Mindfulness in Positive Psychology

The Science of Meditation and Wellbeing

Itai Ivtzan, Tim Lomas, Itai Ivtzan, Tim Lomas

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781317600657
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Clinical Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Mindfulness in Positive Psychology brings together the latest thinking in these two important disciplines. Positive psychology, the science of wellbeing and strengths, is the fastest growing branch of psychology, offering an optimal home for the research and application of mindfulness. As we contemplate mindfulness in the context of positive psychology, meaningful insights are being revealed in relation to our mental and physical health.

The book features chapters from leading figures from mindfulness and positive psychology, offering an exciting combination of topics. Mindfulness is explored in relation to flow, meaning, parenthood, performance, sports, obesity, depression, pregnancy, spirituality, happiness, mortality, and many other ground-breaking topics. This is an invitation to rethink about mindfulness in ways that truly expands our understanding of wellbeing.

Mindfulness in Positive Psychology will appeal to a readership of students and practitioners, as well as those interested in mindfulness, positive psychology, or other relevant areas such as education, healthcare, clinical psychology, counselling psychology, occupational psychology, and coaching. The book explores cutting edge theories, research, and practical exercises, which will be relevant to all people interested in this area, and particularly those who wish to enhance their wellbeing via mindfulness.

Part I Positive psychology interventions

1 Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) for Enhancing Well-Being, Managing Problems, and Boosting Positive Relationships

Ryan M. Niemiec and Judith Lissing

DOI: 10.4324/9781315747217-2

We can’t understand what is happening to ‘something’ if we aren’t looking. But nothing is going to happen to that ‘something’ if we don’t look deeply. That’s why so many things with incredible potential go unnoticed because nobody bothers to look.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010), and Birdman (2014)

The science of mindfulness and character

Positive psychology has two natural bedfellows that, despite some overlapping routes and similar benefits when practiced, have grown up separately over the centuries. These are mindfulness meditation and strengths of character. Each has a number of misconceptions associated with it so we begin by clarifying terms and offering some brief research findings before delving into their integration.

There are many ways to define mindfulness. Each author, researcher, practitioner, and thought leader has their own take on it. The lack of a common, consensual definition poses problems for researchers and practitioners in terms of understanding what is being discussed, studied, and practiced. It is for this reason that a large group of mindfulness scientists gathered at the turn of the century to derive a consensual, operational definition. What emerged was a two-part definition for mindfulness (Bishop et al., 2004): Mindfulness involves the self-regulation of attention with an approach of curiosity, openness, and acceptance.

Ultimately, mindfulness is not about getting relaxed or achieving a particular state; rather, mindfulness refers to being present to what is happening in the unfolding moment to moment experience, without pre-conceptions or judgments. Mindfulness meditation practices and mindfulness-based programs have been associated with many positive outcomes. Meta-analyses have found clear evidence for the positive effects of meditation on well-being (Sedlmeier et al., 2012) and that meditation is beneficial for both clinical and non-clinical populations (Grossman et al., 2004).

Character is another term that has traditionally lacked a consensual definition. Character has typically been viewed over the decades in a narrow and myopic way – conceived of as a solitary construct such as honesty or integrity or characterized by a random selection of four or five qualities such as responsibility, respect, loyalty, and kindness. Studies of such groupings of character frequently found in character education programs have typically lacked scientific rigor (Berkowitz & Bier, 2007). A new science of character emerged at the turn of the century. In 2004, a common language emerged for understanding these positive aspects of our personality. This was catalyzed by a 3-year project involving 55 scientists, significant cross-cultural work, and extensive research finding 24 character strengths to be universal in human beings (Biswas-Diener, 2006; Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2006; Peterson & Seligman, 2004). This groundbreaking system of character strengths and virtues is known as the VIA Classification (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), which can be seen in detail in Table 1.1. The accompanying scientific measurement tool to assess these 24 strengths is widely known as the VIA Survey. (The word “VIA” in these instances was formerly an acronym for “values in action.”) The VIA Survey, a free online tool (accessible at www.viacharacter.org) has been taken by over three million people reaching every country around the globe. There are over 200 peer-reviewed publications on character strengths, the majority emerging in the last several years.

