Relevance of mindfulness to developing interpersonal skills

Relevance of mindfulness to developing interpersonal skills Mindfulness as a psychological concept can be conceptualised as a present centred, non elaborative and non judgemental awareness in which all of the individuals sensations, feelings and thoughts that are present in their field of attention is taken account of and accepted (Bishop et al, 2004). Hargie (2006) states that behaviour that an individual pursues consciously can be said to be mindful, while automatic behaviour must be defined as mindless. Bishop et al go on to state that Mindfulness in contemporary psychology has been adopted as an approach for increasing awareness and responding skilfully to mental processes that contribute to emotional distress and maladaptive behaviour. (p.230). they suggest that operationalising the concept requires that the definition have two components, and that previous definitions do not adequately capture the nature of the concept. The first requires the individual to regulate their attentional mechanisms so that they focus on immediate and present experience, which will allow them to recognise internal events that occur in the present. This necessarily involves the individuals conscious awareness of their own feelings and thoughts as well as their surroundings. A result of this can be metacognitive abilities that allow them to control their powers of concentration. The second component of their definition of mindfulness requires the individual to adopt a certain kind of orientation towards their experience as they occur immediately, which will be characterised by openness, curiosity and acceptance. This orientation component requires the individual to accept their mindstream, to maintain a curious and open attitude, and to think in terms of different categories. Wiemann, Greene and Burleson (2003) note that within the context of interpersonal encounters, mindfulness implies increased attention to each individuals characteristics in new encounters. They suggest that this is particularly important in intercultural settings bec ause in these, it is more important to try to be prepared for unexpected behaviour from others. This essay will consider the relationship between mindfulness and interpersonal behaviour, including relationships as well as whether mindfulness can help people to improve their interpersonal skills. With regard to the relationship between mindfulness and interpersonal behaviour, Brown, Ryan and Creswell (2007) point out that research into the influence of mindfulness has only begun relatively recently, and has also focused largely on how it can enhance romantic relationships. For example, Welwood (1996) proposed that mindfulness encourages connection, closeness and attunement in these kinds of relationships. Goleman (2006) found that it can increase the individuals ability to pay attention to the content of their partners communication and also to be aware of their non-verbal behaviour and affective tone. Brown et al conclude that this scholarship suggests that mindfulness may promote interaction styles that support healthy relationship functioning and enhance overall relationship quality. (p. 225). Barnes et al (2007) used the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Carlson Brown, 2005; Brown Ryan, 2003), a self-report measure of mindfulness, to look at the relationship between mi ndfulness and relationship satisfaction. They found that increased mindfulness on the scale predicted increased satisfaction in relationships as well as more capacity to respond to relationship stress in a constructive manner. The study was carried out in a sample of dating couples who were not distressed. One possible criticism is that the study relied on self report and there was a danger of participants responding to face validity in some of the questions. These concerns were addressed to a certain extent in a second study, using a paradigm of conflict discussion. The authors found that scores on the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale predicted lower scores of emotional stress to conflict. This effect in turn was explained by the fact that they experienced less emotional stress in advance of the discussion, indicating that mindfulness actually helps protect the couple from stress, and does not just have a simple buffering effect. Objective raters also found that mindfulness wa s associated with better quality of communication, which is consistent with Tickle Degnan and Rosenthals (1990) finding that sustained attention in social exchanges is essential for rapport to be established. More generally, Baer et al (2006) fount that there was a positive association between mindfulness and aspects of emotional intelligence, which are related to improved social skills (see also Brown Ryan, 2003). This can lead to better perspective taking, response patterns that are cooperative and increased satisfaction in marital partners (Schutte et al, 2001). Brown and Kasser (2005; see also Brown Ryan, 2003; 2004) found that mindfulness as measured by the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale had a positive association with, or even predicted, a sense of interpersonal closeness and relatedness. This suggests that mindfulness plays a role in supporting social connections, which can be considered a fundamental psychological need (Deci Ryan, 1991). However, this proposition m ust be tested and confirmed by further research. Furthermore, incipient intervention studies also support the notion that mindfulness has a beneficial role in relationships. Carson et al (2004) adapted the extant Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme (Kabat Zinn, 1982) to a couples based intervention, which was named Mindfulness Based Relationship Enhancement. They found that, compared to control couples, those