Evolving Rogerian Nursing Science

Evolving Rogerian Nursing Science:

John R. Phillips’ Unique Contributions

Society of Rogerian Scholars (SRS)

Resource Development Committee:

Patricia Bartzak, RN; DNP, TCRN, CMSRN, CNRN

Howard Butcher, RN; PhD, FAAN

Jane Flanagan, RN; PhD, ANP/AHN-BC, FNI, FNAP, FAAN

Dorothy Jones, EdD, ARN, FAAN, FNI

Dorothy Larkin, RN; PhD

Violet Malinski, RN; PhD, Chairperson

Sean M. Reed, RN; PhD, APRN, AHN-BC, SGAHN

Marlaine Smith, RN; PhD, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, HS-GAHN, FAAN

President, SRS

Evolving Rogerian

Nursing Science

John R. Phillips’ Unique Contributions

Published by

Society of Rogerian Scholars

Evolving Rogerian Nursing Science: John R. Phillips’ Unique Contributions

Copyright © 2023 by Society of Rogerian Scholars. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law. All materials are reprinted with permission.

This book is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered.

Book design by Launch My Book, Inc. (www.launchmybook.com) with cover design by Joe Russell (JoeRussellDesigns) and interior design by Booknook.biz.

Published in the United States of America

Identifiers:

ISBN 979-8-9882469-0-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-9882469-1-6 (Ebook)

Endorsements

John Phillips’ vision, scholarship and dedication to advancing and sustaining ‘Science of Unitary Human’ and Rogerian Science, stand alone as a repository of brilliance of unitary consciousness. His publications affirm a cosmology of human-universe ahead of its time; yet ironically, on-time, with quantum awakening of an expanding global worldview. A compilation of Phillips’ seminal scholarship serves as a lasting gift to Nursing and humanity; a pinnacle archetypal contribution that will live onward into Nursing’s evolution. Every nurse seeking the greatest vision and fulfillment of Nursing needs this book to fulfill purpose.

—Jean Watson, RN; PhD, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL (AAN)

Founder, Watson Caring Science Institute

This book is a fantastic compendium of the evolution of the science of unitary human beings (SUHB) from John Phillips’ early thoughts to his most recent creative conceptualizations. All of Dr. Phillips’ publications have advanced the SUHB in ways no one else even dreamed of.

It has been my honor to know Dr. Phillips since our days as learners with Martha Rogers as our teacher and inspiration at New York University. After we completed our PhDs, he a year or so before me, we remained in contact through the Society of Rogerian Scholars annual conferences and through my reading of each of his published papers. I have always admired Dr. Phillips for his steadfast commitment to the SUHB and to advancing our understanding of how this novel conceptual system of nursology can and does guide arm chair theorizing, theory development through research, practice, and education.

Every paper included in this book is a journey of enlightenment for every reader. Every paper, especially those published in the past decade, presents an extension of the language we can (and should) use in discourse about the SUHB.

Overall, this book is a must have and must read for anyone who is even a little interested in unitary science in general and the SUHB in particular.

—Jacqueline Fawcett, RN; PhD, ScD (hon), FAAN, ANEF

Professor, Department of Nursing

Robert and Donna Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences

University of Massachusetts Boston

Professor Emerita, School of Nursing

University of Pennsylvania

John Phillips’ contributions to the evolution of Martha Rogers’ science of unitary human beings (SUHB) are brilliant, thought-provoking, and expansive. This curated collection of Phillips’ scholarship, published by the Society of Rogerian Scholars (SRS), is a must have for anyone drawn to Rogerian nursing science or a unitary worldview. As the leading scholar in the field, Phillips continues to push the Science toward its infinite potentials for enhancing human-environment wellbecoming.

