Eriksson’s Caritative Caring Theory
“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, 1992
WHO IS Katie Erikson?
 A
Finland-Swedish nurse
born on November 18,
1943, in Jakobstad, Finland.
 In 1965
she attended nursing school
to become a practicing
nurse. She then later
became a nursing instructor
at Helsinki Swedish Medical
Institute.
 She currently works as a
professor of health sciences
at Abo Akademi University
in Vaasa, where she built a
master's degree program in
health sciences, and a four-
year postgraduate studies
program leading to a
doctoral degree in health
sciences.
 She is also responsible for
research and development
of the Caring Sciences
Department (Tomey and
Alligood 2006)
The Caritative Caring Theory: Why we should
care
 A model of nursing which distinguishes
between caring ethics, the practical
relationship between the patient and the
nurse, and nursing ethics.
 Nursing ethics are ethical principles that
guide a nurse’s decision-making abilities.
 Caritative caring consist of love and
charity, which is also known as caritas,
and respect and reverence for human
holiness and dignity.
 According to the theory, suffering that
occurs as a result of a lack of caritative
care is a violation of human dignity.
Major Concepts:
I. 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 through tending, playing, and
learning
II. 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 (Eriksson, 1990). It is a form
of intimate connection that characterizes
caring. Caring communion requires
meeting in time and space, an absolute,
lasting presence (Eriksson, 1992c).
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.
III. 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.
IV. Caritative Caring Ethics - Comprises the
ethics of caring, the core of which is
determined by the caritas motive. She
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 nurse—the way in which
the nurse meets the patient in an ethical
sense. It is about the approach we have
toward the patient. Nursing ethics deals
with the ethical principles and rules that
guide my work or my 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. Eriksson has
been influenced by Nygren’s (1966)
human ethics and Lévinas’ (1988) “face
ethics,” among others. 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. 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.
V. 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.
VI. 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
VII. 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
with pain
VIII. Suffering related to illness, to care,
and to life - These are three different
forms of suffering. Suffering related to
illness is experienced in connection with
illness and treatment. When the patient
is exposed to suffering caused by care or
absence of caring, the patient
experiences suffering related to care,
which is always a violation of the
patient’s dignity. Not to be taken
seriously, not to be welcome, being
blamed, and being subjected to the
exercise of power are various forms of
suffering related to care. In the situation
of being a patient, the entire life of a
human being may be experienced as
suffering related to life
IX. 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 in Latin, which means “suffering.”
The patient is a suffering human being,
or a human being who suffers and
patiently endures
X. 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.
In reconciliation, the importance of
sacrifice emerges (Eriksson, 1994a).
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.
XI. Caring culture - Caring culture is the
concept that Eriksson 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 changes of
value that ethos undergoes. 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.
Nursing Paradigm in the mind of Eriksson

 Person – A suffering human being or a

human being who suffers and patiently
endures
 Health – 3 forms of health and each
contains suffering: Related to Illness,
Related to Care, and Related to Life.
 Environment – Caring Culture concept
 Characterizes the total caring
reality based on cultural elements.
 Transmission of value preferences
(ethos).
 Preserving respect, dignity and
holiness of the human being.
 Nursing - Distinction between caring and
nursing ethics.
 Caring Ethics – The core of nursing
ethics; deals with patient-nurse
relationship.
 Nursing Ethics – Deals with ethical
principle and rules that guide
nursing decisions.
Strength and Weaknesses of Theory
Strength:
 Holism
 Acknowledges willingness of person,
caregiver or patient.
 Nurse willingness to act without
prejudice.
 Altruistic
Weakness:
 Abstract
 Spiritually based
 Lack of international use in nursing
education
 Nurse willingness to self-sacrifice