Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The beliefs and expectations people bring into mindfulness practice can affect the measurement outcomes of interventions. The aim of this mixed-method study was to examine the key beliefs in the powers of mindfulness-understood as non-judgmental awareness of the present moment-to transform the individual and the society, and to develop and validate the Belief in the Powers of Mindfulness Scale (BPMS).
METHOD: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with mindfulness meditators ( n = 32), including follow-up interviews ( n = 22). Qualitative data were analysed through a thematic narrative approach. Participants ( n = 458) completed a questionnaire that included the new scale.
RESULTS: Participants' key beliefs were thematically analysed in three transformation themes: interpersonal relationships and compassion, peace and violence, and the inner world-themes were encapsulated in the BPMS. Ideas presented in each theme were undergirded by a host of ideologies, epistemic claims, and metaphysical assumptions about the nature of mind, self, and reality-which are predicated by broader cultural trends such as expressive individualism, perennial philosophy, and New Age sentiments and ideals. The BPMS showed strong internal consistency and convergent validity, and individuals who were older and more spiritual practised mindfulness more often and for longer, and self-reported greater mindfulness skills, and scored higher on the BPMS.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings illustrate the persisting importance of attending to people's beliefs and expectations in mindfulness interventions and further the call for a contextual approach that accounts for cultural factors. The newly developed BPMS may assist with the measuring of peoples' beliefs and expectations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1689-1704 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Mindfulness |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 21 Jun 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2023 |
Bibliographical note
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Funder
Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions. This research was supported by the John Templeton Foundation, as part of the Understanding Unbelief project (grant ID: 60624).Keywords
- Mindfulness
- Mixed methods
- Narrative analysis
- Beliefs
- Scale development
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Health(social science)
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Applied Psychology
Themes
- Faith and Peaceful Relations