—Marlaine C. Smith, RN; PhD, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, HS-GAHN, FAAN

Professor Emerita

Director, Anne Boykin Institute for the Advancement of Caring in Nursing

Florida Atlantic University

Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing

President, Society of Rogerian Scholars

The papers by John R. Phillips compiled in the volume show his devotion and unique dedication to the advancement of the science of unitary human beings. The remarkable variety of topics he elaborated illustrate his reflective knowledge of Rogerian science. He pushed onward spreading the vision of Martha E. Rogers while honoring and strengthening the roots of her work. The papers herein bear witness and give testimony to the immense contributions of John R. Phillips to the Rogerian legacy as it continues to grow in quantum leaps in the 21st century and beyond.

—Rosemarie Rizzo Parse, PhD; FAAN

Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Loyola University Chicago

Visiting Scholar Decker School of Nursing, Binghamton University

Editor, Nursing Science Quarterly

President, Discovery International

For those not taught by John in a classroom, his writings have provided insight into Rogerian Science and helped us expand our understanding of this transformative conceptualization of Nursing Science. John is nurturing, patient, and supportive to those who seek to explore and understand the underlying philosophical foundation and assumptions of Rogerian science. His approach to learners and scholars alike is open, generous, and welcoming.

As a Master teacher, John openly shares his knowledge while allowing the freedom for questions and clarification of ideas. He embraces Martha Rogers and her legacy with humility and dedication. Within this framework, his evolving ideas and theoretical conceptualizations about wellbecoming continue to evolve significantly. He has impacted our thinking about nursing, health, and the human experience.

We thank John Phillips for inviting us to become part of an expanding circle of nursing scholars seeking to contribute to the evolving science of unitary human beings. His presence and scholarly writings, now available to all, continue to stimulate our thinking and impact nursing’s goal of the human betterment of all.

—Dorothy A. Jones, EdD, ARN, FAAN, FNI

Professor Emerita, Boston College, William F. Connell School of Nursing

Director Emerita and Senior Nurse Scientist—Moon Center Massachusetts General Hospital

Member—Martha Rogers’ Scholars Fund and Society of Rogerian Scholars

—Jane Flanagan, RN; PhD, ANP-AHN-BC, FNAP, FNI, FAAN

Associate Professor, Boston College

William F. Connell School of Nursing

Past-President, Society of Rogerian Scholars

Nominations Chair, Society of Rogerian Scholars

Professor John Phillips taught my first dissertation course at NYU 25 years ago. Subsequently he became my dissertation chairman. His commitment to students permitted him to share his gifts as a nurse and educator with us. When I worked with him, I felt like my committee was the only one of which he was chair. During that decade I was an elected official in the NJ General Assembly. Dr. Phillips’ dedication to the science of unitary human beings (SUHB) guided my study of power and trust within a new worldview, utilizing the scholarship of Martha Rogers and Elizabeth Barrett. I valued the knowledge of Rogers’ science throughout my dual roles as a nurse and public official. I am truly grateful for John’s continuing contribution to the evolution of Rogerian nursing science, presented so beautifully in this outstanding book. If you are at all interested in the science of unitary human beings, whether as a beginner or a seasoned scholar well versed in this science, this is the book for you.

—Barbara Wright, RN; PhD, FAAN

Retired

People often complain that it is difficult to access accurate information about Rogers’ science of unitary human beings. Not anymore. Here, in one volume, are the original, creative writings of John R. Phillips, one of the foremost Rogerian thinkers who is advancing the Science of Unitary Human Beings while remaining true to its roots as articulated by Martha E. Rogers. As an added bonus the reader will find Martha E. Rogers’ seminal 1992 article, Nursing Science and the Space Age, in the Appendix, making this book a goldmine of information for anyone with even the slightest interest in Rogerian nursing science.

—Violet M. Malinski, RN; PhD

Co-founder, Society of Rogerian Scholars

Retired

This collection of Dr. Phillips’ writings provides insight related to a broad understanding of Rogerian Science, as well as the thinking of a major Rogerian scholar whose work will shape the future of Rogerian Science. Dr. Phillips, who knew and worked with Dr. Martha Rogers for many years, has a particular understanding of Rogers’ thought based on hours of conversation with her—conversations that I am sure challenged and inspired the depths of their scholarship.

