Self-care Activity as a Structure: A Phenomenological Approach

Abstract

Self-care activity is traditionally viewed as a goal directed activity with the aim to maintain, restore or improve health and well-being. However, it should be possible to situate the phenomenon of self-care within an alternative paradigm and get a new understanding of it in terms of phenomenological knowledge. The purpose of this article was to analyse the notion of self-care activity and elaborate it within a phenomenological frame of reference based on the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty. Using arguments from analytical philosophy, especially action theory, and Orem's self-care deficit theory, some self-care related concepts have first been elucidated. In order to get another understanding of self-care activity, certain parts of the writings of Merleau-Ponty were then applied to the phenomenon. It was stated that there is a dialectical relation between self-care ability as potentiality for self-care activity and self-care activity itself. Both may be regarded as structures given only to perception. Self-care ability is not in-itself a necessary means to maintain, restore or improve health and well-being but rather the potentiality for self-care activity as an integral part of the lived body. The actualization of the ability for self-care may possibly come about through a certain meaning.