Abstract :
Personal knowledge is conceptualized as a fundamental pattern of knowing in nursing and a precondition for establishing therapeutic relationships. Personal knowledge is essential for learning the artful use of self in therapeutic relationship. However, personal knowledge is difficult to teach. This article demonstrates ways an undergraduate class project is used to teach personal knowledge. Results from the Keirsey Temperament Sorter are used to explore studentsʹ understandings of their temperament preferences and behaviors. Studentsʹ preferences in communication and interaction styles are compared with literature reports describing Generation Xers (birth year 1961-1981) and Millennials (born after 1981). Implications for teaching the youngest generation of students are addressed. It is proposed that teaching personal knowledge as a journey in knowing self in the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship helps students appreciate the power of therapeutic relationships to affect health. Studentsʹ knowledge about themselves, when taught with other patterns of knowing, demonstrates relationship-focused encounters, which is at the heart of therapeutic relationship.