—Peggy L. Chinn, RN; PhD, FAAN

Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut

Editor, Advances in Nursing Science

nursology.net

Overdue reckoning on Racism in Nursing

Decades ago, Rogerian science enabled me to anticipate changes in science that influence the substance and methods of nursing inquiry today. Rogerian scholar John Phillips has curated some of Martha Rogers’ most challenging, significant, and enduring ideas for nursing science. Through John’s writings, we appreciate how Rogers’ concept of pandimensionality motivated scientific questions relevant today about spirituality and consciousness, and about the potential for change and well-being across the lifespan and in the midst of its endings. We appreciate how Rogers’ unitary, human-environment process blurs distinctions between subjective and objective realities and is foundational to the current movement of mixed methods research. John’s works on Rogerian science clarify and elaborate what is unique about nursing science, even while the discipline remains open to discoveries in other sciences and technology—from astronomy to molecular biology—for what they may mean for nursing knowledge and care of unitary human beings. John’s kindness in sharing his deep insights about Martha Rogers the person and Martha Rogers the icon and iconoclast, is an enduring contribution to nursing.

—Pamela G. Reed, RN; PhDm FAAN

Professor and Interim Dean for Academic Affairs

The University of Arizona College of Nursing

Dr. John Phillips has the distinction of being a close associate of Dr. Martha Rogers while they were colleagues at New York University for many years. Dr. Phillips’ scholarly contributions demonstrate a depth and scope of understanding and appreciation of the science of unitary human beings that is incomparable in the field. This book brings together decades of work that expands our understanding of Rogers’ science through his uniquely attuned conceptual and theoretical lens. It also provides creative new insights into the meaning and value of the conceptual system, making connections to the emerging world of nursing science and practice and the human condition. The book exposes readers to an imaginatively innovative theory of pandimensional awareness-integral presence. Emerging forms of interpretation and knowledge are inspired by Dr. Phillips’ conceptual contributions in the theoretical niche of human wellbecoming and unitariology. The readings contained in this book are for both inquisitive and seasoned scholars in pursuing a richer awareness and appreciation of the world of unitary human beings.

—W. Richard Cowling, III, RN; PhD, AHN-BC, SGAHN, ANEF, FAAN

Associate Professor, Nursing Science, East Carolina University Editor, Journal of Holistic Nursing

To all those visionary seekers inspired by the

brilliance of the Science of Unitary Human Beings

and committed to its advancement

Acknowledgments

To Rosemarie Rizzo Parse, Editor of Nursing Science Quarterly, for moving Dr. Phillips’ last contribution to the journal from a 2023 issue to the last 2022 issue to expedite the printing of the book.

To Sage and the National League for Nursing for granting permissions to reprint.

To the Society of Rogerian Scholars and the Resource Development Committee for moving this project forward.

Contents

Endorsements

Acknowledgments

Introducing John R. Phillips, RN; PhD

1.   Changing Human Potentials and Future Visions of Nursing: A Human Field Image Perspective

2.   The Aim of Philosophical Inquiry in Nursing: Unity or Diversity of Thought?

3.   The Open-Ended Nature of the Science of Unitary Human Beings

4.   Rogers’ Contribution to Science at Large

5.   Evolution of the Science of Unitary Human Beings

6.   Martha E. Rogers: An Icon of Nursing

7.   Rogerian Nursing Science and Research: A Healing Process for Nursing

8.   Behold Pattern

9.   Perspectives of Rogers’ Relative Present

10. The Universality of Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings

11. Creating an Epiphany with Martha E. Rogers

12. Martha E. Rogers: Heretic and Heroine

13. Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings: Beyond the Frontier of Science

14. New Rogerian Theoretical Thinking About Unitary Science

15. Nursing Science, Nursing Theory: Nurse Atheists, Nurse Agnostics, Nurse Theists

16. Unitariology and the Changing Frontiers of the Science of Unitary Human Beings

17. The Revelation of Beauty in Nursing

18. A Rogerian Vision of Gender in a Pandimensional Universe

19. Rogerian Theoretical Musings on Wellbecoming

20. Epilogue: Pattern Manifestations of Martha Rogers in a Changing Relative Present

Appendix: Nursing Science and the Space Age

Introducing John R. Phillips, RN; PhD

by Violet M. Malinski, RN; PhD

Dr. John R. Phillips is recognized as the foremost scholar of Rogerian nursing science, as envisioned by Dr. Martha E. Rogers. He is moving the science forward with his creative insights, showing its relevance in the 21st century and beyond. The purpose of the Society of Rogerian Scholars (SRS) in producing this book is to make available, for the first time, his seminal writings in one singular publication.

