92 research outputs found
Effects of mindfulness meditation on conscious and non-conscious components of the mind
The aim of the present review is to investigate previous studies concerning the effects of meditation and dispositional mindfulness on conscious and implicit or non-conscious attitudes. First we present a brief perspective on conscious and non-conscious states of mind. Then we introducethefundamentalbasesofmindfulnessmeditation. Third we review studies on dispositional mindfulness and meditation that employed either direct or indirect measures to assess explicit and implicit attitudes. Finally, we briefly present how meditation has been associated with the psychotherapeutic practice of psychoanalysis and, hence, as a therapeutic technique to access the unconscious. Until now, few studies have investigated the impact of meditation on non-conscious states of mind and personality; nevertheless, both scientific studies involving implicit measures and reflections from psychotherapy have underlined the importance of meditation in promoting psychological well-being, leading to de-automatization of automatic patterns of responding and to higher levels of self-awareness
Temperament and Character Effects on Late Adolescents' Well-Being and Emotional-Behavioural Difficulties
Background. Research on adults points to personality as a crucial determinant of well-
being. The present study investigates the question of personality's relation to well-being
and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence.
Methods. We assessed the role of temperament and character (Temperament and
Character Inventory, TCI-125), on psychological well-being (PWB; Psychological Well-
Being scales), subjective well-being (SWB; Positive and Negative Affect, PA and NA,
respectively), and psychosocial adjustment (emotional-behavioural problems measured
by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for Adolescents, SDQ-A), in 72 Italian
late adolescents (aged 17.5 0.75). Multiple regressions were conducted to predict
PWB, SWB, and SDQ-A scores using TCI-125 scales as predictors.
Results. Character maturity, and in particular Self-Directedness, had a widespread
protective effect on well-being and psychosocial adjustment, while different strengths
and emotional-behavioural difficulties were associated to specific temperamental
and character traits. For example, Harm-Avoidance and Novelty-Seeking positively
predicted internalized and externalized problems, respectively.
Discussion. The present results suggest the usefulness of continuing to evaluate
temperament and, in particular, character dimensions in investigations focused on
adolescents' well-being and psychosocial functioning, especially in the contexts of
potential interventions aimed at enhancing development of adolescents' character
dimensions at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal levels
The impact of mindfulness meditation on social and moral behavior: Does mindfulness enhance other-oriented motivation or decrease monetary reward salience?
This perspective article provides an overview of the impact of mindfulness
meditation (MM) on social and moral behavior. In mindfulness research,
prosocial behavior has been operationalized as helping behavior, altruistic
redistribution of funds, reparative behavior, or monetary donation. Studies
concerning moral behavior are still scarce. Despite inconsistent evidence,
several studies found a beneficial effect of mindfulness on prosocial outcomes
(i.e., a higher propensity to spend or give away money for the sake of
other individuals). However, since the employed tasks were reward-based,
participants’ decisions also directly affected their own payoff by reducing it.
Crucially, MM also affects self-control circuitry and reduces reward-seeking
behaviors and reward salience by making rewards less tempting. We have
discussed evidence suggesting how challenging it may be to dissociate
the specific weight of enhanced other-oriented motivation from one of
the decreased monetary reward salience in explaining meditators’ behavior.
