The Psychological Reconstruction of Mindfulness

From Buddhist Origins to Modern Operationalization

Bibliographic Data

ID17830636
AuthorsSarah Barker (0009-0003-1184-9595, Fielding Graduate University, corresponding author), Sarah A Barker (0009-0005-7504-7879)
Year2026
Publication date2026-05-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Arenas (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2522-5790 • E-ISSN: 2522-5804
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s42087-026-00617-y
OpenAlexW7160492301
LanguageEN
References cited29

This article presents a conceptual analysis of mindfulness as a cultural–psychological boundary object, examining how contemporary psychological deployments diverge from early Buddhist frameworks. Treating Buddhist psychology as a coherent theoretical framework, the analysis traces how dominant psychological definitions increasingly classify mindfulness through outcome-based criteria. At the same time, ethical orientation, investigative function, and liberation-oriented purpose recede into the background. Using a conceptual and genealogical approach, the paper synthesizes literature from early Buddhist sources, historical analyses of Buddhist modernism, psychological measurement research, and studies of XR-based mindfulness interventions. Rather than evaluating intervention efficacy, it examines how assumptions about attention, embodiment, and purpose shape the formation and validation of constructs. The analysis supports a pluri-epistemic approach to psychological science that foregrounds epistemic lineage and construct transparency, clarifying the trade-offs involved in abstraction, measurement, and scalability

Buddhism · Construct (python library) · Intervention (counseling) · Mindfulness · Operationalization · Perspective (graphical) · Psychological research · Psychological Theory · Mind wandering and attention · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · Sport Psychology and Performance