Theory of Self-Care
Self-care is a human regulatory function that individuals must, with deliberation, perform for them-selves or have performed for them to maintain life, health, development, and well-being. Self-care is an action system, the elaboration of the concepts of self-care demand, and self-care agency provide the foundations for understanding the action requirements and action limitations of persons who may benefit from nursing. Self-care as a human regulatory function stands in distinction to other types of regulation of human functioning and development such as neuroendocrine regulation. Self-care must be learned and it must be deliberately performed continuously in time and in conformity with the regulatory requirements of individuals associated, for example with their stages of growth and development, states of health, specific features of health or developmental states, environmental factors, and levels of energy expenditure.
Source:
Ann Marriner Tommey, Martha Raile Alligood. Nursing Theorists and Their Work. Mosby: 1998.
