Preadolescent perception of caring in relation to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual theory of holism

This qualitative, descriptive study was designed to explore how preadolescent children perceived caring in relation to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual theory of holism. Watson's (1999) theory provided the conceptual framework within which preadolescent perception of caring was studied. A ten question semistandard interview along with the use of picture drawing was conducted on a convenience sample of eight preadolescent children aged 10--12 years old. The interviews and drawings were analyzed in terms of their responses and portrayals of concepts related to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components of holistic theory. The analysis of the data provided insight into the perceptions that preadolescent children have about caring in relation to the theory of holism.