"Nature and human values" at the Colorado School of Mines.
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Colorado↗
Biomedical subjects
C Mitcham
Publications and source records attributed to C Mitcham.
An exploration and advancement of the concept of trust.
BACKGROUND: Trust is a concept used both in everyday language and in the scientific realm. An exploration of the conceptualizations of trust within the disciplines of nursing, medicine, psychology and sociology, revealed that trust is an ambiguous scientific concept. AIMS: In order to increase the pragmatic utility of the concept of trust for scientific application, further clarification and development of the concept was undertaken. METHODS: First, a concept analysis was conducted with the aim of clarifying the state of the science of discipline-specific conceptualizations of trust. The criterion-based method of concept analysis as described by Morse and colleagues was used (Morse et al. 1996a, 1996b, Morse 2000). This analytic process enabled the assessment of the scientific maturity of the concept of trust. The interdisciplinary concept of trust was found to be immature. Based on this level of maturity it was determined that in order to advance the concept of trust toward greater maturity, techniques of concept development using the literature as data were applied. In this process, questions were "asked of the data" (in this case, the selected disciplinary literatures) to identify the conceptual components of trust. RESULTS: The inquiry into the concept of trust led to the development of an expanded interdisciplinary conceptual definition by merging the most coherent commonalties from each discipline. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed interdisciplinary conceptualization advances the concept toward maturity, that is, a more refined, pragmatic and higher-order concept. The refined concept of trust transcends the contextual boundaries of each discipline in a truly interdisciplinary scientific fashion.
Choice Behavior↗
The experience of agonizing pain and signals of disembodiment.
Philosophical literature discussing embodiment has yet to address the many and multiple modes of disembodiment. The analysis of interviews with burn patients who had experienced agonizing injuries reveals reference to their own body parts using depersonalized language (i.e., it, the, this). The conjectures tested were: disembodiment (1) due to loss of sensation; (2) due to loss of ability to control the affected part; (3) as learned from physicians; (4) as a means to protect the self in an agonizing situation; or (5) as a means of controlling overwhelming pain. These alternative explanations for the use of linguistic signals of disembodiment were assessed by comparing burn patient interviews with interviews of patients who differed by significant characteristics (i.e., patients who had spinal cord injuries, transplants, or myocardial infarction). Thus, alternative conjectures for the use of disembodying language were excluded, and the interpretation is advanced that the use of disembodying language by burn patients points toward a special human capacity to maintain the integrity of the self during prolonged agonizing experiences. The present study thus attempts a phenomenological interpretation of the body and its experience by drawing on otherwise neglected qualitative research data to broaden and deepen our understanding of the experience of excruciating pain.
Adolescent↗
Compathy: the contagion of physical distress.
A qualitative study examining the nurse-patient relationship has identified the contagion of physical distress or 'compathy' as a significant but otherwise neglected phenomenon. Compathy occurs when one person observes another person suffering a disease or injury and experiences in one's physical body a similar or related distress. Thus, compathy is the physical equivalent to empathy. Although the contagion of physiological (compathetic) responses has been previously documented (for example, as couvade or psychogenic epidemics of the workplace), it has not been theoretically explicated. Triggers for the compathetic response are identified and include observing the suffering, hearing, or reading--or even thinking about--descriptions of the symptoms. The relevance of the compathetic response in the caregiving relationship and the necessity of suppressing the response when inflicting pain as a part of providing therapy are described. The concept of compathy is analysed and defended.
Caregivers↗
Criteria for concept evaluation.
One of the roles of qualitative enquiry is the utilization of qualitative methods for the development, refinement or modification of concepts. Yet, to date, there are no criteria for evaluating the adequacy of a concept. In this paper, the anatomy of a concept is presented, methods of concept analysis critiqued, and criteria for evaluation of the level of maturity of a concept suggested. Evaluation of criteria include assessment of: the definition of the concept, the characteristics of the concept, the conceptual preconditions and outcomes, and the conceptual boundaries. The authors argue that evaluation of a concept must necessarily precede concept development research (using a Wilsonian-derived method, a critical analysis of the literature, or qualitative enquiry) and precede more formal research procedures (such as operationalization or identification of the variables).
Concept Formation↗
Concept analysis in nursing research: a critical appraisal.
The four major methodological approaches to concept analysis (Wilson-derived methods, qualitative methods, critical analysis of the literature, and quantitative methods) are compared. The authors suggest that qualitative methods and methods that critically analyze the literature may be selected according to the level of the maturity of the concept and the purpose of the analysis. These methods have the ability to facilitate inquiry for concept development, delineation, comparison, clarification, correction, and identification. Quantitative methods may be used for exploring concepts (e.g., delineating conceptual boundaries), and quantitative instrumentation may be used for concept validation, operationalization, and measurement, thus complementing concept analysis methods by moving inquiry into another level of investigation. The authors conclude by presenting criteria for the selection of an appropriate research approach for concept analysis and criteria for evaluating concept analysis research.
Concept Formation↗
Primary prevention in mental health: a Head Start demonstration model.
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Child↗