An Implicit Religion of Control: Corporate Mindfulness Meditation Programs

"Mindfulness," or the practice of focusing one's conscious awareness on the present moment, has become increasingly popular in mainstream culture over the last decade. Commensurate with its widespread acceptance in secular culture, mindfulness programs have been adopted by a number of...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Implicit religion
Main Author: Sanders, George (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Equinox [2018]
In: Implicit religion
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Buddhism / Watchfulness / Meditation / Mindfulness-based stress reduction / Self-worth appreciation / Self-efficacy / Neo-liberalism
RelBib Classification:AE Psychology of religion
AG Religious life; material religion
AZ New religious movements
BL Buddhism
Further subjects:B Buddhism
B Meditation
B Popular Culture
B Implicit Religion
B Mindfulness
B Affect
B Foucault
B pastoral power
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:"Mindfulness," or the practice of focusing one's conscious awareness on the present moment, has become increasingly popular in mainstream culture over the last decade. Commensurate with its widespread acceptance in secular culture, mindfulness programs have been adopted by a number of large corporations, albeit largely stripped of mindfulness's religious ties to its roots in Buddhism. This article theorizes some of the ways mindfulness programs reinforce neoliberal ideologies that valorize individual self-surveillance and self-discipline through employees' bodies and minds. By promoting greater self-awareness, calm, and focus, such programming is also homologous with greater (employee) productivity and (company) profitability. As a kind of implicit religion, mindfulness may hold special appeal for workers who seek meaning and purpose beyond what is currently provided by their current workaday lives. The article, therefore, makes the argument that mindfulness, a kind of implicit religion, in these settings is conducive to perpetuating neoliberal ideologies.
ISSN:1743-1697
Contains:Enthalten in: Implicit religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/imre.34867