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Connecting Mindfulness and Character Strengths: Correlational and Experimental Evidence for a Mutual Support Model

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Connecting Mindfulness and Character Strengths: Correlational and Experimental Evidence for a Mutual Support Model Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2018 Connecting mindfulness and character strengths: correlational and experimental evidence for a mutual support model Pang, Dandan Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-169170 Dissertation Published Version Originally published at: Pang, Dandan. Connecting mindfulness and character strengths: correlational and experimental evidence for a mutual support model. 2018, University of Zurich, Faculty of Arts. Connecting Mindfulness and Character Strengths: Correlational and Experimental Evidence for a Mutual Support Model Thesis (cumulative thesis) presented to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the University of Zurich for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Dandan Pang from China Accepted in the fall semester 2018 on the recommendation of the doctoral committee: Prof. Dr. Willibald Ruch (main adviser) Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Maercker Zurich, 2018 Dedicated to My grandfather Thanks for your endless amounts of love and for shaping me to who I am. ! ABSTRACT ABSTRACT The present dissertation advances toward a more integrated view in psychological research by guiding the attention of mindfulness research to the framework of positive psychology, emphasizing its potential for increasing positive qualities. In order to achieve this goal, the current thesis (1) systematically illustrates the problem of a widely used self-report questionnaire of mindfulness with a large heterogenous sample (N = 2,247) to understand the construct of mindfulness better; (2) attempts to theoretically derive and empirically test (using 1 cross-sectional study and 1 intervention study) a mutual support model of mindfulness and one of the most important constructs in positive psychology – character strengths; and (3) demonstrates the efficacy of the mindfulness-only intervention (MBSR) and the newly developed mindfulness-character strengths-combined intervention (MBSP) in stress reduction and well-being, and further expands its application into the workplace setting. Overall, the present thesis suggests that mindfulness and character strengths mutually enhance one another, creating the dynamics of an upward spiral: increases in mindfulness predict enhancement in specific character strengths, while increases in specific character strengths were assumed to predict growth in mindfulness. This synergetic effect of mindfulness and character strengths were indirectly shown in the improvements of task performance for participants of the combined intervention, as combining mindfulness and character strengths leads to more job-resources as well as better person-organizational fit. Implications are discussed for future research as well as for educations, employees, and organizations. I ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ACKNOWLEGEMENT I remember when I was a little girl, my grandfather said: “you are now 10, still in primary school, but soon you will be in secondary school, later on high school, by the age of 18 you will be starting your Bachelor’s study, and at the age of 22 your Master’s study, and before the age of 30 you shall accomplish a PhD”. He saw a PhD in me since I was 10 years old! Having grown up as what is referred to as a “left-behind” child, which is typically a child who is raised by the grandparents while the parents are miles away and only see their children once or twice a year, I am extremely grateful to have had my grandfather in my childhood. He was very knowledgeable, and the most generous, loving person in the world. Furthermore, I would like to thank all those who helped me throughout my PhD journey. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Willibald Ruch, for his dedication in research, his professional guidance as well as all the intellectual exchanges. Sincere thanks to Prof. Andreas Maercker for his advice in the study design and for being a member of the doctoral committee. Many thanks go to my students Valentina, Luisa, Ian, Valerie and Lennart, for their amazing work and contributions to the data collection. Sincere thanks go to my team in Zurich, for all their support and insightful feedback. A big thank you goes to the Swiss National Science Foundation, for giving me the opportunities to develop my career in Switzerland. Finally, I am grateful for my family in China, for being a secure base for me, as always. Deep appreciation goes to Dodo, for being the best flat mate ever and a positive role model of living one’s own life. Special thanks go to Elisa, for being my PhD “buddy” and sharing this journey together with me. Last but not least, to all my friends in Zurich, for making Zurich a home for me. II FUNDING FUNDING This dissertation was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation [grant number 165465]. III TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... I ACKNOWLEGEMENT ......................................................................................................... II FUNDING ............................................................................................................................... III TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... IV List of tables ........................................................................................................................ VII List of figures ........................................................................................................................ IX Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ X GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 Mindfulness: The art of living in the present moment ....................................................... 1 The Buddhist roots of mindfulness: Beyond the cessation of suffering ............................... 1 From Buddhist roots to positive psychology ........................................................................ 3 The recognition and development of mindfulness in Western psychology .......................... 4 Current research of mindfulness ........................................................................................... 8 Character Strengths: A family of positive traits ............................................................... 10 History and definition of character strengths ...................................................................... 10 The measurement of the 24 character strengths ................................................................. 14 Current research on character strengths .............................................................................. 15 Connecting mindfulness and character strengths ............................................................. 20 The integration of mindfulness and character strengths ..................................................... 25 Aims of the Thesis ................................................................................................................ 28 Part I. ................................................................................................................................... 28 Part II. ................................................................................................................................. 29 Part III. ................................................................................................................................ 30 PART I ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Scrutinizing the components of mindfulness: Insights from current, past, and non- meditators ................................................................................................................................ 32 Abstract ................................................................................................................................. 33 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 34 Methods ................................................................................................................................. 38 Participants ......................................................................................................................... 38 Procedure ............................................................................................................................ 41 Measures ............................................................................................................................. 42 Data Analyses ..................................................................................................................... 42 Results ................................................................................................................................... 44 Descriptive Statistics .......................................................................................................... 44 The Unique Features of the Past Meditators ....................................................................... 46 The Factor Structure of the
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