I originally was going to create a collage of images that I thought described suffering until I came across a quote, that even though I was going to add it to my collage, I felt that it described suffering in adequate detail. The quote is by Friedrich Nietzsche, who was a German philosopher and the most influential of all modern thinkers, challenging traditional Christianity and religion. (Britannica Encyclopedia, n.d.) He quoted: “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” (Dunne, 2023) Cambridge Dictionary defines suffering as “physical or mental pain that a person or animal is feeling.” (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.) Physical and mental pain is perspective, based on the person or animal that is experiencing the pain or situation.
Janice Morse developed the Morse praxis theory of suffering, identifying two behaviors of suffering: emotional suppression and emotional suffering. (Foss & Naden, 2009) With emotional suppression, the person is enduring or continuing; with emotional suffering, the person is in physical or mental pain. (Foss & Naden, 2009) Back to the quote, no one can escape some form of suffering. Suffering can be caring for a sick child, the loss of a loved one, or even dealing with the challenges of a chronic condition. Living is an example of the emotional suffering that Morse brought about in her theory. The emotional suppression, or continuing on, relates to the second part of the quote, in that we survive by finding meaning through the suffering. We continue on even though our loved one is physically gone, we continue on caring for our sick child until they become well, or we continue on with the challenges of facing a chronic condition. If we’re not suffering and surviving then we are nothing,
Throughout my life alone, I have dealt with type one diabetes for thirty-three years, I have lost grandparents, cousins, friends and my mother, watching her pass in the hospital bed. I have held the hands of others as they have passed. I took care of my children when they were sick. I had to wait for 48 hours before I could hold my second daughter after she was born due to a hospital policy that prevented someone with a magnesium infusion to go to the NICU and the magnesium infusion has to be off for 24 hours after; I almost died when my left anterior descending (LAD) artery dissected, which at the time I had a 2 month old at home; I have had a physician tell me that he is unsure if he can save my vision shortly after my first daughter was born, after two vitrectomies, 2 cataract surgeries, laser procedures, and monthly injections I can see. I continue, I fight, I survive.
Nursing Theorist Connection to Morse The theorist I chose was Pao-Feng Tsai and the theory of caregiver stress. Her theory was a take on the Roy adaptation model, but focused on caregivers for the chronically ill. (Tsai, 2003) Caregivers of the chronically ill, as the study found, can deal with stress, which can lead to negative consequences, which in that aspect the caregiver is suffering through mental pain, and the chronically ill person may even have mental or