When the ‘mindfulness wars’ enter the classroom: making sense of the critique of school-based mindfulness

Primdahl, Nis Langer

doi:10.1080/03054985.2021.1933407

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Implications for the mindfulness field, however, are complex and contested, and have generated a small but growing professional literature, too complex to encapsulate here (Knabb, 2012;Palitsky & Kaplan, 2021;Palitsky et al, 2022;Sobczak & West, 2013). Debate on the relation between mindfulness and religion has been especially intense with regard to the use of mindfulness in grade school education, but discussion and debate has also occurred regarding other social sectors such as the workplace, the clinic, and the religious congregation (e.g., Bretherton et al, 2016;Palitsky & Kaplan, 2021;Primdahl, 2022;Purser & Milillo, 2015).…”

Section: Relation To Mindfulnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness for Global Public Health: Critical Analysis and Agenda

Oman

2023

Mindfulness

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Objective The modern mindfulness movement and the public health field are aligned in many approaches, including recognizing psychosocial stress impacts and physical-mental health linkages, valuing “upstream” preventive approaches, and seeking to integrate health promotion activities across multiple social sectors. Yet mindfulness is conspicuously absent from most global and public health literature and practice, suggesting unfulfilled potential. This paper analyzes the mindfulness field from a public health perspective, with the aim of identifying evidential and conceptual bases, methods, potential consequences, and initial research and action agendas for greater integration of mindfulness approaches into global, national, and local public health efforts. Methods This paper reviews scientific and scholarly literature on the currently existing and potential relationships between mindfulness and public health, with special attention to 14 dimensions of potential tension or alignment. Results Several alignments were noted above. However, the mindfulness field is substantially lagging on multi-level interventions (e.g., both individual and collective levels), cultural and religious adaptations, and epidemiologic underpinnings. Both mindfulness and public health initiatives are in need of efforts to promote intercultural, interreligious, and intercontemplative competencies, in developing interventions to address pathogenic factors in the collective attentional environments in society, and in attending to religious and spiritual factors. Conclusions Full public health uptake will benefit from several additional lines of research and innovation, especially greater attention to cultural and religious adaptation, with attention also much needed to multi-level interventions and epidemiologic foundations.

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Section: Relation To Mindfulnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness for Global Public Health: Critical Analysis and Agenda

Oman

2023

Mindfulness

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“…Foucauldian influences also feature very prominently in socio-cultural critiques that focus more specifically on mindfulness and its role in wider society, many of which have also been applied to education ( Primdahl, 2022 ). On the relationship between mindfulness and neo-liberalism, proponents point to the benefits that the practice can afford for individual wellbeing, and its accessible and universal nature as a secular therapeutic technique for combatting the stresses of life in modern societies (e.g.…”

Section: Mindfulness Education and Citizenshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shaping mindful citizens: Practitioners’ motivations and aspirations for mindfulness in education

Hemming

2023

Health (London)

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Mindfulness meditation has enjoyed growing popularity in the UK over the last few decades and is increasingly found in many educational settings. To date, existing empirical research on mindfulness in education has focused primarily on its efficacy, rather than more sociological concerns. This article draws on qualitative data from a major research study entitled ‘Mapping Mindfulness in the UK’ to investigate the motivations and aspirations of mindfulness practitioners for promoting and delivering mindfulness in educational contexts. The analysis argues that some of the existing theoretical critiques of mindfulness as a neo-liberalising self-technology are too reductive and do not take adequate account of the views and experiences of practitioners. For participants in this study, mindfulness in education was more than an individualised self-help therapeutic tool, but was instead a uniquely versatile practice, representing multiple possibilities for individuals and society. The research makes significant contributions to several fields of sociological inquiry, including on mindfulness, mental health and wellbeing, and education and citizenship.

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“…Some scholars have attempted to situate some of these debates and criticisms in educational settings (e.g. Hyland, 2016;Primdahl, 2021;McCaw, 2020). While these discussions have explicated critical issues of 'modern' mindfulness in education, it is not yet…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness in education: Critical debates and pragmatic considerations

Lee,

McCaw,

Van Dam

2024

British Educational Res J

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Mindfulness has all but become a mainstay in modern education. Yet despite the incredible enthusiasm and increased application in schools, there remains significant divergence between advocates and critics. Advocates assert that mindfulness practice promotes individual and societal health and well‐being. Meanwhile, critics question the intention and the social and political implications of promoting these ancient practices in schools, arguing that the Buddhist ethics underlying mindfulness remain incompatible with the neoliberal ideology and instrumentalism of contemporary schooling. As mindfulness has been commodified, instrumentalised and used as a therapeutic tool for acute coping, its broader potential for human growth and development may be undermined. Furthermore, scholars caution that the fledging nature of mindfulness research leaves critical questions unanswered, especially the potential for adverse effects. The work herein examines these critiques, presenting three critical considerations for mindfulness in education, and articulates practical recommendations for educational leaders, policy makers and stakeholders. We aim to empower educators and others to make judgements about the promotion and integration of mindfulness into educational settings, considering context‐specific factors such as developmental needs and capacities, as well as recommendations to support effective and ethical practice of mindfulness in education.

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When the ‘mindfulness wars’ enter the classroom: making sense of the critique of school-based mindfulness

Cited by 8 publications

References 64 publications

Mindfulness for Global Public Health: Critical Analysis and Agenda

Mindfulness for Global Public Health: Critical Analysis and Agenda

Shaping mindful citizens: Practitioners’ motivations and aspirations for mindfulness in education

Mindfulness in education: Critical debates and pragmatic considerations

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