Ellen Langer: Philosophy, Autobiography, and a Healing Quest

Abstract

The chapter recalls what was lost when psychology broke away from philosophy and became medicalized, comparing this  loss to Freud’s die Seele becoming “the mind” in English translations. It explores how Langer’s research confirms a concept of mindfulness with a rich history in the humanities. Langer’s skill in translating scientific work in psychology for a general audience reflects that humanistic heritage: In Mindfulness (1989), The Power of Mindful Learning (1997) and in On Becoming an Artist (2005), she offers arguments evolving as stories mixing personal anecdote and research summary. In these, Langer often challenges major philosophical perspectives—Decartes’s separation of mind and body, for example—more often she affirms the value of long-standing ideas which previously had only philosophical support. Freud wrote of “the soul” and the unconscious; Langer writes of “the authentic self” and its mindless inhibitions. Her emphasis on the critical awareness that context constantly changes empowers a general audience with a useful understanding of Langerian mindfulness.