Date of Award

Summer 8-2013

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Randolph Arnau

Committee Chair Department

Psychology

Committee Member 2

Tammy Barry

Committee Member 2 Department

Psychology

Committee Member 3

Bradley Green

Committee Member 3 Department

Psychology

Committee Member 4

Richard Mohn

Committee Member 4 Department

Educational Studies and Research

Abstract

The concept of mindfulness, nonjudgmentally being aware of one’s environment, whether internal or external, has long been a core component of eastern religions, such as Buddhism, for over 2,000 years. Not until relatively recently, however, has the concept of mindfulness gained attention in Western psychology. As mindfulness has come to be associated with both psychological health and the absence of psychological distress, its practice has begun to be implemented in a number of cognitive behavioral therapies for a wide range of mental disorders.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the possible relationships between facets of measures used to quantify mindfulness and five factor personality, with special emphasis placed on the possibility of mindfulness mediating between Openness and psychological flourishing as well as Neuroticism and psychological distress. Results using a structural equation model failed to support the role of mindfulness as a mediator of the relationships between Openness and flourishing or Neuroticism and distress, but did shed light on numerous other relationships between facets of mindfulness and components of five-factor personality.

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