Question
Asked 14 January 2022

Any references that some practices that appear harmless or even helpful, when applied partially may cause harm?

Our paper is about adaptations of practices from the East in the West, including yoga, mindfulness and other forms of meditation. We are looking for references that support that practices are compromised when not applied in full. This could be because of people or organisations 'cherry-picking' what suits them while ignoring the philosophy in which they are embedded, or other examples that have been soundly explored, or a related theory.
Thanks in advance, scholars!

Most recent answer

Stanisław Radoń
Polish Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
Amaro, A. (2015). A holistic mindfulness, Mindfulness, 6, 63-73.
Baer, R. A. (2015). Ethics, values, virtues, and character strengths in mindfulness-based interventions: a psychological science perspective, Mindfulness, 6, 956-969;
Baer, R. A., Nagy, L. M., (2017). Professional ethics and personal values in mindfulness-based programs: A secular psychological perspective. [w:] Monteneiro, L. M., Compson, J. F., Musten, F. (Red.) Practitioner’s guide to ethics and mindfulness-based interventions (ss. 87-111). Cham: Springer.
Bodhi, B. (2011). What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective, Contemporary Buddhism, 12(1), 19-39.
Brown, C. G. (2016). Can “secular” mindfulness be separated from religion? [w:] Handbook of mindfulness: Culture, context, and social engagement. Pod red. R. E. Purser, D. Forbes, A. Burke, New York: Springer, 75-94.
Brown, C. G. (2017). Ethics, transparency, and diversity in mindfulness programs [w:] Practitioner’s guide to ethics and mindfulness-based interventions. Pod red. Monteneiro, L. M., Compson, J. F., Musten, F., Cham: Springer 2017, s. 45-85.
Chen, S., Jordan, C. H. (2018). Incorporating ethics into brief mindfulness practice: Effects on well-being and prosocial behavior, Mindfulness. DOI: 10.1007/s12671-018-0915-2
Compson, J. F. (2017). Is mindfulness secular or religious, and does it matter? [w:] Practitioner’s guide to ethics and mindfulness-based interventions. Pod red. L. M. Monteneiro, J. F. Compson, R. F. Musten. Cham: Springer, 23-44.
Harrington, A., Dunne, J. D. (2015). When mindfulness is therapy: Ethical qualms, historical perspectives. American Psychologist, 70(7), s. 621-631.
Lindahl, J. (2015). Why right mindfulness might not be right for mindfulness. Mindfulness, 6(1), 57-62.
Purser, R. (2015). Clearing the muddled path between traditional and contemporary mindfulness: a response to Monteiro, Musten and Compton, Mindfulness, 6(1), 23-45;
Purser, R. E., Milillo, J. (2015). Mindfulness revisited: a Buddhist based conceptualization, Journal of Management Inquiry, 24, 3-24.
Ridderinkhof, A., de Bruin, E. I., Brummelman, E., Bögels, S. M. (2017). Does mindfulness meditation increase empathy? An experiment, Self and Identity, 16, 1-19.
Sharf, R. H. (2015). Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters), Transcultural Psychiatry, 52, 470-484.
Thompson, K., Vliet, van P., (2018). Critical reflection on the ethics of mindfulness, Australian Social Work, 71(1), 120-128
Williams, M. G., Penman, D. (2012). Mindfulness: an eight-week plan for finding peace in a frantic world, Emmaus: Rodale Books.
Van Dam, N. van Vugt, M. K., Vago, D. V., Schmalzl, L., Saron, C. D., Olendzki, A., Meissner, T. Lazar, S. Kerr, C. Gorchov, J. (2018). Mind the hype: a critical evaluation and prescriptive agenda for research on mindfulness and meditation, Perspectives in Psychological Sciences, 13 (1), 36–61.
van Vugt, M. P., Moye, A. Pollock, J., Johnson, B., Bonn-Miller, M., Gyatso, K., Thakchoe, J., Aadhentsang, T., Norbu, N., Lodroe, T., Gyaltsen, J., Khechok, J., Gyaltsen, T., Fresco, D. (2019). Tibetan Buddhist monastic debate: psychological and neuroscientific analysis of a reasoning-based analytical meditation practice, Progress in brain research, 244, 233-253.
1 Recommendation

