The Nature of the Relationship between Attachment and Mindfulness
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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Davis, Penny
Other Supervisors
O'Donovan, Analise
Year published
2013
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Recent evidence suggests that attachment and mindfulness are related, such that individuals with a secure attachment style also tend to be more mindful. However, the nature of this relationship is unclear. The present program of research presents seven studies that examined the nature of the relationship between adult attachment and mindfulness. Study 1 aimed to replicate the established association between attachment and mindfulness, and to extend these findings by examining a possible differential relationship between the two variables in experienced and inexperienced mindfulness meditators. Results revealed that attachment ...
View more >Recent evidence suggests that attachment and mindfulness are related, such that individuals with a secure attachment style also tend to be more mindful. However, the nature of this relationship is unclear. The present program of research presents seven studies that examined the nature of the relationship between adult attachment and mindfulness. Study 1 aimed to replicate the established association between attachment and mindfulness, and to extend these findings by examining a possible differential relationship between the two variables in experienced and inexperienced mindfulness meditators. Results revealed that attachment and mindfulness were significantly related in both groups. However, attachment anxiety and avoidance together accounted for more than twice the variance in mindfulness in experienced meditators compared to their inexperienced counterparts. Further, mindfulness experience moderated the association between attachment anxiety and mindfulness. Following this, four experiments examined a possible bi-directional causal relationship between attachment and mindfulness. Studies 2 and 3 investigated the effects of enhancing mindfulness on state attachment, and Studies 4 and 5 investigated the effects of attachment security priming on state mindfulness. In both Studies 2 and 3, mindfulness was successfully enhanced; however, this did not lead to any change in state attachment. In Studies 4 and 5, attachment security increased, but there were no changes in state mindfulness. These findings suggest that the two variables share their association not because there is a direct, immediate causal relationship between them, but rather because they may be related more distally and indirectly, or may share a common precursor.
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View more >Recent evidence suggests that attachment and mindfulness are related, such that individuals with a secure attachment style also tend to be more mindful. However, the nature of this relationship is unclear. The present program of research presents seven studies that examined the nature of the relationship between adult attachment and mindfulness. Study 1 aimed to replicate the established association between attachment and mindfulness, and to extend these findings by examining a possible differential relationship between the two variables in experienced and inexperienced mindfulness meditators. Results revealed that attachment and mindfulness were significantly related in both groups. However, attachment anxiety and avoidance together accounted for more than twice the variance in mindfulness in experienced meditators compared to their inexperienced counterparts. Further, mindfulness experience moderated the association between attachment anxiety and mindfulness. Following this, four experiments examined a possible bi-directional causal relationship between attachment and mindfulness. Studies 2 and 3 investigated the effects of enhancing mindfulness on state attachment, and Studies 4 and 5 investigated the effects of attachment security priming on state mindfulness. In both Studies 2 and 3, mindfulness was successfully enhanced; however, this did not lead to any change in state attachment. In Studies 4 and 5, attachment security increased, but there were no changes in state mindfulness. These findings suggest that the two variables share their association not because there is a direct, immediate causal relationship between them, but rather because they may be related more distally and indirectly, or may share a common precursor.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD ClinPsych)
School
School of Applied Psychology
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Subject
Attachment (Psychology)
Mindfulness (Psychology)