Mindfulness: Towards a critical relational perspective

Stanley, Steven ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4776-4097 2012. Mindfulness: Towards a critical relational perspective. Social and Personality Psychology Compass 6 (9) , pp. 631-641. 10.1111/j.1751-9004.2012.00454.x

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Abstract

Significant attention has been given to mindfulness and mindfulness meditation in Western culture – often allied with a concern to enhance ‘subjective wellbeing’ through interventions aiming to ameliorate stress, depression and anxiety. While much professional and scientific research has been conducted which studies the nature and effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions, few critical accounts exist. I seek to produce a social critique of current understandings of mindfulness in relation to contemporary psychology. I illustrate how mindfulness has become individualised as an object of contemporary psychological investigation. I then propose a relational approach which instead sees mindfulness as socially contingent and as a potential resource for individuals and communities to cultivate a critically distant stance towards society. This involves revisioning our basic understanding of mindfulness as not only an inner state of mind, but also as a public social practice.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell
ISSN:	1751-9004
Last Modified:	25 Oct 2022 09:16
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/57866

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