Future higher-quality studies are needed to address this open issue
Spontaneous eye movements during focused-attention mindfulness meditation
Oculometric measures have been proven to be useful markers of mind-wandering during
visual tasks such as reading. However, little is known about ocular activity during mindfulness
meditation, a mental practice naturally involving mind-wandering episodes. In order to
explore this issue, we extracted closed-eyes ocular movement measurements via a covert
technique (EEG recordings) from expert meditators during two repetitions of a 7-minute
mindfulness meditation session, focusing on the breath, and two repetitions of a 7-minute
instructed mind-wandering task. Power spectral density was estimated on both the vertical
and horizontal components of eye movements. The results show a significantly smaller
average amplitude of eye movements in the delta band (1\u20134 Hz) during mindfulness meditation
than instructed mind-wandering. Moreover, participants\u2019 meditation expertise correlated
significantly with this average amplitude during both tasks, with more experienced meditators
generally moving their eyes less than less experienced meditators. These findings suggest
the potential use of this measure to detect mind-wandering episodes during
mindfulness meditation and to assess meditation performance
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Affect, Fear, and Personality of Primary School Children Measured During the Second Wave of Infections in 2020
In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, a large body of research has identified a negative impact on individuals' affectivity, frequently documented by increased prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms. For children, this research was less extensive, was mainly based on caregivers' reports and neglected personality assessment. In order to measure the impact of the pandemic, and the fears it caused, on primary school children's affect and personality, 323 (180 boys and 143 girls) Italian third, fourth and fifth graders were assessed between October and November 2020, namely during the second wave of COVID-19 infections in Italy, with validated self-reports of affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children, PANAS-C), fear of COVID-19 (Fear of COVID-19 Scale, FCV-19S) and personality (junior Temperament and Character Inventory, jTCI). In comparison with PANAS-C and jTCI normative scores collected prior to the pandemic, data obtained from children in 2020 showed unchanged affect scores in the overall sample, a decrease of Positive Affect in girls, and a decrease in the Harm Avoidance and an increase in the Self-Transcendence scales of personality. Fear of COVID-19 scores were positively correlated with Negative Affect scores and negatively predicted by children's personality profile of resilience (calculated using scores on the Harm Avoidance and the Self-Directedness scales of personality). These results suggested that Italian primary school children, especially boys, maintained their pre-pandemic levels of affect (or restored them after the first COVID-19 wave) and partially diverged from the typical development of personality in an apparently positive sense, namely toward more courageous/optimistic and spiritual profiles. This sort of children's post-traumatic growth might also be attributed to children's family and education systems, which should continue to be supported to promote and maintain community mental health
COVID-19 pandemic and internet addiction in young adults: a pilot study on positive and negative psychosocial correlates
Objective: During and after the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic period,
a strain was put on young adults who have taken refuge in the problematic use of
internet, social media, gaming, and gambling. This paper aims to investigate possible
correlates of Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), hypothesizing anxiety, depression
and perceived stress would promote addiction, while mindfulness skills, resilience
and socialization would, conversely, hamper IAD, and promote, consequently, a more
functional internet use.
Method: A pilot study was carried out with a sample of 31 young adults, recruited
through a snowball sampling using social networks. Participants filled out an online
questionnaire including the following measures: Internet Use, Abuse and Addiction
(UADI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II); State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
(STAI-Y); Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
(FFMQ); Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS); Resilience Scale
(RS-14). It was also administered an ad hoc questionnaire for the assessment of
socialization behaviour (6 items) and gambling (2 items).
Results: All the measures, but socialization, showed adequate reliability. Our
sample showed high levels of anxiety, stress, IA and gambling, while presenting
low levels of resilience, the mindful skill of no-reactivity and socialization. The first
hypothesis was confirmed, finding positive and significant correlations between
Internet Addiction on one side and PSS, STAI-Y1, STAY-2, and BDI II on the other
side. We also partially confirmed the second hypothesis about UADI negatively
correlated with both RS-14 and Mindful Acting. Finally, no correlations were found
between Gambling and IA.
Conclusions: In conclusion, the more one perceives an emotional overload with
less stress-control, high anxiety, and depression, and the less one can leverage on the
skills of mindful acting and resilience, the more one uses the internet as a strategy to
escape from a threatening reality
Contributions of Neuropsychology to the Study of Ancient Literature
The present work introduces the neuropsychological paradigm as a new approach to studying ancient literature. In the first part of the article, an epistemological framework for the proper use of neuropsychology in relation to ancient literature is presented. The article then discusses neuropsychological methods of studying different human experiences and dimensions already addressed by ancient literatures. The experiences of human encounters with gods among ancient cultures are first considered, through the contributions of Julian Jaynes and Eric R. Dodds. The concepts of right and left in the Bible, and that of soul are then discussed. Ecstatic experience in Paul of Tarsus is also presented, with a particular focus on glossolalia. Neuroscientific differences between mindful and unitive meditative practices are then described referring to ancient Buddhist literature, and finally a brief description of dreams in ancient Greek literature is proposed. Neuropsychology variously enables a more profound understanding of themes characterizing human experiences that ancient literature has already explored; these investigations prove that the collaboration of neuroscience and humanistic studies can return fruitful and interesting results
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