Mindfulness is an attribute of consciousness long believed to promote well-being. This research provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the role of mindfulness in psychological well-being. The development and psychometric properties of the dispositional Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) are described. Correlational, quasi-experimental, and laboratory studies then show that the MAAS measures a unique quality of consciousness that is related to a variety of well-being constructs, that differentiates mindfulness practitioners from others, and that is associated with enhanced selfawareness. An experience-sampling study shows that both dispositional and state mindfulness predict self-regulated behavior and positive emotional states. Finally, a clinical intervention study with cancer patients demonstrates that increases in mindfulness over time relate to declines in mood disturbance and stress. Many philosophical, spiritual, and psychological traditions emphasize the importance of the quality of consciousness for the maintenance and enhancement of well-being (Wilber, 2000). Despite this, it is easy to overlook the importance of consciousness in human well-being because almost everyone exercises its primary capacities, that is, attention and awareness. Indeed, the relation between qualities of consciousness and well-being has received little empirical attention. One attribute of consciousness that has been much-discussed in relation to well-being is mindfulness. The concept of mindfulness has roots in Buddhist and other contemplative traditions where conscious attention and awareness are actively cultivated. It is most commonly defined as the state of being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present. For example, Nyanaponika Thera (1972) called mindfulness “the clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception” (p. 5). Hanh (1976) similarly defined mindfulness as “keeping one’s consciousness alive to the present reality” (p. 11). Recent research has shown that the enhancement of mindfulness through training facilitates a variety of well-being outcomes (e.g., Kabat-Zinn, 1990). To date, however, there has been little work examining this attribute as a naturally occurring characteristic. Recognizing that most everyone has the capacity to attend and to be aware, we nonetheless assume (a) that individuals differ in their propensity or willingness to be aware and to sustain attention to what is occurring in the present and (b) that this mindful capacity varies within persons, because it can be sharpened or dulled by a variety of factors. The intent of the present research is to reliably identify these inter- and intrapersonal variations in mindfulness, establish their relations to other relevant psychological constructs, and demonstrate their importance to a variety of forms of psychological well-being.

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The Benefits of Being Present: Mindfulness and Its Role in Psychological Well-Being

Development and validation of the penn state worry questionnaire

The Role of Justice in Organizations: A Meta-Analysis

Recently, Judge, Locke, and Durham (1997) proposed a higher order construct they termed core self-evaluations or, more simply, positive self-concept. According to Judge et al. (1997), this construct is a broad dispositional trait that is indicated by four more specific traits—self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability (low neuroticism). The core selfevaluations construct was originally proposed as a potential explanatory variable in the dispositional source of job satisfaction. Subsequently, Judge and colleagues also have argued that the construct should be related to work motivation and, ultimately, to job performance (Judge, Erez, & Bono, 1998). Investigations of a link between core self-evaluations and job performance, however, are lacking. Despite a lack of studies linking the core self-evaluations factor to job satisfaction and, especially, to job performance, three of the core traits (self-esteem, locus of control, and emotional stability) appear to be the most widely studied personality traits in personality and applied psychology.1 Yet, with the exception of emotional stability and job performance, we have found no metaanalyses of the relationship between any of these traits with either job satisfaction or job performance.2 Thus, the purpose of the present study is to provide a quantitative review of the literature that examines the relationship of the four core self-evaluation traits with job satisfaction and job performance. This study determines whether general relationships exist and, if so, what the magnitudes of these relationships are. In the next section, we provide a brief review of the four traits and discuss the possible relationship of these traits with both job satisfaction and job performance.

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Relationship of core self-evaluations traits--self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability--with job satisfaction and job performance: a meta-analysis.

Objective:Although mindfulness-based therapy has become a popular treatment, little is known about its efficacy. Therefore, our objective was to conduct an effect size analysis of this popular intervention for anxiety and mood symptoms in clinical samples.Method:We conducted a literature search using PubMed, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches. Our meta-analysis was based on 39 studies totaling 1,140 participants receiving mindfulness-based therapy for a range of conditions, including cancer, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and other psychiatric or medical conditions. Results:Effect size estimates suggest that mindfulness-based therapy was moderately effective for improving anxiety (Hedges’sg!0.63) and mood symptoms (Hedges’sg!0.59) from pre- to posttreatment in the overall sample. In patients with anxiety and mood disorders, this intervention was associated with effect sizes (Hedges’sg) of 0.97 and 0.95 for improving anxiety and mood symptoms, respectively. These effect sizes were robust, were unrelated to publication year or number of treatment sessions, and were maintained over follow-up.Conclusions:These results suggest that mindfulnessbased therapy is a promising intervention for treating anxiety and mood problems in clinical populations.

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The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Therapy on Anxiety and Depression: A Meta-Analytic Review

The present studies demonstrate that daily worry level is predictive of cognitive processing differences and that these differences are an effect of negative thoughts. In Study 1, worriers (those who reported 50% or greater daily worry) and non-worriers performed a categorization task. The groups did not differ when the stimulus was a clear member or non-member of the category. Worriers showed a significant disruption in processing as the ambiguity of the category membership increased. Study 2 demonstrated that the disruption arose as a result of increased levels of negative thoughts. Worriers and non-worriers were assigned to two conditions, either O-worry ("Relax and let your mind wander for 15 minutes") or 15-worry ("Worry as you typically would for 15 minutes"). Non-worriers evidenced the same disruptive effects in the 15-worry condition as worriers in that condition and worriers in Study 1. Similarly, worriers in the O-worry condition showed a reduction in disruptive effects. The findings are taken as indicating that worry is accompanied by changes in cognitive processing and that these changes are similar for worriers and non-worriers.

Worry changes decisionf making: The effect of negative thoughts on cognitive processing

The factor structure and criterion-related validity for 2 types of personality measures that are based on 5 factor models were studied. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare a 5 versus 6 factor model in an applied setting. In addition, criterion-related validity coefficients were examined for the 2 inventories. Two Big Five measures were used-1 was an adjective-based bipolar inventory and the other was a questionnaire (NEO-Personality Inventory; PI)-to shed light on the relationships between inventory characteristics, factor structure, and criterion-related validity. The sample consisted of 423 flight attendant trainees. Results indicated that the 6 factor model provided a better fit for both measures compared with the 5 factor model. Scales from the NEO-PI were significantly correlated with measures oftraining success, whereas scales from the bipolar inventory were not.

Comparison of factor structures and criterion-related validity coefficients for two measures of personality based on the five factor model.

In this article we attempt to ascertain the nature of the relationship between self-monitoring and each of two constructs of central importance to personality psychology: identity and adjustment. Previous empirical and theoretical work leaves the relationship between internal and external sources of identity and self-monitoring unclear. Snyder (1979) suggests no correlation exists between self-monitoring and neuroticism (a leading index of maladjustment). Yet, by building on previous work by Block (1961), we argue that adjustment should be related to self-monitoring in an inverted-U fashion. In a study of 268 under graduates, personal sources of identity did not discriminate between high and low self-monitors. On the other hand, social sources of identity were significantly associated with self-monitoring scores. Also found, as predicted, was a curvilinear relationship between self-monitoring and adjustment. A three-way interaction between identity sources and self-monitoring was also significantly associ...

Mark L. Miller

Papers

Development and validation of the penn state worry questionnaire

Worry changes decisionf making: The effect of negative thoughts on cognitive processing

Comparison of factor structures and criterion-related validity coefficients for two measures of personality based on the five factor model.

On the Nature of Self-Monitoring Relationships with Adjustment and Identity

Dimensions of social competence : personality and coping style correlates