[Dialogue as a pressuposition in the humanistic nursing theory: relationship mother-nurse-newborn].

This is a critical-reflective study carried out in 2005 aiming at analyzing dialogue as a presupposition in Peterson and Zderad's Humanistic Theory. Using as a starting point two Master's degree theses, the authors adopted the Meleis Model of Analysis, in the scope of theory description, focusing on the unit of analysis named theory presuppositions. The authors clearly perceive the quest for and the construction of the dialogue in the stages of the theory's methodological process: Preparation in order to get to know, Knowing the other intuitively, Knowing the other scientifically, Complementary synthesis of the others' knowledge, Succession within the nurse from the many to the paradoxical one. The presupposition of dialogue was brought up in an explicit manner in the theory, grounded on the philosophical bases of existentialism, humanism, and phenomenology. There was a distinct behavior in each experience, in spite of the common aspects, such as having been experienced with neonates and in the same institution.