Journal of Holistic Nursing American Holistic Nurses Association Volume 33 Number 1 March 2015 68–83 © The Author(s) 2014 10.1177/0898010114537402 http://jhn.sagepub.com jhn 68 Introduction The term intentionality has caused confusion and controversy ever since the philosopher Franz Bertano coined it in the late 19th century (Zahourek, 2004). Psychologists have tried to categorize the ele- ments of intentionality and determine its value in a therapeutic relationship (Miller, 1997). According to May (1969), intentionality can be understood as fol- lows: “The structure that gives meaning to experi- ence; it is [hu]man’s capacity to have intentions” (pp. 223-224). Intentionality is an important con- cept for nurses to study for professional and theo- retical reasons (Ugarriza, 2002). Intentionality is a critical idea that merits increased exploration in nursing, because it may directly influence the qual- ity, delivery, outcomes, and cost of patient care (Purnell, 2003). Now that nursing is an identifiable body of scientific knowledge, nursing scholars are focusing on the development of unique models and theories to further enhance the discipline (Parse, 1999). 537402JHN XX X 10.1177/0898010114537402Journal of Holistic NursingConcept Analysis of Intentionality / Aghebati et al. research-article 2014 Authors’ Note: The authors extend their most special thanks for the support given by the research branch and the management and staff of the central library of Tarbiat Modares University. Please address correspondence to Eesa Mohammadi, Associate Professor, Nursing Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Gisha Bridge, 4th Floor, Tehran 14117-1311, Iran; e-mail: mohamade@modares.ac.ir. Principle-Based Concept Analysis Intentionality in Holistic Nursing Theories Nahid Aghebati Eesa Mohammadi Fazlollah Ahmadi Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Purpose: This is a report of a principle-based concept analysis of intentionality in holistic nursing theories. Method: A principle-based concept analysis method was used to analyze seven holistic theo- ries. The data included eight books and 31 articles (1998-2011), which were retrieved through MEDLINE and CINAHL. Findings: Erickson, Kriger, Parse, Watson, and Zahourek define intentional- ity as a capacity, a focused consciousness, and a pattern of human being. Rogers and Newman do not explicitly mention intentionality; however, they do explain pattern and consciousness (epistemology). Intentionality has been operationalized as a core concept of nurse–client relationships (pragmatic). The theories are consistent on intentionality as a noun and as an attribute of the person—intentionality is different from intent and intention (linguistic). There is ambiguity concerning the boundaries between intentionality and consciousness (logic). Theoretically, intentionality is an evolutionary capacity to inte- grate human awareness and experience. Because intentionality is an individualized concept, we intro- duced it as “a matrix of continuous known changes” that emerges in two forms: as a capacity of human being and as a capacity of transpersonal caring. Conclusion: This study has produced a theoretical definition of intentionality and provides a foundation for future research to further investigate inten- tionality to better delineate its boundaries. Keywords: intentionality; principle-based concept analysis; holistic nursing theories; transpersonal caring Article by guest on August 3, 2016 jhn.sagepub.com Downloaded from