ABSTRACT
This chapter defines and explores critical incidents and their value to practice. It also draws on educational psychology and neural theories of learning to explain the nature and function of critical incidents as distinct from other forms of reflective activity. A critical incident is a happening which is deemed significant by the person who experiences it in that it opens a window of opportunity for critical evaluation of some aspect of life. It were first coined and explored by Flanagan who identified turning points in military strategy through the eyes of war veterans. Nursing has historically existed in a very self-critical even denigrating environment in which weaknesses are often highlighted over strengths. The way our brains manage information; the neural kinetics and dynamics of memory and attention together with the role of emotion as a thought trigger lend support to the semantic nature of feeling, learning and knowing.