who undertook the intervention showed significantly increased partner acceptance, autonomy, and relationship satisfaction, and significantly reduces relationship and personal distress. These results held both post-test and at a follow up carried out three months later. All couples in the study were non distressed. This indicates that increased mindfulness can lead to positive outcome in terms of interpersonal behaviour. Burgoon, Berger and Waldron (2000)argue that in order to properly consider how mindfulness can help to address social issues, it is necessary to specify the features that characterise the communication context, the individuals communicating, or the messages being communicated that have the potential to increase mindfulness. Langer (1978) and subsequent authors (e.g. Hewes Graham, 1989; Schul Burnstein, 1998) have identified a number of situations that prompt individuals to exhibit more thoughtful behaviour. These include new situations, new formats for communication, and situations that are uninvolving. Waldron (1997) went on to study conversations and found that some of the proposed mindfulness prompts were indeed manifested therein. Conversations that included this kind of behaviour had associated patterns of behaviour that included more questioning, longer turns taken in the conversation, calls for evidence to be given and more interruption, which all indicate that efforts are b eing made to take control of the situation. However, it should be noted that this approach may not necessarily be considered the best for systematically examining the use of mindfulness prompts due to the fairly small number of conversations that were recorded. Dekeyser et al (2008) also looked at the relationship between mindfulness and interpersonal performance and feelings. Firstly, they looked at the factor structure and reliability of a mindfulness measure, the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (Baer et al, 2004), which is also based on self report. They used a sample of Psychology students and parents, all of whom spoke Dutch. They were able to replicate Baer et als finding in terms of the four factors that underlie mindfulness, which are characterised as Describe, Observe, Accept without Judgement and Act with Awareness. These were invariant through the samples tested, and all of these aspects of mindfulness displayed positive associations with self expression during a variety of social situations. Additionally, an increased tendency towards mindful observation was correlated with higher levels of empathy. The other factors of acting with awareness, acceptance without judgement and mindful description were correlated with more accurate description and identification of emotions and feelings, lowered social anxiety, increased body satisfaction and lowered contagion of distress. Thus, this study indicates that several factors, many of which are highly personal in nature, are associated with aspects of mindfulness. This further strengthens the notion that high levels of mindfulness are associated with a number of positive psychological outcomes, although the nature of this relationship is not clear. It must be remembered that correlation in no way infers causation and it is possible that mindfulness exerts more of a moderating or mediating effect. Furthermore, mindfulness may have some clinical applications, such as the relatively recent use of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, which is a treatment programme that was originally devised in order to help to manage chronic pain (Kabat Zinn, Lipworth et al, 1987; Kabat Zinn, Lipworth Burney, 1985). The treatment programme is presently used in order to help to reduce the psychological morbidity that comes along with chronic illnesses, as well as in the treatment of behavioural and emotional disorders (Kabat Zinn, 1998). Bishop (2002) has pointed out that the use of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction has increased in terms of popularity despite the fact that there has been no rigorous scientific evaluation of the treatment programme. However, clinical trials have begun to be carried out. Reibel, Greenson et al (2001) found significant reductions of psychological morbidity in patients with a medical illness using the programme (see also Carlson, Ursuliak et al, 2001; Speca, Carlso n et al, 2000). Williams, Kolar et al (2001) also found that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction helped to increase individuals psychological well being and mitigate stress in samples that were not clinical (see also Shapiro, Schwartz Bonner, 1998; Astin, 1997). In conclusion, the nature of mindfulness is complex and appears to have two separate but interconnected components; attention and orientation. Mindfulness is related to interpersonal behaviour because it can promote styles of interaction that lead to improved social behaviour and can also have a positive influence on relationships with others. Indeed, the research indicates that mindfulness can have a protective capacity against social stress, although how it does this is not yet clear. Furthermore, early research indicates that interventions that encourage mindfulness can not only reduce stress following illness, but can also have positive impacts on interpersonal relationships. Although the field is relatively young, research is showing more and more positive aspects of mindfulness for interpersonal skills and behaviour. One possible future direction for research would be the development of a more objective way of measuring mindfulness. At present, most studies rely on self-report, which is influenced by the participants concept of themselves. Exploratory studies looking for other indices of mindfulness, perhaps using galvanic skin response, event related potentials or functional magnetic resonance imaging may be of use.

