Buddhism Researcher Suggests Modern Psychology Has A Neoliberalism Problem

Has Buddhism become just another productivity trend? One researcher argues that’s the case, and it’s hard to ignore all of the evidence.

Mindfulness apps promise peace of mind for a few bucks a month. Corporate meditation programs package mindfulness as stress management for individual workplaces. Mental health services tell struggling individuals to work on themselves while systemic inequalities remain untouched. What was once an ancient spiritual practice aimed at liberation has morphed into something quite different under modern psychology’s watch.

The analysis, published in Psychotherapy and Politics International, reveals how Buddhist practices like mindfulness have been stripped of their deeper meaning and repackaged to serve commercial interests. Minwoo Kang, a trainee counseling psychologist at the University of Manchester, argues that current mental health practices may inadvertently perpetuate social injustice within our neoliberal economic system.

The study introduces “Buddhism as method,” a framework for examining how psychology research and practice align with (or contradict) core Buddhist teachings about the nature of reality. Through this lens, Kang identifies troubling patterns in how therapy often reinforces individualism and productivity rather than addressing collective suffering or systemic problems.

How Buddhist Philosophy Challenges Modern Psychology

Kang applies three Buddhist lenses—relativity, conditionality, and impermanence—to examine how psychology frames mental health. These principles stand in sharp contrast to how mainstream psychology typically operates.

While psychological research recognizes that human cognition works through comparison and context, the field often treats mental health as an individual problem with individual solutions. Kang points to how therapy under neoliberalism positions people as autonomous, self-directing agents responsible for their own wellbeing. This sounds empowering until one realizes it also means those in poverty are implicitly blamed for not simply choosing to not be poor.

Kang argues therapy can end up aligning with late-capitalist norms and keeping the status quo in place.

The Commodification of Ancient Spiritual Practices

The commercialization of mindfulness exemplifies how Buddhist practices get decontextualized. What began as part of an ethical and spiritual path toward liberation has been repackaged as a stress-management technique for individual work environments. This “neoliberal mindfulness” removes the practice from its broader context of addressing suffering in all its forms, including systemic injustice.

Kang contrasts this with engaged Buddhism, a term coined by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh that views social and political action as part of spiritual practice. Engaged Buddhists work to address militarism, poverty, environmental destruction, and oppression while maintaining their spiritual development. The difference is stark: one approach helps people cope with an unjust system, while the other seeks to change it.

Why Self-Awareness May Not Be Enough

The study acknowledges that psychology does promote reflexivity, encouraging researchers and therapists to examine their own assumptions and biases. Yet this self-awareness may not go far enough when the entire system operates within neoliberal frameworks that prioritize productivity, measurable outcomes, and individual responsibility over collective wellbeing.

Buddhist teachings on conditionality reveal how our perceptions are shaped by mental conditioning and societal structures. Racism, for example, emerges not just from individual prejudice but from systems that reinforce group identities and separation. From a Buddhist perspective, the sense of a separate self is itself an illusion. Material attachments and the endless pursuit of possessions represent misdirected attempts to find happiness through external means rather than spiritual growth.

Environmental Crisis and the Illusion of Separateness

Kang extends his analysis to environmental issues, noting how materialism under capitalism distances people from recognizing their dependence on the natural world. Buddhist concepts of dependent arising promote awareness of our interconnection with all life, offering an alternative to consumer culture’s false promises about what brings fulfillment.

This spiritual perspective suggests that addressing climate change requires more than policy changes or technological fixes. It demands a fundamental shift in how people relate to desire, impermanence, and their place in the web of existence.

Kang emphasizes that even Buddhist teachings should not be treated as absolute truths. The Buddha himself compared his teachings to a raft meant for crossing to the other side, not something to cling to once the journey is complete. This perspective encourages ongoing critical reflection and openness to new insights rather than rigid adherence to any single framework.

The study raises uncomfortable questions about whether mental health services, despite noble intentions, sometimes function more as maintenance than change. By examining psychology through Buddhist principles of relativity, conditionality, and impermanence, practitioners might recognize how their work either challenges or reinforces broader systems of power and inequality.

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Disclaimer: This article discusses a theoretical analysis examining psychology through Buddhist philosophy. It does not provide medical or mental health advice. Readers experiencing mental health concerns should consult qualified healthcare professionals. The views expressed reflect the researcher’s analysis and do not represent all perspectives within Buddhism or psychology.

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