I discovered mindfulness just as the industry was taking off in the 1990s. This happened to be the same time that I was beginning my graduate training in sociology. Thus, both my mindfulness practice and my sociological imagination have developed in tandem for most of my adult life. Over time, I’ve come to see them as inextricably intertwined, each one complementing the other. 

Despite the industry’s claims, I don’t think that personal troubles or social problems can be solved by individual-level solutions like mindfulness. But I do think that individual-level practices like mindfulness, combined with a sociological perspective, can help prepare people to engage in the kinds of social change we need. One way to make this happen is to bring sociological mindfulness into the mix.

What is Sociological Mindfulness?

In The Sociological Imagined Life: Pieces of the Conversation, Michael Schwalbe, emeritus professor of sociology at North Carolina State University, defines sociological mindfulness as “the practice of tuning into how the social world works” (page 3). 

Building from C. Wright Mills’ Sociological Imagination, Schwalbe’s sociological mindfulness requires us to pay attention to how we are shaped by social conditions. We do not exist in a vacuum, making and acting on decisions completely on our own. Instead, our behaviors and the course of our lives are shaped by our families, communities, norms and laws, economic and political conditions, religion, health care system, the media, and so on. 

Unexpected changes in social conditions shape our lives often in unexpected ways. For instance, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is creating uncertainties in the labor market that are already changing people’s lives. Young people graduating with a degree in computer science today are entering a job market that is different than they anticipated when they began their studies. This is not unlike how factory workers entering careers in the 1950s or 1960s did not anticipate the rapid loss of manufacturing jobs that began in the 1970s.

We are shaped by the social world, but sociological mindfulness asks us to also recognize how the social world shaping our lives is humanly made. The social world consists of countless ongoing processes carried out by people in the course of their daily lives. This applies to everything we can observe in society, from norms governing human relations at work and at home, to the organization of major institutions like the family and religion, to the global political and economic order. 

Within this humanly made social world, sociological mindfulness urges us to pay attention to the many ways that people are interdependent. We can think about the interdependence of people we know, including our families, friends, and coworkers. But we are also interdependent with people who are less visible to us. For instance, whenever we get in a car, we depend on others to follow the traffic rules, just as they depend on us to do the same. None of us in modern society would survive without the efforts of so many others who contribute to the provision of goods and services on which we rely. 

When we see that social context and a web of interdependence shape our lives, we start to understand how social life is made up of patterns.  In Part 2 of this series, we saw patterns in the primary reasons people give for their anxiety (work, family, bills, health). We can also see patterns in which people are more likely to experience anxiety. 

A recent CDC National Health Statistic Report showed that anxiety was most common among young adults, women, less educated people, poor people, and people who live in rural areas. These patterns can give us additional insight into the social roots of high rates of anxiety. They also show how systems of inequality shape patterns of social life. These systems of inequality are an important part of the humanly made social world that shapes our lives.

Once we start investigating systems of inequality, sociological mindfulness helps us to recognize how power operates in social life. This includes noticing how power rests on the cooperation and “buy in” of those without power in any particular social, economic, or political situation. Because of this structural arrangement, power can be resisted and has been resisted in the past. No power arrangements are eternal, a reality that should give us hope for social change.

How Can Sociological Mindfulness Help Us to Create a Better World?

Moving from a psychological imagination to a sociological imagination can be overwhelming. There is so much that feels outside of our control. And it’s true that changing the social world is beyond any one of us individually. However, when we remember that the social world is humanly made and that power arrangements are not eternal, we can start thinking about our role in the social change we’d like to see. 

In Making a Difference: Using Sociology to Create a Better World, Michael Schwalbe provides suggestions to help us find our role in social change, all stemming from his concept of sociological mindfulness. He acknowledges that there is no foolproof guide to social change and that obstacles are sure to arise. That said, the book is full of specific guidance useful to anyone interested in being a part of social change. Schwalbe provides concrete advice on: 

1. Listening in a way that leads to a non-judgmental understanding of the experiences and perspectives of others.
2. Engaging in research aimed at getting the information we need to analyze problems and discuss potential solutions.
3. Joining in conversations about social problems by writing for the public on social media, in newspapers, and in blogs like this one.
4. Organizing with others to work toward common goals.
5. Developing empathy so that we can act more compassionately and intelligently when facing social problems.
6. Advocating with others for changes in laws and policies that unfairly impact others.
7. Working toward constructive dialogue about what to conserve as we build on past efforts rather than assuming that new is always better.
8. Living as teachers who care about the growth and learning of others.
9. Recognizing the value of constructive dissent aimed at helping to spur change.
10. Working with others to imagine a better world and solving problems that stand in the way of that imagined world.

Schwalbe closes the book with a call for optimism, even in troubled times, and a final set of principles to guide us on our path to social change:  take action, have passion without becoming fanatical, analyze problems rather than assigning blame, consider self-change as a part of social change, face problems head on, balance action and reflection, know that opportunities for change are always present, and remember that commitment to change is sustained by relationships.

It is this final set of advice that leads us back to personal as well as sociological mindfulness.

A Call for a Both/And Approach

The rapid growth of the mindfulness industry has resulted in overpromising the benefits of mindfulness, especially given how few people remain committed to the practice delivered through mindfulness apps. The selling of mindfulness as a benefit employers can offer to employees does nothing to change the conditions of employment that cause undue stress for employees. A purely psychological approach to social problems will not lead to the kinds of structural and cultural changes we need. 

However, personal mindfulness does have the potential to increase awareness not just about inner states of cognition and emotion but also about how to live a more mindful life. Mindfulness training that helps us to feel calmer and more centered may help us to be less reactive to the stresses of everyday life. 

Being less reactive and responding mindfully to our anxieties may help us to see the causes of those anxieties more clearly. When we add Schwalbe’s instruction on sociological mindfulness, we have a good chance of identifying the social causes of our own stress and recognizing that our social context is the culprit for a lot of our own stress and that of others. 

Michael Schwalbe’s advice on using sociology to make a difference provides a guide not only for self-help but for contributing to collective action on public issues that are the source of our private troubles. 

What Can You Do?

While the mindfulness industry does overpromise, it’s still a good place to start. The basic meditation course in Headspace, with its animated videos, is excellent for learning the basics. Beyond initial training, you really don’t need anything fancy or expensive. Mostly it’s a matter of regular practice, which you can do on your own or there are plenty of free options if you want guidance. 

Both Calm and Insight Timer offer free meditation choices. If you are interested in learning more about Buddhism, there are many possibilities online including Namchak and Dharma Seed. Even better, find a mindfulness meditation class or group in your own community.

But here’s the point: once you’ve taken steps in a mindful direction, don’t stop there. Think about how mindfulness can help shape not just what you do but, more importantly, your interactions and relationships with others. Start looking around your community for ways to get involved in issues that matter to you. Volunteer, join an organization, meet your neighbors. Use Schwalbe’s books for guidance on your path toward making a difference. Look for good news about what is already happening for inspiration.

Practicing mindfulness will not solve all of your problems, nor will it solve the problems of the world. But it might help you to manage your reactions to the stresses in your life and the problems in the world. And it might help you to find ways to make a difference.

After all, the social world is humanly made. It is up to all of us to make a difference in whatever ways that we can as we work together toward our imagined better future.