Popular answers (1)

Karl Pfeifer
University of Saskatchewan
The use of antibiotics might afford a number of examples. It isn't always wise to stop a prescribed regimen once symptoms are gone since the infection itself may not be completely gone. This webpage discusses circumstances in which it may be appropriate to discontinue as well as circumstances in which it is not appropriate to discontinue a treatment:
4 Recommendations

All Answers (5)

Karl Pfeifer
University of Saskatchewan
The use of antibiotics might afford a number of examples. It isn't always wise to stop a prescribed regimen once symptoms are gone since the infection itself may not be completely gone. This webpage discusses circumstances in which it may be appropriate to discontinue as well as circumstances in which it is not appropriate to discontinue a treatment:
4 Recommendations
Thomas Slunecko
University of Vienna
Dear Marie Holm!
I suggest you read
T. Slunecko & L. Chlouba (2021). Meditation in the age of its technological mimicry. A dispositiv analysis of mindfulness applications. International Review of Theoretical Psychologies, 1(1), 63-77.
The article is open access:
Best regards from Vienna
Stephen David Edwards
University of Zululand
This is a very interesting question that seemingly can be argued from various perspectives, philosophical, methodological, technological, inductive and deductive. Ethical issues concern the intention of the "cherry picker". The issue also needs consideration in various contexts, temporal, spatial, etc. Certainly in an academic context, superficial consideration of the philosophy embedding Buddhism or Taoism will distort its impact on any applied research methods and techniques used in a thesis. On the other hand, technologies based on such wisdom traditions, for example, properly researched and developed electronic apps may have wider community education and health benefits than the original tradition and even lead to further contextually relevant update refinements of the tradition. Research into examples of such studies will enable truth value evaluations of correspondence coherence, relevance etcx
Stanisław Radoń
Polish Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
Amaro, A. (2015). A holistic mindfulness, Mindfulness, 6, 63-73.
Baer, R. A. (2015). Ethics, values, virtues, and character strengths in mindfulness-based interventions: a psychological science perspective, Mindfulness, 6, 956-969;
Baer, R. A., Nagy, L. M., (2017). Professional ethics and personal values in mindfulness-based programs: A secular psychological perspective. [w:] Monteneiro, L. M., Compson, J. F., Musten, F. (Red.) Practitioner’s guide to ethics and mindfulness-based interventions (ss. 87-111). Cham: Springer.
Bodhi, B. (2011). What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective, Contemporary Buddhism, 12(1), 19-39.
Brown, C. G. (2016). Can “secular” mindfulness be separated from religion? [w:] Handbook of mindfulness: Culture, context, and social engagement. Pod red. R. E. Purser, D. Forbes, A. Burke, New York: Springer, 75-94.
Brown, C. G. (2017). Ethics, transparency, and diversity in mindfulness programs [w:] Practitioner’s guide to ethics and mindfulness-based interventions. Pod red. Monteneiro, L. M., Compson, J. F., Musten, F., Cham: Springer 2017, s. 45-85.
Chen, S., Jordan, C. H. (2018). Incorporating ethics into brief mindfulness practice: Effects on well-being and prosocial behavior, Mindfulness. DOI: 10.1007/s12671-018-0915-2
Compson, J. F. (2017). Is mindfulness secular or religious, and does it matter? [w:] Practitioner’s guide to ethics and mindfulness-based interventions. Pod red. L. M. Monteneiro, J. F. Compson, R. F. Musten. Cham: Springer, 23-44.
Harrington, A., Dunne, J. D. (2015). When mindfulness is therapy: Ethical qualms, historical perspectives. American Psychologist, 70(7), s. 621-631.
Lindahl, J. (2015). Why right mindfulness might not be right for mindfulness. Mindfulness, 6(1), 57-62.
Purser, R. (2015). Clearing the muddled path between traditional and contemporary mindfulness: a response to Monteiro, Musten and Compton, Mindfulness, 6(1), 23-45;
Purser, R. E., Milillo, J. (2015). Mindfulness revisited: a Buddhist based conceptualization, Journal of Management Inquiry, 24, 3-24.
Ridderinkhof, A., de Bruin, E. I., Brummelman, E., Bögels, S. M. (2017). Does mindfulness meditation increase empathy? An experiment, Self and Identity, 16, 1-19.
Sharf, R. H. (2015). Is mindfulness Buddhist? (and why it matters), Transcultural Psychiatry, 52, 470-484.
Thompson, K., Vliet, van P., (2018). Critical reflection on the ethics of mindfulness, Australian Social Work, 71(1), 120-128
Williams, M. G., Penman, D. (2012). Mindfulness: an eight-week plan for finding peace in a frantic world, Emmaus: Rodale Books.
Van Dam, N. van Vugt, M. K., Vago, D. V., Schmalzl, L., Saron, C. D., Olendzki, A., Meissner, T. Lazar, S. Kerr, C. Gorchov, J. (2018). Mind the hype: a critical evaluation and prescriptive agenda for research on mindfulness and meditation, Perspectives in Psychological Sciences, 13 (1), 36–61.
van Vugt, M. P., Moye, A. Pollock, J., Johnson, B., Bonn-Miller, M., Gyatso, K., Thakchoe, J., Aadhentsang, T., Norbu, N., Lodroe, T., Gyaltsen, J., Khechok, J., Gyaltsen, T., Fresco, D. (2019). Tibetan Buddhist monastic debate: psychological and neuroscientific analysis of a reasoning-based analytical meditation practice, Progress in brain research, 244, 233-253.
1 Recommendation

