摘要：Spirituality is important when caring for the whole human being. Earlier research found Love in connectedness to be a core category in spirituality. The study aim is to deepen our understanding of Love in connectedness, and contribute to the theoretical knowledge development of the concept of spirituality from a caring science perspective. The method was a review of 20 research articles concerning connectedness and love, which were interpreted through a Gadamerian-based hermeneutical approach. Emerging themes were three forms of connectedness, compassion, and the risk of losing love in caring for the patient. In addition, we reflected on love and ethics, based on the writings of Tillich. According to Tillich, love is a drive toward unity of the separated. This drive can be seen in both connectedness with others, in connectedness with something larger than oneself, and may indirectly apply to connectedness with oneself. We find that both connectedness and love are key concepts in caring for the patient.
