Perception has long been recognized as a concept of importance in nursing, but the meaning of the term has often been ambiguous and unclear. This paper considers the historical definitions of perception and explores ways the term is used in current philosophical and psycho logical writings. A synthetic definition of perception is proposed, using the critical characteristics of sensation, selection, assimilation, and interpretation. Four nursing frameworks, those of King, Levine, Orem, and Roy, are analyzed in relation to the concept of perception as pre sented in each theory.
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