lived experience of making a difficult decision

The purpose of this study was to generate a structure of the lived experience of making a difficult decision, using Parse's human becoming research methodology. This methodology evolved from the human becoming theory of nursing which includes an existential view of person and the nursing simultaneity paradigmatic view of man and health. The entity for study in this research was the lived experience of making a difficult decision. Parse's methodology was used and includes: participant selection, dialogical engagement, extraction-synthesis and heuristic interpretation. The structure of the experience of making a difficult decision was discovered through the experiences of four participants. This is expressed as living with feelings of self doubt that give way to assurance while searching within and reaching out to others until affirming the circumstances of the chaos generates possibilities and enables perseverance. This study demonstrates Parse's research methodology and broadens nursing's knowledge base.