Mindfulness is defined as a fundamental way of being, a way of relating to all of one's
experiences whether positive, negative, or neutral, with an attentive, curious, and
nonevaluative mindset (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Williams, Teasdale, Segal, & Kabat-Zinn, 2007).
The basic premise underlying mindfulness is that accepting moment-to-moment experiences
as they arise, with an open-minded disposition, helps protect against psychological symptoms
such as anxiety, depression, stress, and adverse ruminative thoughts (Baer, 2003; Hofmann,
Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2010). In addition, mindfulness is also thought to enhance psychological
health and wellbeing, such as increases in emotional intelligence, body image, and positive
mental health (Bohlmeijer, ten Klooster, Fledderus, Veehof, & Baer, 2011; Stewart, 2004).
Extant mindfulness literature has largely focused on the outcomes that are associated
with mindfulness-based interventions designed to enhance an individual's state of
mindfulness, though, less is known about naturally occurring dispositional mindfulness.
According to some researchers, mindfulness manifesting as a trait (or individual difference
characteristic) is an inherent human capacity that varies between individuals (Brown & Ryan,
2003; Kabat-Zinn, 1990). To examine the complexities of trait mindfulness, it is necessary to
have a comprehensive understanding of the operationalisation of the construct. To date,
however, methods for assessing mindfulness have received little attention in psychological
research (Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006).
