Abstract

This dissertation is a philosophical analysis of the discourse of nursing diagnosis in nursing literature. It is the general claim that the use of nursing diagnosis extends and reproduces conditions of social domination in our society. Specifically, its use functions in a way that constitutes individuals for themselves and others in an oppressive manner according to race, gender, and class. It is further claimed that the discourse of nursing diagnosis is based on social notions of normality, value and expertise that reflect unfounded notions of science, professionalism, and social agency. ;Evidence is provided to support these claims based on the power perspective of discourse analysis from the work of Michel Foucault, and modified with reference to contemporary postmodern critical feminism. The source of text for this analysis is the body of nursing literature concerning nursing diagnosis since 1950