Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover some of the meanings inherent in psychiatric nursing practice. The specific question was, "What is the meaning of power and powerlessness as it occurs in the lived experience of practicing psychiatric nurses." Psychiatric nursing is a discipline that is in the process of establishing a domain of practice and is attempting to expand its knowledge base. Because of this, the discipline is at a juncture and must decide whether to focus on a biomedical paradigm or move in a different direction. Inherent in this decision are issues regarding research and focus of inquiry. ;Consistent with the problem of choosing a driving paradigm are the issues that a particular paradigm bring with it. In the case of the biomedical paradigm, subsequent treatment issues and the ethics of treatment are paramount. This study was therefore qualitative in nature and hermeneutical in focus. It examined the lived experience of psychiatric nurses for significant meanings that constitute their practice. ;This study focused on the lived experience of ten psychiatric registered nurses. Semi-structured interviews with these nurses were audio taped and transcribed into text. They were then analyzed hermeneutically using the philosophical grounding of Heideggerian phenomenology and the hermeneutical methods that are based upon that philosophy. An interpretation team was assembled that aided in preliminary analysis of the text-data. Further analysis was conducted by the dissertation chair and committee ensuring truthful interpretation. The interpretation identified two constitutive patterns and three relational themes that illuminate the meaning of power and powerlessness in psychiatric nursing practice as lived by nurses. The constitutive patterns were "The Quest for an Art," and "The Power of Knowing." The three relational themes were "Power as Connectedness in Relationships," "Being Tested by Fire," and "Power as Having a Voice." ;The results of this study enable nurses to understand their practice better and lead to strategies for empowerment of both nurses and the people that they care for. In addition, the use of a hermeneutical data analysis approach has further demonstrated the relevance of this method for knowledge generation in psychiatric nursing.