Understanding equanimity from a psychological perspective: implications for holistic well-being during a global pandemic

The cultivation of equanimity has been emphasized in various indigenous philosophies and contemplative practices. This paper aims to develop an expansive understanding of equanimity as a distinct psychological construct. Thirty experts from various traditions such as Buddhism, Vedic studies, meditat...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:  
Bibliographische Detailangaben
VerfasserInnen: Jijina, Parisha (VerfasserIn) ; Biswas, Urmi Nanda (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Lade...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Veröffentlicht: Taylor & Francis 2021
In: Mental health, religion & culture
Jahr: 2021, Band: 24, Heft: 9, Seiten: 873-886
weitere Schlagwörter:B even-mindedness
B hedonic neutrality
B Samatva
B health concomitants
B Cultivation of equanimity
B holistic well-being
Online Zugang: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The cultivation of equanimity has been emphasized in various indigenous philosophies and contemplative practices. This paper aims to develop an expansive understanding of equanimity as a distinct psychological construct. Thirty experts from various traditions such as Buddhism, Vedic studies, meditation, and yoga were interviewed on their understanding and insights into equanimity. The findings suggest equanimity as an even-mindedness towards the varied hedonic and affective experiences. The cognitive, affective, and conative mechanisms of equanimity such as increased distress tolerance, hedonic neutrality, and reduced reactivity are outlined. At the interpersonal level, equanimity entails impartiality and reduced bias towards others. The challenges one may face during the cultivation of equanimity have been suggested by the experts. The implications of cultivating equanimity have been examined in the context of adaptive coping and holistic wellbeing in the current pandemic situation, dealing with compassion fatigue, and the development of indigenous leadership practices.
ISSN:1469-9737
Enthält:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2021.1952970