Table 1.1 VIA classification of character strengths and virtues

© Copyright 2004–2015, VIA Institute on Character. All rights reserved. Used with permission. www.viacharacter.org The Virtue of Wisdom – cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge Creativity [originality, ingenuity]: Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it Curiosity [interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience]: Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering Judgment [open-mindedness; critical thinking]: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly Love of Learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally; related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows Perspective [wisdom]: Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself/others The Virtue of Courage – emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external or internal Bravery [valor]: Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what’s right even if there’s opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it Perseverance [persistence, industriousness]: Finishing what one starts; persevering in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks Honesty [authenticity, integrity]: Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions Zest [vitality, enthusiasm, vigor, energy]: Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated The Virtue of Humanity – interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others Love (capacity to love and be loved): Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing & caring are reciprocated; being close to people Kindness [generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”]: Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them Social Intelligence [emotional intelligence, personal intelligence]: Being aware of the motives/feelings of others and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick The Virtue of Justice – civic strengths that underlie healthy community life Teamwork [citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty]: Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness & justice; not letting feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance Leadership: Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happen The Virtue of Temperance – strengths that protect against excess Forgiveness [mercy]: Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting others’ shortcomings; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful Humility [modesty]: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is Prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted Self-Regulation [self-control]: Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions The Virtue of Transcendence – strengths that forge connections to the universe & provide meaning Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks Hope [optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation]: Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about Humor [playfulness]: Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose]: Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose & meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort

Character strengths are core, positive, trait-like capacities for thinking, feeling, and behaving in ways that help us achieve our best potential and bring out the best in others. These character strengths have been found to correlate with many of the valued outcomes that humans pursue. Reviews and examples have been published elsewhere (Niemiec, 2013; Peterson, 2006; Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and include the link between creativity and posttraumatic growth (Forgeard, 2013), the connection between curiosity and intimacy (Kashdan et al., 2011), the alignment of humility with generosity (Exline & Hill, 2012), and the connection between the strength of appreciation of beauty and well-being and self-transcendence (Martinez-Marti et al., 2014), to name a recent few.

There is good reason to explore and deepen the synergy of these exciting positive psychology domains. Mindfulness has been found to provide greater exposure to our internal environment (Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007), to help overcome our blind spots in self-knowledge (Carlson, 2013), and to align our actual self (who we think we are) and our ideal self (who we would like to be; Ivtzan, Gardner, & Smailova, 2011). In practical terms, mindfulness helps people to look within, sift through the judgments, comparisons, distortions, etc., and clearly see who we really are (i.e., our authentic self; our core strengths).

Positive psychology – and its countless researchers and practitioners – strives to not only bring a more careful examination of what is best in people (e.g., positive traits, positive emotions, resilience) but also to use what is best to confront, manage, and/or transcend what is disordered, afflictive, or discomforting (e.g., human suffering, disease, conflict, problems). Mindfulness and character strengths each address these two points and it is suspected that the synergy between the two provides an additive benefit for helping humans to not only champion what is best in them but also to face and manage suffering.

Mindfulness and character strengths integration: past and present

Until recently, minimal attention has been given to synergies of the universal character strengths of the VIA Classification (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and mindfulness-based practices. Previous synergies had been piecemeal (e.g., focusing on one strength), indirect, or non-inclusive. We outline previous and current approaches.

Indirect focus: The most popular mindfulness-based programs to date, mindfulness-based stress red...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Mindfulness in positive psychology: An introduction
• Part I Positive psychology interventions
• Part II Positive theory and mechanisms of mindfulness
• Part III Mindfulness for health practitioners and carers
• Part IV Mindfulness in spirituality
• Part V Mindful therapy
• Index