Movie Review Muallaf

Rohana and Rohani experiences were attributed by their father and their step-mother. There is a main locus of causality attributing to their experiences. The two sisters ran off home as the father was being abusive, mainly towards Rohani where she was bald by him and the father was driven by their step-mother to behave in such abusive way. This whole scene is projected more towards the external attribution on the two sisters where the cause would be the father being abusive on his two children to fulfil his second wife’s inquires.Rohana and Rohani lived together in an old bungalow and survived on one small income which was being earned by Rohani. Rohani took a job in a pub to support herself and her sister, even though it is beyond her religious views. She did this because she had to protect her sister during the day from their father finding Rohana and taking Rohana away from her. And Rohani knew that she will be holding on to that job for only awhile until she reaches the le gal age, where she will be handed over the trust fund that was left by their late mother.Brian’s experiences are mainly attributed by his parents. One day, Brian was secretly reading an inappropriate magazine at a young age and his dad caught his act of doing so. Brian was dragged out of the house and abandoned naked by his dad on a street far away from his home. Brian was extremely infuriated on the embarrassing punishment that his father had carried out. Plus, his mother did not even say a word or helped him when he was dragged out of the house. At this point, the parents were trying to shape a better son and punishing him for his wrong doings.Under the stability concept of making attribution, the whole situation was an unstable cause, the father’s mood changed where he turned angry when he caught his son doing an inappropriate act. Brian held grudge against his parents by not returning home and being rude to his mother whenever she calls him back home or to church. He lives independently and he serves as a teacher in a public school. The two sisters, Rohana and Rohani left home at a young age as well as Brian but they are judged differently based on the cause.Rohana and Rohani viewed that Brian left home due to his personality where he held grudge against his parents by not returning home and being rude to his mother when he was the one to be blamed for reading an inappropriate magazine. The dad punished him so that he could raise a better son. Brian was internally attributed due to his negligence of learning from the mistake and his attitude which he’s not able to respect his parents in a verbally mannered way. Rohani found Brian very rude when he spoke on the phone to his mother eventough the embarrassing situation took place many years back and even when his father has passed away.Brian viewed that the two sisters left home was due to a situational cause when Rohani told him what had happened. Rohana and Rohani’s father was ph ysically abusive towards Rohani. He bald Rohani’s head when she refused to head over to the saloon with her step-mother who wanted Rohani to cut and style Rohani’s hair exactly like hers. The sisters were externally attributed by their father who was siding more towards their step-mother instead of his own children. My reflection of thoughts on the movie changed as it progressed. Rohani was abused by her dad because of her step-mother, which was why she and her sister ran off home.They hid away from him for his cruel behaviour towards them. I was attributing that they hated their father for not showing enough love on them as for the way he had behaved. But later on, my views changed when Rohana was snatched back by her father and Rohani went back looking for her sister when she found that her father had stroke. Rohani then stayed by her father’s side, taking care of him and not even bothering about the past of what he had done to her. Apart from that, Brian is a type of guy who doesn’t believes in god and never tends to step into church for his mass prayers.He was also being rude whenever his mother calls him home or to church. I attributed that he isn’t a person to be proud of himself for not believing in god and I was stereotyping him for not respecting his religious views. But then my views changed as the movie revealed that, he was punished to be naked and abandoned by his father in a street after he was caught reading an inappropriate magazine as a child. He felt that there wasn’t love from his parent for treating him that way; also, his mother did not save him when he was punished. He was traumatizing skeletons in his closet from his childhood days.

