Conditional Goal-Setting as a Mediator in the Relationship between Mindfulness and Well-Being

Abstract

Mindfulness is defined as the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Current research on mindfulness has begun to focus on how mindfulness works by identifying the various mechanisms through which it facilitates well-being (e.g., Carmody, Baer, Lykins, & Olendzki, 2009; Coffey & Hartman, 2008; Hölzel et al., 2011). The present study examined if engaging less in conditional goal-getting (CGS) is one of the mechanisms of action of mindfulness. Conditional goal-setting (GCS) occurs when individuals have become highly committed to accomplishing certain concrete (lower-order) goals because of a belief or conception that happiness or their self-worth (a more abstract and higher-order goal) is dependent or contingent upon the attainment of those concrete goals (McIntosh & Martin, 1992). The present study tested whether conditional goal-setting would mediate the relationship between mindfulness and the four well-being outcomes of depression, rumination, positive affect, and negative affect. One hundred and seventy-seven Eastern Illinois University students participated in the study through an online survey. The results of the study demonstrated that the relationship between mindfulness and each of the four well-being outcomes was partially mediated by conditional goal-setting. Clinical implications of the research, limitations, and suggestions for future studies were discussed.

Date of Award	2014
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Ronan Bernas (Supervisor)