The Psychological Reconstruction of Mindfulness: From Buddhist Origins to Modern Operationalization
Human Arenas May 7, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s42087-026-00617-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Conceptual analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Operationalization Construct python library Intervention counseling Psychological research Perspective graphical Psychological theory Epistemology Naturalism |
| Key points | Contemporary psychological definitions of mindfulness increasingly classify it through outcome-based criteria, while its ethical orientation, investigative function, and liberation-oriented purpose from early Buddhist frameworks recede into the background. |
Abstract
Abstract This article presents a conceptual analysis of mindfulness as a cultural–psychological boundary object, examining how contemporary psychological deployments diverge from early Buddhist frameworks. Treating Buddhist psychology as a coherent theoretical framework, the analysis traces how dominant psychological definitions increasingly classify mindfulness through outcome-based criteria. At the same time, ethical orientation, investigative function, and liberation-oriented purpose recede into the background. Using a conceptual and genealogical approach, the paper synthesizes literature from early Buddhist sources, historical analyses of Buddhist modernism, psychological measurement research, and studies of XR-based mindfulness interventions. Rather than evaluating intervention efficacy, it examines how assumptions about attention, embodiment, and purpose shape the formation and validation of constructs. The analysis supports a pluri-epistemic approach to psychological science that foregrounds epistemic lineage and construct transparency, clarifying the trade-offs involved in abstraction, measurement, and scalability.