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Persuasion: The Social Construction of Mindfulness

Mark A. Smith

Refubium 2017 DOI: 10.17169/refubium-23934 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population Practitioners of mindfulness
Topics Meditation
Keywords Persuasion Psychotherapist
Citations 1
Key findings Mindfulness is communicated through metaphors and enthymemes, often conveying transcendental experiences, and its persuasiveness relies on the rational role of embodied experiences and emotions.

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.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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