The Mindful Personality: a Meta-analysis from a Cybernetic Perspective

Abstract

Dispositional mindfulness (DM), or the tendency to attend to present moment experience, may have important implications for the structure of human personality. However, relationships between DM and the Big Five Model of Personality (BF) have not been definitively established. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to extend previous investigations of the relationship between DM and the BF, utilizing a larger sample of studies, attending to relational inconsistencies potentially associated with alternative methods of operationalizing DM, conducting the first meta-analysis of the DM subdomains in relation to the BF, and situating the results in a cybernetic model. Results indicate that neuroticism evidenced the strongest, negative relationship with DM and conscientiousness evidenced the strongest, positive relationship with DM, suggesting the mindful personality may be characterized principally by emotional stability and conscientious self-regulation - potentially reflective of an inclination towards the personality metatrait stability. Measurement differences were also observed, with the mindful personality arrived at through the FFMQ differing to some extent from the mindful personality emerging from the MAAS. Broadly, the mindful personality associated with the FFMQ appears to reflect greater personality complexity, with the FFMQ evidencing associations with all five personality factors while the MAAS appears primarily linked with only three personality factors (Neuroticism, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness). Examination of the relationships between the BF and DM at the facet level also suggest unique patterns of association between the DM facets and each of the personality factors.

The Mindful Personality II: Exploring the Metatraits from a Cybernetic Perspective

“…Associations between dispositional mindfulness and the Big Five personality factors continue to be clarified by empirical and theoretical advances (e.g., Hanley & Garland, 2017; Rau & Williams, 2016). However, few investigations of dispositional mindfulness and the Big Five have organized personality in an integrative fashion or have attempted to examine personality from a mechanistic framework.…”

“…Despite these theoretical links between dispositional mindfulness and the metatraits, no empirical investigations of these constructs have been conducted. However, recent meta-analytic work suggests that dispositional mindfulness may be more accurately positioned as a metatrait correlate than in relation to any of the Big Five personality factors independently (Hanley & Garland, 2017). Given these results, a strong theoretical association has been proposed between dispositional mindfulness and stability, as well as a more moderate association between dispositional mindfulness and plasticity (see Hanley & Garland, 2017).…”

“…It was hypothesized that dispositional mindfulness would be positively associated with both metatraits, stability and plasticity. However, dispositional mindfulness was expected to be more strongly associated with the stability metatrait given findings from a recent meta-analyses which indicated that dispositional mindfulness was most closely associated with the three personality factors constituting stability (Hanley & Garland, 2017). It was further hypothesized that the metatraits would mediate the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and psychological well-being.…”

Trait Mindfulness: A Multifaceted Evaluation

“…Numerous studies have documented an association of mindfulness with Big Five personality factors of agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness. Meta-analysis provides robust evidence for the relation of dispositional mindfulness and the five factors and further suggests that high trait mindfulness is most strongly related to decreased neuroticism and increased conscientiousness (Hanley & Garland, 2017). Researchers have proposed that mindfulness facets (e.g., nonjudgmental observation and nonreactivity) are incompatible with worry, self-consciousness, insecurity, and distress associated with neuroticism because they enhance the ability to tolerate negative experiences (e.g., Hanley, 2016; Hanley & Garland, 2017; van den Hurk et al., 2011).…”

“…Meta-analysis provides robust evidence for the relation of dispositional mindfulness and the five factors and further suggests that high trait mindfulness is most strongly related to decreased neuroticism and increased conscientiousness (Hanley & Garland, 2017). Researchers have proposed that mindfulness facets (e.g., nonjudgmental observation and nonreactivity) are incompatible with worry, self-consciousness, insecurity, and distress associated with neuroticism because they enhance the ability to tolerate negative experiences (e.g., Hanley, 2016; Hanley & Garland, 2017; van den Hurk et al., 2011). Conscientiousness theoretically overlaps with mindfulness, as it is marked by goal-directed, intentional behavior, and a present focus that reflects observe, acting with awareness, nonreactivity, and nonjudgment facets of mindfulness (Hanley, 2016; Latzman & Masuda, 2013).…”