Believing in the Powers of Mindfulness: A Thematic Narrative Approach and the Development of a New Scale
Masoumeh Rahmani, Valerie van Mulukom, Miguel Farias
Mindfulness June 21, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1007/s12671-023-02164-x via OpenAlex
Summary
People hold specific beliefs about mindfulness—non-judgmental present-moment awareness—that it can transform interpersonal relationships, foster compassion, reduce violence, and change one's inner world. These beliefs rest on cultural ideologies like expressive individualism, perennial philosophy, and New Age ideas. A new scale, the Belief in the Powers of Mindfulness Scale (BPMS), was developed and validated, showing strong internal consistency and convergent validity. Older, more spiritual individuals who practiced mindfulness more often and longer, and reported greater mindfulness skills, scored higher on the BPMS.
Study at a glance
| Design | mixed-method study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 458 |
| Key finding | Beliefs in mindfulness's transformative powers cluster into three themes—interpersonal relationships and compassion, peace and violence, and the inner world—and are shaped by broader cultural ideologies; the BPMS reliably measures these beliefs. |
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: = 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.