Fortunately, these articles are well represented in this volume, including Martha E. Rogers: Heretic and Heroine, for which he won the Nursing Science Quarterly Best Paper Award in 2015. When Rosemarie Rizzo Parse, the creator of the Human Becoming Theory of Nursing, was first conceiving Nursing Science Quarterly (NSQ) in the late eighties, she invited John, along with two other nurses, to advise her, which they did during two such meetings at her apartment in Pittsburgh. Dr. Parse subsequently requested that John write the quarterly Research Issues column for NSQ, which he did for a number of years.

John’s Story

Because of John’s illustrious, impactful, and impressive career as a nurse and scholar, we want to share with you something of him personally. One of six children, John was born at his family’s farm house in rural southwestern Virginia, where he lived happily until he joined the US Air Force in 1954, serving for four years. In 1962, he earned his nursing diploma at the Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City. John fell in love with New York City and decided to make it his home—he remained at Bellevue, working in medical-surgical nursing as staff nurse, head nurse, and, finally, nursing supervisor. Still working full-time, he returned to school to earn his bachelor of science in nursing degree (1968) from Hunter College School of Nursing/City University of New York and his master of arts in nursing from NYU (1970). Later that same year, John accepted a full-time position as lecturer at Hunter College, and in 1976 obtained his PhD in nursing from NYU, where nursing was under the leadership of Dr. Martha E. Rogers. After a stint as an assistant professor at Hunter College, he accepted an assistant professor position at NYU’s Division of Nursing (Now the Rory Meyers College of Nursing). Given his position on the faculty, John was in a prime position to orchestrate the original conferences on Rogerian nursing science held at NYU, having access to rooms, AV assistance, everything needed to run a conference, which he did beautifully. Those early conferences in the 1980s were attended by hundreds of nurses eager to learn more about Rogerian science. Three publications evolved out of those conferences, and John’s chapters in each are reprinted here. As one of the few faculty members who understood and valued Rogerian nursing science, until his retirement from NYU in 2003, he was in high demand for dissertation committees by the doctoral candidates who loved him and to whom he devoted so much time. Martha Rogers had a mutual respect and fondness for him as well, choosing him, on merit, to teach her graduate course the Science of Unitary Human Beings upon her retirement.

Art as a Way to Honor Rogerian Nursing Science

Anyone who knows John knows his love of art and opera. In his article, The Revelation of Beauty in Nursing, reprinted in this collection, he discusses the importance of select pieces from his prolific, visually stunning art collection, which includes paintings, sculptures, and stained glass. John also joined the board of his local library, donating (and hanging) between fifteen and twenty pieces of art to share his artistic passion and provide creative inspiration with the library community.

While still living in New York City, John was a frequent visitor to the Museum of Holography in SoHo, down the street from his apartment in Greenwich Village in NYC (the museum unfortunately closed its doors in 1992). Intrigued by the exhibits there, he thought a hologram of Martha E. Rogers would be exciting as well as on the cutting edge of science and technology. The holographic portrait of Martha, on display at the Foundation of the New York State Nurses Association, would add to the collection of Martha-inspired works that John had a hand in commissioning. Others include a bronze bust, currently viewable at the Rory Meyers College of Nursing (on loan from the SRS), and a stained-glass portrait that has since been donated also to the Foundation of the New York State Nurses Association.

Where is John Now?

For a few years after his retirement, John continued to live in Greenwich Village before moving across the river to the state of New Jersey. Both locations afforded him easy access to the art exhibits, operas, and symphony orchestra performances he so loved. Although he eventually returned to southwestern Virginia in order to live close to his siblings and their families, he continues to enjoy the arts via productions at schools nearby, such as Radford University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University in Blacksburg, Virginia.

