AbstractsPsychology

Is mindfulness research going forward by looking backward? More traditionally orientedBuddhist psychology constructs is finding its way in the ongoing challenge to better understand,define and operationalize mindfulness. No previous studies have empirically tested BPM. Themodel's conceptual framework suggest that by engaging in meditative practice, the practitionergains an accepting quality of awareness, insight and improved regulation of attentionalresources. This, coupled with an ethically kind and loving predisposition, leads to lessattachment and aversion to emotional content, resulting in reduced rumination and increasedpsychological well-being and symptom reduction. A quantitative, cross sectional approach wasused to investigate the mechanisms of change constituting the mindfulness process. A total of127 participants, divided into 2 groups, meditators and non-meditators, answered aquestionnaire designed to assess the components of the BPM. From the correlational dataanalysis, significant support was found for the majority of the mindfulness mechanisms.Mindfulness practice was found to be related to higher levels of psychological well-being, lessrumination and less attachment and aversion to emotional content between groups. Meditatorswas also found to be more accepting and displayed better and more adaptive regulation of theirattention, something that didn't extend to ethical component of the model, where no differenceswere observed. This study concludes that mindfulness practice is related to many positive,adaptive and advantageous areas of human functioning. The BPM shows promise, but many ofthe Buddhist inspired concepts still lacks cultural and social equivalences to be truly descriptiveof mindfulness in a westernized environment.