Similar questions and discussions

Defining the Yoga as a sports.
Discussion
1 reply
  • Mohamed Prince MMohamed Prince M
Sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Participation in sports requires fitness to gain better physical performance. Depending on the sport an athlete competing in sport would need strength, stamina, reflexes, accuracy, dexterity, flexibility, endurance of various muscle groups and joints that are required to enhance one’s performance in that sport (1). Apart from this mental conditioning, stress reduction and will power are important factors needed in a competitive sport (2). While yoga can be useful in conditioning oneself in any sport (3,4); developing these attributes by practice of asanas can also be a sport in itself. YOGA AS A SPORT Yoga as a sport is also termed as Competitive Yoga. It is the performance of asanas in sporting competitions. The competitive yoga i.e. yoga competitions are being held in India since several decades. The Concept of Competitive Yoga is not limited only to perform asanas, but also includes the practice of kriyas, Pranayama, Mudras and Meditation by the participants. The aim behind initiating competitive yoga was to bring awareness about yoga, its benefits and spiritual background in young community. In the initial days that is around 5000 years back, the yoga competitions were composed of all the angas of yoga as mentioned above. But now the form of the competition is just practicing asanas. Several countries over the years have embraced yoga as a sport. Competitions have been conducted in several forms and styles of yoga like Iyengar, Hatha, Vinyasa, etc. for different age and gender groups. Participants are evaluated based on grace, poise, stability, balance, relaxation, holding the breath, effortlessness, perfectness of posture, retention time etc. Participants are asked to do few poses in a given time and are judged by a group of judges. It has been declared as a competitive sport in the country in 2015. The practice of asana can be very physically challenging, and the words “effort and ease” are mentioned in the Yoga Sutras: Sthiram Sukham Asanam, yoga posture is an expression between effort and ease. Alignment, stability and effortlessness play a vital role in this competition. The first world asana championship was held in Uruguay and India in 1986. Since then there have been many national and international yogasana championships. This, together with the perceived lack of spirituality, emotional benefits and relaxation associated with yoga, are among the biggest critical comments against yoga as a competitive sport. However, there are several aspects that motivate people to take up Yoga. For some using yoga to be physically fit motivates people to take up this challenge to endure difficult poses that gradually led to development of yoga as a competitive sport. This has been nurtured by several schools that propagate advanced poses such the Hatha yoga schools and Iyengar yoga schools to name a few. Though there has been a raging debate on using yoga as a sport, there has been a concerted effort by several countries who like to see this as an Olympic sport.

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