John is active in the community there, offering regular talks on wellbecoming for seniors at local meetings for the Association for the Advancement of Retired People (AARP), and writing frequent letters to the editor of local media on health issues and politics. John sent copies of A Rogerian Vision of Gender in a Pandimensional Universe, reprinted here, to Pope Francis, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts, and President Joe Biden.

We look forward to John’s continuing contributions to the Science of Unitary Human Beings, and invite you to read and reread the proof of his dedication, knowledge, and wisdom. He is a true visionary.

Reflections of John Phillips

by Former PhD Students

Dorothy Larkin, RN; PhD

It is a pleasure to muse about my times as a NYU master’s and doctoral student of Dr. John Phillips. John exemplified all the pandimensional patterns so needed in outstanding nursing faculty. His enthusiasm, scholarship, and curiosity modeled and evoked for me a sense that there is so much more to life than observable manifestations. I remember how he would energetically wave his arms and practically sprint across the stage while describing some study that expanded our awareness of consciousness and potentialities for healing.

John taught us that all phenomena can be viewed and experienced through a unitary lens. This awareness subsequently informed so much of my professional life, from working in clinical nursing roles in burn units, ICUs, ERs, labor and delivery, pediatrics, hospice, psychiatric and mental health nursing, private practice, and in academia. Such unitary awareness, taught and modeled by John, has made all of these experiences more interesting and gratifying. In an article in Nursing Science Quarterly in 2000 (reprinted later in this book), he wrote that nursing education in the Science of Unitary Human Beings could be instrumental in healing our nursing profession. Any nurse who is paying attention will recognize that our profession is profoundly in need of pandimensional healing. I believe John’s teachings can lead the way in helping heal the suffering and moral injury of individual nurses as well as transform the systems that are exploiting them. Faculty and practicing nurses can glean support in their healing process through the articles in this book.

I was so delighted when John accepted my request to serve as my dissertation chair. I became a regular, visiting John in his office, which was filled with beautiful artwork. It was like a small, crowded museum, and each tastefully placed art piece was meaningful and encouraged deeper reflection and dialogue regarding unitary nursing science. Interspersed throughout our conversations about my evolving doctoral research, we spoke about life in New York City. We laughed about the new trend of some New Yorkers walking their small dogs with a backpack worn in the front, so the dog could see life from a new perspective. Again, this aesthetic way of teaching through stories and art gifted his students with such a deeply enjoyable way of learning, so needed by our current nurses and nursing students.

John’s guidance in my dissertation process was kind and rigorous. I told him I wanted to explore how Ericksonian hypnosis in support groups might facilitate power as knowing participation in change for persons living with chronic illness. I was dismayed when he responded with, That sounds kind of boring! Fortunately, John had arranged an upcoming Rogerian conference at NYU during which I met Elizabeth Barrett and asked her about how she initially works with her private patients. Elizabeth smiled and said, I ask them what they want. I then fortuitously attended Kathy Matas’s presentation in which she described her self-defined health promoting goals tool, a visual analogue scale in which patients would define the health goal they wanted to work on. When I next met with John and told him I wanted to include this tool in my study he was fully supportive and continued to support me throughout my doctoral research and beyond.

I will be forever grateful to John Phillips for leading the way in my ever evolving process of wellbecoming.

Richard Cowling III, RN; PhD, AHN-BC, HS-GAHN, ANEF, FAAN

For anyone who has been through the process of a dissertation and the selection of a committee to support your work, you know it is one of the most important decisions you can make in your PhD education experience. In particular, the values of the committee chair and their approach to supporting the development of an emerging scholar contribute to the nature and value of the learning experience. Although John was not intended to be my chair, when I lost my chair unexpectedly after the first year, he was the one I immediately turned to for help. I always felt acknowledged and appreciated in the presence of John—for my work, for my personhood, and for my struggles to comprehend the science of unitary human beings. I was so fortunate that I was at NYU from 1979 to 1981 when John Phillips and Martha Rogers were both there. I could see very clearly that John had a unique ability to help students grasp the unitary nursing conceptual system and apply it to research and practice with creative approaches to teaching and learning. John always resorted to real world examples that demonstrated the unitary nature of the world through innovative assignments.

