Subjective Well-Being, Mindfulness, and the Social Work Workplace: Insight into Reciprocal Relationships
Susan M Graham, John R Graham
Mindfulness and Social Work June 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9781933478609.003.0007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that mindfulness and subjective well-being are interconnected and reciprocal in social work workplaces, and that practitioners could serve as leaders by adopting mindfulness-related characteristics to improve individual and workplace well-being. Proposes extending the discussion of mindfulness and SWB beyond the individual to community and institutional levels. |
Abstract
Abstract: The profession of social work operates within the context of multiple social levels—the individual, community, and institutional levels. Along with the complexity attached to practicing amid these multiple social levels, practitioners are presented with individual challenges and situations that have been shown to weigh negatively on the workplace and the individual practitioner. As a result, emphasis is placed on the negative repercussions and limitations of the work. Moving away from focusing on these limitations, we find it useful to unravel the interconnected and reciprocal relationship between mindfulness and subjective well-being (SWB), as these two concepts relate to the social work workplace and the profession in general. Social work practitioners could take on unique roles in their respective workplaces as leaders by adopting some of the promising characteristics associated with mindfulness and potentially improving overall individual and workplace SWB. Further- more, drawing on the role of social work practice in the present social environment, we seek to begin expanding the discourse related to SWB and mindfulness beyond the individual to encompass the community and institutional levels of society.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |