The purpose of this investigation was to enhance theory and understanding of the phenomenon of dispiritedness in later life within the context of Rogers's science of unitary human beings through the development and examination of a research method congruent with the ontological and epistemological tenets of Rogers's nursing science. The Unitary Field Pattern Portrait Research Method was developed through the analysis of Rogers's ontology and epistemology and was a phenomenological-hermeneutical research method designed to illuminate kaleidoscopic and symphonic pattern manifestations emerging from the human-environmental mutual field process to enhance understanding of phenomena related to human well-being.

Eleven persons 52 to 92 years of age who identified themselves as having experienced dispiritedness participated in a 40 to 70 minute in-depth interview which focused on their experiences, perceptions, and expressions of dispiritedness. The Unitary Field Pattern Portrait of dispiritedness was: Dispiritedness in later life is experiencing the resonating ebb and flow of dissipating energy while perceiving an abyss of emptiness amidst enduring adversity in later life. Dispiritednesss embraces loneliness, disconnectedness, and feeling of being adrift in swirling chaos while out of rhythm with life's flow. Dispiritedness is expressing dwindling vitality, liveliness, and wanting to relinquish the will to live, yet, moving aimlessly and apprehensively through a dense fog with uncertainty. Active involvement, connectedness, and maintaining hope propels inspiritedness.

The portrait was interpreted within Rogers's nursing science to create the Theoretical Unitary Field Pattern Portrait: Dispiritedness in later life is experiencing the oscillating rhythm of dissipating energy expressed as a perception of emptiness and patterns of dwindling vitality; experiencing dissonant rhythmicity amidst adversity and uncertainty expressed as feeling out of synchrony with the universe; integrality experienced as fractured expressed as disengaging from life's flow; openness and pandimensionality perceived as collapsing expressed as increasing restrictiveness, ambiguity, and apprehension; continuing to participate knowingly in change while wanting to relinquish the will to live; and in a continuous rhythm with inspiritedness accelerating movement toward patterns of greater diversity manifested by visioning infinite potentials and creating innovative ways of actively participating in the later life process.