivism, whereby fact is known to exist only in emergent evolution, and arranges cosmic evo-
relation to the thinking person, and (c) veritiv- lutionary stages into three worlds that interact
ity, in which the highest form of knowing is with levels from zero to six in these worlds.
integration with the unity of truth. As a sci- The first world, the world of physical objects,
entist, and specifically as a clinical nurse contains the hierarchy of (0) hydrogen and
scholar, the author then attempted to articu- helium, (1) the heavier elements, liquids and
late values for science that could put forward crystals, and (2) living organisms. The second
the best of these three world views and still world is the world of subjective experiences
maintain a focus on the central truth (Roy, and involves (3) sentience, or animal con-
1984c). sciousness and (4) the consciousness of self
Chinn & Jacobs (1983) refer to science as and of death. Finally, the third world is the
both an approach to the generation of knowl- new objective world created by human beings,

edge and the results of using the approach. containing the projects of the human mind, a
Science requires the use of controlled, rigor- world of myths, of fairy tales and scientific
ous, and precise methods within a particular theories, of poetry, art, and music. Popper la-
area. The process includes research as well as bels the two levels of this world as (5) human
critical and logical thought. Science is also a language, including theories of self and of
body of knowledge, that is, facts and theories death, and (6) works of art and science, includ-
generated by the scientific processes. To know ing technology. This conceptualization is used
one’s world and to work toward the full reali- to provide a place for materialism and empiri-
zation of created nature, one uses the methods cism within a much larger scheme.
of science to build scientific knowledge. How- Popper (Popper & Eccles, 1981) proceeds to
ever, the philosophical premises reflect a be- present a revised form of the refutation of
lief beyond the empirical world and the value materialism. This argument, which reaches to
of transcending materialism. antiquity, states, &dquo;If materialism is true, it
Early life experiences of wonder that already seems that we cannot know that it is true. If
reflected this value are recounted by the au- my opinions are the result of the chemical
thor. For example, she recalls pondering as a processes going on in my brain, they are deter-
child what forever means and realizing that mined by the laws of chemistry, not of logic.&dquo;
there is a reality beyond the leaves that fall (p. 11). Popper suggests that materialism does
today and the grass that dies tomorrow. Simi- not destroy itself, but that it is self-defeating;
larly, she felt the same sense of awe when, as it cannot seriously claim to be supported by
a beginning nursing student, she had her first rational argument.
301
 The author maintains that transcending ativity, there is evidence that people can dis-
materialism is an important value for science cern the good, agree upon it, and seek it. Edu-
because it provides for both integration and cators do not doubt that some types of learning
perspective. It allows one to see one’s work in are better for students than others, even to the
relation to the whole scheme of things and not point of establishing required courses. Educa-
to take any one piece of reality too seriously. tional and health care institutions and the
The scholar is encouraged toward a respect for corporate world have developed mission state-
one’s topic, yet an awe of the larger picture ments and management by objectives to
that allows for a healthy skepticism of one’s achieve their goals. All of this presupposes
own data. If one uses data simply to prove a that one can discern values.
thesis and is blind to all that the data might The consequences of a largely relativistic
be saying about reality, then one misses both view of the world are, according to Price
the opportunity and the joy of scientific dis- (1984), the possibility of developing indiffer-
covery. Beyond what the scholars’ own data ence, neutrality, and triviality. All values be-
can tell them, they know there is a whole of come equally justified; there is no question of
which these data are only a part. better or worse. Expressions of value are seen
In a discussion of Kant’s theory of knowl- as merely a matter of taste, and tastes change
edge, Boas (1957) makes the point that the or do not really matter. Finally, Price speaks
whole man is not the rational man. For ex- to the debasement that comes from a lack of
ample, poetic insight is the archetype of value consciousness. Minds are dulled to the
knowledge for the simple reason that in poetry perception of worth. Admittedly, these effects
logical analysis is destructive not only of the of relativism are stated in the extreme. How-
unity of its object but also of its meaning. From ever, they can stimulate an exploration of a
differing world view, one that is rooted in an
absolute truth.
Three values that come from balancing rel-
Transcending materialism is an ativism with veritivity are conviction, commit-
important value. ment, and caring. If truth is a unity and hu-
mans share in a common, purposeful exist-
ence, then there is great meaning to human
the religious perspective, the person is made interdependence. In both the ancient and mod-
in the image of God and is intregrated into the ern worlds one notes the heights and depths
natural world as a reflection of the creator. to which these values can be developed. It is
God sees creation as a whole; human beings said of Socrates that his courage was a symbol
see it in parts. The poet shares in the vision of of his confidence in his own integrity. As
the unity of creation. A recent comparison of Nietzche was to write, &dquo;What is good? Bravery
robot movement to human movement (Public is good.&dquo; One only risks one’s life for some-
Broadcasting Stations, 1985) clearly demon- thing that one believes and knows to be better
strated the same notion of respect for the hu- than life itself. Jesus, the founder of Christi-
man as not just the material but as a master- anity, said, &dquo;There is no greater love than this:
piece of integration and holism. to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.&dquo; Mother
In dealing with the world view of relativism, Teresa of Calcutta sends sisters and brothers
the author appreciates the scientific advances wherever there is need, to India, Australia, the
of this perspective while recognizing the dan- Middle East, and San Francisco, California.
gers of adhering solely to this point of view. They work with the poor, the destitute, the
Price (1984) describes the pervasiveness of dying and the mentally handicapped as well
relativism in nursing education and lists a as with alcoholics, drug addicts, abandoned
number of reasons for this in contemporary babies, and AIDS patients. The needs of
society. Rejection of the past and, with it, re- humankind are responded to with conviction,
ligious conviction that has long been the chan- commitment, and caring.
nel of exploring and maintaining human val- Given convictions about the goodness and
ues, is common. The past is viewed in contrast value of persons, one comes naturally to the
with progress, and progress is placed above special commitment called caring. This com-
everything else. The new, the up-to-date, and mitment is what motivates one to select nurs-
the contemporary are attractive. This rejection ing as a career. Caring has long been part of
of the past is supported by science and tech- the heritage of nursing. Whereas other authors
nology. There is a tendency to think that only (e.g., Leininger, 1981, Watson 1979, 1985) ex-
in recent times has humankind accomplished plicate the dimensions of this special heritage
anything of worth in the realm of knowledge. of nursing, the author intends to highlight a
For example, people find it difficult to accept particular philosophical basis for this value.
failure of medical treatment because they have Whereas there is physical relativity to the
come to believe that science can answer all world, it is proposed that this can be balanced
unknowns and solve all problems. by a belief in a metaphysical veritivity. The
In spite of the societal pervasiveness of rel- indifference and triviality that can stem from

