Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: Cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice
Cortland J. Dahl, Antoine Lutz, Richard J. Davidson
Trends in Cognitive Sciences July 28, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.07.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Proposes that meditation styles can be classified into attentional, constructive, and deconstructive families based on primary cognitive mechanisms, and that meta-awareness, perspective taking and cognitive reappraisal, and self-inquiry may target distinct maladaptive psychological processes. |
Abstract
Scientific research highlights the central role of specific psychological processes, in particular those related to the self, in various forms of human suffering and flourishing. This view is shared by Buddhism and other contemplative and humanistic traditions, which have developed meditation practices to regulate these processes. Building on a previous paper in this journal, we propose a novel classification system that categorizes specific styles of meditation into attentional, constructive, and deconstructive families based on their primary cognitive mechanisms. We suggest that meta-awareness, perspective taking and cognitive reappraisal, and self-inquiry may be important mechanisms in specific families of meditation and that alterations in these processes may be used to target states of experiential fusion, maladaptive self-schema, and cognitive reification.