Abstract
This paper comments on a recent study by Christopher et al. (Mindfulness 5:145–160, 2014), in which 14 Zen Buddhist priests and laypersons residing in a monastery in the Northwestern US were interviewed about the extent to which the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Toronto Mindfulness Scale capture the nature of mindfulness as they understand and practice it. Participants identified strengths and weaknesses of both questionnaires; findings were discussed in terms of the cultural validity of the measures. Because mindfulness is taught, practiced, and studied in both Buddhist and Western contexts, including contemporary medical, mental health, educational, and research environments, this commentary argues that at least three domains of knowledge are important in developing measures of mindfulness with broad applicability: (1) knowledge of mindfulness as described, taught, and practiced in Buddhist traditions; (2) knowledge of mindfulness as described, taught, and practiced in contemporary Western interventions and training programs; and (3) knowledge of psychological assessment, especially psychometrics and questionnaire construction. A balanced perspective that explicitly acknowledges the value for health and well-being of both Buddhist and Western psychological conceptions of mindfulness is recommended.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baer, R. A. (2011). Measuring mindfulness. Contemporary Buddhism, 12, 241–261.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., & Allen, K. B. (2004). Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Assessment, 11, 191–206.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J., & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13, 27–45.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Lykins, E., Button, D., Krietemeyer, J., Sauer, S., Walsh, E., Duggan, D., & Williams, J. M. G. (2008). Construct validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment, 15, 329–342.
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822–848.
Buchheld, N., Grossman, P., & Walach, H. (2001). Measuring mindfulness in insight meditation and meditation-based psychotherapy: the development of the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI). Journal for Meditation and Meditation Research, 1, 11–34.
Carmody, J. (2014). Teaching fish about water: the principles of attention in mindfulness practice and their effect on well-being. In K. W. Brown, J. D. Creswell, & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of mindfulness: theory, research, and practice. (in press)
Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms, and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 23–33.
Cebolla, A., Garcia-Palacios, A., Soler, J., Guillen, V., Banos, R., & Botella, C. (2012). Psychometric properties of the Spanish validation of the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). European Journal of Psychiatry, 26, 118–126.
Chadwick, P., Hember, M., Symes, J., Peters, E., Kuipers, E., & Dagnan, D. (2008). Responding mindfully to unpleasant thoughts and images: reliability and validity of the Southampton mindfulness questionnaire (SMQ). British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47, 451–455.
Christopher, M. S., Woodrich, L. E., & Tiernan, K. A. (2014). Using cognitive interviews to assess the cultural validity of state and trait measures of mindfulness among Zen Buddhists. Mindfulness, 5, 145–160.
Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1995). Constructing validity: basic issues in objective scale development. Psychological Assessment, 7, 309–319.
Dreyfus, G. (2011). Is mindfulness present-centered and nonjudgmental? A discussion of the cognitive dimensions of mindfulness. Contemporary Buddhism, 12, 41–54.
Erisman, S. M., & Roemer, L. (2012). A preliminary investigation of the process of mindfulness. Mindfulness, 3, 30–43.
Frewen, P., Lundberg, E., MacKinley, J., & Wrath, A. (2011). Assessment of response to mindfulness meditation: meditation breath attention scores in association with subjective measures of state and trait mindfulness and difficulty letting go of depressive cognition. Mindfulness, 2, 254–269.
Gethin, R. (2011). On some definitions of mindfulness. Contemporary Buddhism, 12, 263–279.
Goldstein, J. (2002). One Dharma: the emerging Western Buddhism. New York: HarperCollins.
Grossman, P. (2011). Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology’s (re)invention of mindfulness: comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment, 23, 1034–1040.
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy: the process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Hou, J., Wong, S., Lo, H., Mak, W., & Ma, H. (2014). Validation of a Chinese version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Hong Kong and development of a short form. Assessment, 21, 363–371.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2011). Some reflections on the origins of MBSR, skillful means, and the trouble with maps. Contemporary Buddhism, 12, 281–306.
Kornfield, J. (1993). A path with heart: a guide through the perils and promises of spiritual life. New York: Bantam Books.
Lau, M. A., Bishop, S. R., Segal, Z. V., Buis, T., Anderson, N. D., Carlson, L., et al. (2006). The Toronto Mindfulness Scale: development and validation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 1445–1467.
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Skills training manual for treating borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford.
Linehan, M. M. (1994). Acceptance and change: the central dialectic in psychotherapy. In S. Hayes, N. Jacobson, V. Follette, & M. Dougher (Eds.), Acceptance and change: content and context in psychotherapy (pp. 73–86). Reno: Context.
Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Shapiro, S. L., & Carlson, L. E. (2009). The art and science of mindfulness: integrating mindfulness into psychology and the helping professions. Washington: APA.
Williams, J. M. G., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Mindfulness: diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins, and applications. London: Routledge.
Williams, M. J., Dalgleish, T., Karl, A., & Kuyken, W. (2014). Examining the factor structures of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Self Compassion Scale. Psychological Assessment, 26, 407–418.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baer, R.A. Assessing Mindfulness in Multiple Contexts: a Comment on Christopher, Woodrich, and Tiernan (2014). Mindfulness 6, 687–692 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0326-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0326-y