Inside and out: individual and relational outcomes of contemplative practice
Date
2019
Authors
Schaeffer, Amanda, author
Quirk, Kelley, advisor
Harvey, Ashley, committee member
Carlson, Laurie, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
This study explored the relationships between two prevalent forms of contemplative practice (mindfulness and prayer) and their connection to wellbeing, both individual and relational. Furthermore, this study incorporated mindfulness and prayer into the unified construct of contemplative practice, divided according to direction of attention: inward-focused and outward-focused. Research has previously dealt with mindfulness and prayer separately, overlooking their functional similarities, yet associating them with similar outcomes. This study serves as a preliminary bridge between mindfulness literature and prayer literature, comparing their relationships to individual and relational wellbeing, and proposing the more inclusive category of contemplative practice. Using a sample of 262 college students, this study compared mindfulness to prayer, and inward-focused contemplative practice to outward-focused contemplative practice, in terms of each variable's association with individual wellbeing and relationship wellbeing. Results indicate that mindfulness is associated with both individual and relationship wellbeing, while prayer (when controlling for mindfulness) is not. The results also indicate that inward-focused contemplative practice is more closely linked to individual wellbeing than outward-focused contemplative practice, and that outward-focused contemplative practice is more closely linked to relationship wellbeing than inward-focused contemplative practice.