31
a totally relativistic stance can then be tran- the individual. In addition to the scientific as-
scended. sumption of holism from systems theory, the
Maintaining caring as a value for science as personal unity and integrity of each person
well as for the art of nursing, the author notes should be emphasized. From this assumption
the demands of the rigors of science. Any ap- stems the next, that each individual strives to
proach the scholar takes to learn about and maintain that individual integrity. However,
use knowledge about people and their inter- since people are not complete in themselves,
actions with the environment presupposes a they also reach beyond themselves. Finally, a
great deal of care about the subject. The common source and destiny give each person
scholar believes that the study is worthwhile a deeper realization of the need for relation-
and accepts the commitment of this convic- ships.
tion. The techniques of investigation are rig- The principle of veritivity as discussed here
orous and they are designed to find a piece of stresses assumptions that unite individual hu-
truth while they focus on the value of each man existence with that of all others who
person touched by the study. This care is taken share this condition. The author believes that
in addition to the hope of the ultimate good the individual in society is viewed in the con-
that the work can effect. Care needs to extend text of the purposefulness of all human exist-
beyond the subjects of the study to one’s col- ence. It is not by chance, but by creative de-
leagues. The world of science is fascinating sign, that intelligent life appeared and that
but demanding. Scholars need and deserve the people relate in such socially developed ways
care that colleagues who share the same strug- ~ as through language and humor. As noted in
gle can provide. the conceptualization presented here, each
person has a creative source and destiny. Fur-
Specific assumptions thermore, the purposefulness of the human
life plan is shared and therefore has unity.
The meaning of the philosophical principles Individual activity and creativity, in this con-
of humanism and veritivity is expanded when text, aim beyond self for the common good.
one views the perception of the values inher- Recent studies by Gilligan (1982) identify a
ent in these principles as compared with purr sequence of moral development that involves
rationalism and relativity. The specific as- increasing complexity in the understanding of
sumptions of the Roy adaptation model can be the relationship between self and other. She
identified within the context of these princi- notes particularly the centrality of the con-
ples and the related values. cepts of responsibility and care in women’s
Eight specific assumptons are outlined. In construction of the moral domain.
humanism, it is believed that the individual (a) Finally, a specific philosophical assumption
shares in creative power, (b) behaves purpose- is that life has value and meaning. This key
fully, not in a sequence of cause and effect, (c) value has been implied throughout this discus-
possesses intrinsic holism, and (d) strives to sion. Furthermore, it is a cherished heritage
maintain integrity and to realize the need for of the profession. Travelbee (1966) chose to
relationships. In veritivity, it is believed that put forth the goal of nursing as helping people
the individual in society is viewed in the con- find meaning in suffering. This goal presup-
text of the (a) purposefulness of human exist- poses the value and meaning of life itself for
ence, (b) unity of purpose of humankind, (c) the individual and for human existence in gen-
activity and creativity for the common good, eral. Noted here is the author’s specific view
and (d) value and meaning of life. of the meaning of life.
From an interpretation of the broader prin-
ciple of humanism, the individual is seen not
as the center of the universe but as a partici-
Summary
pant with all of humankind in discovering and
being united with truth. It is believed first that The values and assumptions that have
the individual shares in creative power. This guided the author’s exploration of an adapta-
belief is followed by an explicit statement of tion model of nursing have not changed. How-
the purposefulness of human action. Critics of ever, in this presentation they have been ex-
the author’s early work noted that it sounded plicated specifically. The assumptions enu-
mechanistic because it spoke of stimuli and merated arebased on the common heritage of
behavior. However, the complexities and sub- nursing and the author’s perspective of an
tleties of the process whereby the person takes integrated metaparadigm for nursing and
in and responds to the environment preclude value orientation. This articulation of philo-
such a behavioristic interpretation of the use sophical assumptions can enhance the contin-
of these terms. Furthermore, the examination ued theory development and research based
of any concept of the model in relation to the on the Roy adaptation model of nursing. In
philosophical assumptions articulated here this way substantive knowledge can be devel-
further clarifies this distinction. The third spe- oped for both the basic and clinical sciences
cific assumption notes the intrinsic holism of of nursing.

32
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