Buddhist Psychology and Western Psychology

Buddhist Psychology and Western Psychology refers to comparative and integrative scholarship between Buddhist psychological models and Western psychological science.

Summary

Scholars examine overlaps between Buddhist concepts (mindfulness, dependent origination, the five aggregates, suffering) and Western constructs (cognitive appraisal, systems theory, self-processes, psychopathology).

Key Findings

Buddhist psychology anticipates aspects of cognitive-behavioral theory (dependent origination parallels cognitive schemas). Mindfulness-based interventions (MBSR, MBCT, DBT) successfully integrate Buddhist practices into evidence-based Western therapies. Buddhist analysis of self aligns with contemporary narrative and social constructionist critiques of unitary selfhood. Neuroimaging of meditation reveals neural correlates of Buddhist psychological constructs.

Methodology

Comparative analysis uses conceptual mapping, clinical trial evaluation, and neuroimaging studies of meditation. Key journals include Mindfulness, Contemporary Buddhism, and Psychology of Religion.

Limitations

Secularization of Buddhist psychology may lose ethical and philosophical depth. Cultural translation risks oversimplification. Research agendas are often driven by Western clinical interests.

Verification Notes

• Epstein (1995), Engler (2003), and subsequent scholarship inform conclusions.
• Literature reviewed through 2020s.