Mindfulness (psychology)

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In psychology, the term mindfulness refers to two different concepts.

The first deals with attention, and is a phenomenon of a high level of conscious awareness of some or all of one's bodily states, sensations, consciousness, and environment. This phenomenon may be associated with meditation or a drug-induced altered state of consciousness.

The second is a dimension of thinking based on active differentiation and refinement of existing categories, creation of new categories, and a nuanced appreciation for context.

Here, to differentiate the two concepts, the first will be referred to as attention mindfulness and the second will be referred to as category mindfulness.

1 Attention mindfulness
2 Category mindfulness
3 References
4 See also
5 Further reading

[edit] Attention mindfulness

Research of attention mindfulness was influenced by Buddhist teachings on meditation. The construct itself is similar to Buddhist mindfulness. Contemporary research has focused primarily on applications of mindfulness to clinical interventions - programs designed to improve health.

[edit] Category mindfulness

Category mindfulness originated from Ellen Langer's research on decision making. Comparisons may be drawn to critical thinking. Applications of category mindfulness extend to education, health, and business.