Does Mindfulness Support the Status Quo? The Role of Neoliberal Orientation and Emotion Regulation
Critiques of mindfulness as a tool embedded in neoliberal ideology have emerged since the mid‐2010s, though they remain largely theoretical. Although they suggest that mindfulness shapes a neoliberal selfhood through self‐regulation and disidentification, potentially fostering acceptance of the system and political disengagement, our research empirically examined these assumptions. Study 1 (
N
= 213) indicated that trait mindfulness was associated with less system justification through lower competitiveness, whereas mindfulness practice had an indirect positive association with economic system justification (ESJ) via self‐regulation. On the basis of the social identity model of collective action, Study 2 (
N
= 252) revealed that trait mindfulness was linked to less group‐based anger through greater emotion regulation (i.e., acceptance), which, in turn, was associated with lower collective action intentions, but mindfulness was not related with social identification. Both studies point to nuanced relationships between mindfulness and the maintenance of the status quo, of which practical and social implications are discussed.
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Bertjan Doosje, Naomi Ellemers, Russell Spears
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- Published
- Jul 08, 2025
- Vol/Issue
- 55(7)
- Pages
- 1197-1215
- License
- View
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