A Framework for Relational Mindfulness: Implications for Human Development

Abstract

Mindfulness has traditionally been understood from an individual perspective, without necessarily reviewing or questioning the conception of the self involved, an understanding that has consequences at a practical level, derived from its different applications. In response to this trend, we develop an understanding perspective of Mindfulness in a relational setting. There is a contrast between the suppositions of the delimited being and those of the relational being. The delimited being carries a modern vision, typical of a representational cognitivism, which we question in this article. To have clarity in the field of the self, and following the distinction advanced by Ricoeur, we describe two modes of use of the term identity: identity as sameness and identity as ipseity. In this article, we review these different notions of identity and then apply them to the field of mindfulness, where an individual and delimited notion of self has historically prevailed. In contrast, the alternative of a relational perspective grants access to the mindfulness moments of the relationship with oneself and others. In this context, we propose developing a relational perspective to understand mindfulness, which is characterized by being embodied in the world of life with others. Arguing from the perspective of the relational self, the article details the consequences of sustaining a non-individualistic conception of human development.