Type: article
Abstract: The three papers in this dissertation explore the mechanisms of mindfulness to shed light on how mindfulness operates.In Paper 1, I investigate the mechanisms of mindfulness that explain how mindfulness reduces stress.Specifically, I investigate whether mindfulness is effective in reducing stress because it helps employees reappraise their work tasks.The findings suggest that mindfulness can reduce stress at work because it helps employees view work tasks less as a threat.In Paper 2, I unravel the seemingly paradoxical effects of mindfulness, by systematically reviewing empirical research on mindfulness mechanisms and organizing them into an integrative theoretical model.Specifically, I posit that established mindfulness mechanisms are not contradictory if considering that they occur in a sequence that unfolds over time: dereification producing non-evaluative experiences momentarily; reorientation producing modulated experiences in the short run; and assimilation producing durable changes in one's personal agency in the long run.In Paper 3, I investigate empirically whether mindfulness first fosters a neutral state of mind by removing negative thoughts (e.g., reduced negative affect, reduced depressive feelings), and later promotes increases in a positive state of mind (e.g., increased optimism, increased resilience).The findings suggest that mindfulness first leads to a neutral state of mind to make space for a positively modulated state of mind.Taken together, the three papers build on one another in exploring the mechanisms of mindfulness.Overall, the findings suggest that mindfulness can lead to a positive experience by first creating a neutral state of mind entailing the reduction of a negative state.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7137687739