While I knew John was critical of my work, a necessity for extending horizons of understanding, I could always count on him to give me clues to a positive journey through the science of unitary human beings. He listened to my ponderings and gently guided me toward deepening my knowledge. Sometimes I would talk with Martha and then go to John, and he would show me the way through the complex conceptual and theoretical territory as an extraordinary interpreter of the science of unitary human beings. I could count on John to help me overcome frustrations and barriers I encountered along the way. While I knew John had such deep knowledge, I also understood that he wanted me to make my own unique contributions. At times, I was frustrated with the extensiveness of John’s notations on my proposal and dissertation drafts, but, in the end, they were always better. I’d arrived in New York City from Virginia, far from my family. I felt a sense of delight when I learned John grew up not far from where I grew up—somehow that gave me belief in myself I was missing at the time. I was a single dad, raising a four-year-old girl. I remember John’s kindness in working around my personal schedule to meet with me. One time he came by my apartment because I couldn’t get someone to keep my daughter for me, so he could go over the latest draft of my proposal. He spent over an hour walking through the draft and explaining to me his point of view and what I needed to do. He never just handed me his comments without helping me understand the rationale for them. When I got through my proposal defense and got back to Virginia, I knew I could count on John to help me navigate my challenges and frustrations as I was collecting data. I felt his calming and kind presence during the stressful dissertation defense. While I always looked up to John, he seemed to treat me with deep respect and an abiding confidence. Without John’s presence in my life, I do not think I would have had the courage to make the choices I have made in my scholarly life. It is a joy to be part of something much greater than myself and which means so much to the discipline of nursing—but even more so in providing care to people in the special ways we do as unitary nurses.

Howard K. Butcher, RN; PhD, FAAN

While I did not attend NYU for my PhD studies, John Phillips was ever present when I began my studies, and he remains so to this day. In my very first meeting with Dr. Martha Rogers as a master’s student at the University of Toronto, I learned of the importance in applying the science of unitary human beings in a way that is consistent and true to the science. I needed to study the science of unitary human beings in a deep way in order to understand the meaning of the postulates and principles, the science’s language, and how to use research designs, methods, instruments, and interpretations congruent with its ontology and epistemology. Besides immersing myself in Rogers’ seminal works, I read and reread Rogerian science-based dissertations completed by PhD students, articles and book chapters published by Rogerian scholars, and attended Rogerian conferences so I could learn more about the science and how it was being advanced.

I recall vividly the first time I heard John Phillips speak. It was in 1985 at the Second National Rogerian Conference. He was on a panel that included Francelyn Reeder, Barbara Sarter, and Morris Shamos on philosophical assumptions and perspectives. He spoke with such dignity and expertise, with precision, distinction, and clarity. I immediately understood I was listening to someone who had reverence and deep understanding of the science of unitary human beings. Two years later, I attended the Rogerian Institute at the Third National Rogerian Conference and took meticulous notes while John presented on new developments in Rogerian science. Systematically he went through each of the postulates and principles and clarified their meaning. Each time I listened to John speak, my understanding of the science of unitary human beings came into clearer focus. In 1992, at the Fourth Rogerian Conference, John spoke right after Martha Rogers at the Rogerian Institute on the open-ended nature of the science of unitary human beings and on a panel focusing on science-based practice issues, along with Dolores Krieger, Margaret Newman, and Rosemarie Rizzo Parse. I always came away from John’s presentations learning something entirely new, some new revelation or insight as he advanced all our understanding. At the Fifth Rogerian Conference in 1994, he delivered the main address at the Rogerian Institute on the Evolution of the Science of Unitary Human Beings, and he spoke at Martha Rogers’ Memorial Service following the conference. He delivered the closing address An Epiphany for Martha E. Rogers at the Sixth Rogerian