Persuasion: The Social Construction of Mindfulness

Mindfulness practices have recently become popular in secular self-help and therapeutic settings like MBSR, as well as in spiritual and religious contexts. This qualitative study, using constructivist grounded theory and a social constructionist reading of Aristotle's Rhetoric, explored how practitioners understand mindfulness. The persuasiveness of mindfulness depends on how it is communicated—often through metaphors and enthymemes—and what is communicated, frequently transcendental experiences. Understanding this communication requires considering the rational role of embodied experiences and emotions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

An exploratory study into the recent popular emergence of mindfulness (Achsamkeit). Contemporary mindfulness practices encompass secular self-help and therapeutic pedagogies such as MBSR, spiritual exploration and religious doctrine. This study is a qualitative analysis of the concept of mindfulness as it is entertained by its practitioners. The study was conducted according to a constructivist grounded theory methodology and interpreted through a social constructionist reading of Aristotle’s Rhetoric. To understand the persuasiveness of mindfulness attention was paid to how it was communicated, which was often in the form of metaphors and enthymemes; and what was being communicated, which was often transcendental experiences. To understand how mindfulness was communicated it was necessary to take into consideration the rational role of embodied experiences and emotions in our communication.