Mindfulness & Spirituality

Question 1

Creativity
- Way to test
- 4 Ps

Answer 1

Combo of uniqueness and usefulness (depends on context)
—
- Alternate uses task (list all ways you can use an object)
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Process (ways of thinking)
- Divergent thinking: Mental approach that takes many paths to solutions, useful for novelty
- Convergent: Solving problems w/ straightforward or single best answers, useful for utility
- Also involves ability to connect the dots (tested w/ remote associatiates test) and latent inhibition (automatically blocking out info)
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Product (what ppl came up w/)
- Tested w/ raw counts, subjective impressions, popularity, influence or self-report questionnaires
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Personality (dispositions)
- Openness most strongly linked, positively linked to divergent thinking and reduced latent inhibition
- Pre-existing knowledge can narrow range of possibilities and reduce creative thinking
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Press (demands from external environment)
- Positive mood (broaden and build theory leading to divergent thinking) and enviro (as source of ideas) can boost creativity
- But can also hinder

Question 2

What is the optimal experience

Answer 2

A search novelty (mindfulness), absorption (flow, and sacred (spirituality) thru intentional pursuit

Question 3

What does mindfulness involve (6)

Answer 3

• Present-moment awareness
• Purposefulness (attention to present moment done w/ intention)
• Nonjudgmental stance (no evaluation or labeling)
• Non reactivity (not reacting to internal states)
• Acceptance (Seeing things as how they are)
• Approaching present moment w/ curiosity/openness

Question 4

Langer’s mindfulness as an active search for novelty
- 3 requirements of being mindful

Answer 4

• Overcome desire to reduce uncertainty in daily life
• Override tendency to engage in automatic behav
• Engage less frequently in evaluations of self, others, situations

Question 5

Trait mindfulness
- Positively correlated w/ what (4)

Answer 5

Disposition toward being mindful
- W/ higher well-being, lower daily negative affect, lower perceived stress, interpersonal outcomes

Question 6

Mindfulness interventions benefits (4)
Neural activation involves (2)
Difference between eastern and western view of mindfulness

Answer 6

• Reduced chronic pain, anxiety, and increased coping
• Reduced acute respiratory illness onset and duration
• Reduced inflammation markers
• Reduced depression, increased attention, working memory, problem-solving
  —
• Introceptive awareness (insula)
• Emotion regulation and attentional control (PFC, ACC, amygdala)
  —
  Eastern also includes prosocial and communal aspects

Question 7

Savoring
Flow’s 3 necessary conditions
Experience characteristics of flow (6)

Answer 7

Process of up regulating positive emotions by redirecting attention in the moment to stimuli/events that lead to exp of positive emotions
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- Must be involved in activity w/ clear set of goals and progress
- Task must have clear and immediate feedback
- Must have good balance between perceived challenges and own perceived skills
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- Intense focus on present moment
- Merging of action and awareness of task
- Loss of reflective self-awareness
- Sense of personal agency or control over activity
- Distortion of subjective temporal exp (no awareness of other stim)
- Exp activity ad intrinsically rewarding

Question 8

2 paths for becoming engaged w/ daily life (flow)
Faux flow

Answer 8

• Finding and shaping activities and enviros conductive to flow exps
• Identifying personal characteristics and attentional skills that can be modified to increase chance of flow
  —
  Actually just mindlessness; not pssive leisure

Question 9

Religion vs Spirituality
Problem w/ traditional distinction (3)
- Vertical vs Horizontal transcendence
Paragament’s alternative to traditional definition of spirituality

Answer 9

• Religion focused on fixed system of ideas, institutional, formal, authoritarian
• Spirituality more personal, subjective, emotional, inward, unsystematic
  —
• Implicit makes religion seem bad and spirituality good in individualist cultures
• Ignores that spiritual expression occurs in social contexts and that faith traditions are interested in personal affairs
• Ignored that both can be experienced at same time bcuz both have need to relate to something greater than oneself and self-transcendence
• Vertical: Relation to higher being
• Horizontal: Relation to a force more immanent in the world
  —
  Process thru which ppl seek to discover, hold on to, and (when necessary) transform whatever they hold sacred in their lives

Question 10

Koenig’s systematic review (benefits of spirituality/religion)
- Why might these lead to positive outcome? (4)

Answer 10

Positively related to well-being, meaning in life, optimism, hope, self-esteem, healthy behav, successful aging
Negatively related to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, mortality
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- Belief systems may encourage healthy behavs/lifestyles
- May help ppl cope better w/ stressirs
- Access to social support
- Directly promotes positive psychological states (gratitude, compassion, empathy, etc)

Question 11

Impact of spirituality/religion on countries depends on? (2)
- Results of Mui-Chi Lun & Bond study

Answer 11

• Degree of religious cohesiveness in society
• Degree of restrictiveness of personal and religious freedom in society
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• In high religious socialization country, ppl engaged in spiritual practice had higher life satisfaction and happiness
• In low religious socialization country, ppl NOT engaged in spiritual practice had higher life satisfaction and happiness