Most nursing theories (DeKeyser and Medoff-Cooper,
2001) mention the importance of the environment, but put
their actual focus on the individual rather than on society.
The present study indicates that how we give care is not
only an individual expression, but seems also to be related
to phenomena outside ourselves. Adapting to the existing
care culture could imply that individual care work deviates
from the care culture. Ray’s theory of bureaucratic caring
(Ray, 2006) helps us by pointing to contextual links to
understanding the impact of the organization on the art of
caring. Griffiths (2008) argued that all people have the
capacity to be caring by virtue of their being human.
However, this capacity still needs to be preserved and
nurtured in a health care system that is sometimes less
supportive of caring. A deeper understanding of the care
and caring culture helps us understand the significance of
the environment for how we provide care. Studying the
care and caring culture may, with time, give the concept of
caring a more precise meaning.