Lizard People Essay

Independence Day in Los Angeles. Its approximate location was at what is now the Hollywood Freeway near the intersection of North Hill Street and West Cesar Chavez Avenue, downtown. The hill was located one block north of Temple Street and a short distance south of present day Cesar Chavez Avenue, between the Los Angeles Civic Center and Chinatown. A small portion of the hill was not bulldozed and remains on the west side of Hill Street on the north side of the freeway. Part of Fort Moore Hill became home to a cemetery, with the first documented burial tracing back to December 19, 1853. Alternately known as Los Angeles City Cemetery, Protestant Cemetery, Fort Moore Hill Cemetery, Fort Hill Cemetery, or simply â€Å"the cemetery on the hill†, it was the city’s first non-Catholic cemetery. In 1891, the site became home to the second location of Los Angeles High School (LAHS), located on North Hill Street between Sand Street (later California Street, now part of 101 Freeway) and Bellevue Avenue (later Sunset Boulevard, now Cesar Chavez Avenue). LAHS was at this location on Fort Moore Hill until 1917, when the high school was moved again. Most of Fort Moore Hill was removed in 1949 for the construction of the Hollywood Freeway, which was opened in December 1950, and in 1957 a memorial for the old fort and its American pioneers was placed on a site north of the freeway. The fort is now memorialized by the Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial. According to a G. Warren Shufelt, a geophysicist mining engineer deep beneath the heart of Los Angeles’ financial district (Fort Moore Hill) hundreds of feet below corporate offices, and government offices lies another city. Beneath Los Angeles’ Downtown area stands a lost city of catacombs filled with treasure and records. A Hopi chief named Little Green told Warren Shufult that the vanished race’s capital was located in modern day Downtown Los Angeles. This city derived from an Indian legend that an underground world was built by a strange race that vanished 5000 years ago. This race is commonly referred to as the Lizard People or Lizard men. Warren Shufult first heard of the Lizard people in the city of a Hopi Indian legend. Legend is that they were a race who had been nearly wiped out by a meteor shower around 3000 BC. The lizard people then constructed 13 subterranean settlements along the Pacific Coast. This was done to shelter themselves against future detriments. Each subterranean settlement is what we call in modern times a city, in which was divided to house a thousand families each. They also stockpiled essentials of life to maintain. So greatly advanced scientifically the Lizard people developed a chemical solution that melted solid bedrock to bore out the tunnels and rooms of their subsurface shelters. This was done without removing any earth and rock. They also developed a cement tar stronger than any in use in modern times which they lined their tunnels and rooms. These tunnels were also constructed to hold a profusion of gold tablets that chronicled the history of their existence, the origin of mankind, and the story of the world back to creation. The Lizard people according to Little Chief Greenleaf of the medicine lodge of the Hopi Indians in Arizona, were of a much higher type of intellectually than modern human beings. The intellectual accomplishments of their 9 year old children were equal of those of present day college graduates. According to the reporter Jean Bosquet of the Los Angeles Times in 1934, Warren Shufelt began o drive a shaft 250 feet into the ground on North Hill Street, overlooking Sunset Boulevard, Spring Street and North Broadway. Warren Shufelt engineered a radio x- ray for detecting the presence of minerals and tunnels below the surface of the ground. This was an apparatus with which he says that he has traced a pattern of catacombs and vaults forming a lost city. The radio device consisted of a cylindrical glass case with a plummet attached to a copper wire.

Easter Acrostic Poem Lesson Plan

Are you in need of a quick Easter activity for your students? Try having your students create an Easter acrostic poem. They are so easy to write and they can be about any subject. Grade Level: Primary and Upper GradesSubject: Language Arts Objectives/Learning Goals Practice brainstorming Easter-related wordsUse descriptive phrases and sentences to describe Easter or words related to EasterWrite an Easter acrostic poem Required Materials Pencil and paper for each student to write their poem onScrap paper for brainstorming Anticipatory Set Ask the class what they know about Easter. Write a list on the board while they are calling out answers, and offer ideas and comments as you write down the list.Brainstorm 10-15 Easter-related words and write them on the front board or overhead projector. Have the students copy these words on a scrap piece of paper or create a graphic organizer. Overview of Lesson Plan Each student is asked to write a short acrostic poem using an Easter-related word. They must create phrases and/or sentences that relate to the subject in order to complete the task. Direct Instruction Choose an Easter-related word and work together to create an acrostic poem. Choose words such as: Easter, eggs, Happy Easter, basket, bunny or Spring.Model the format of an acrostic poem on the front board. The easiest way to display this is to put the letters of the subject down the left-hand side of the page. Once this is done you can now begin to think of a sentence that describes your subject.Brainstorm sentences that would relate to the subject of the poem. Leave these ideas on the front board so the students can use them as a reference when creating a poem on their own. Guided Practice For younger students, provide a graphic organizer for brainstorming and an acrostic poem worksheet where they can fill in the blanks.For older students, you can also provide a graphic organizer for brainstorming, but then have them write their own sentences from scratch. Closure Once they have completed their poems allow time for them to illustrate a picture and then share their poems aloud with their classmates. Independent Practice For homework, have students create an acrostic poem using another Easter-related word. For extra credit or practice, they can create a poem using the letters of their name. Assessment The final piece of writing and homework assignment will be assessed by a rubric that the teacher has created. Sample Easter Acrostic Poems HAPPY EASTER H - ope is in the Spring airA - s we all come togetherP - ractice your manners for Easter dinnerP - raise your parents and the ones you loveY - es, together we love toE - at on Easter dayA -nd when you wake up onS - unday morning you can search for your Easter basket.T - o me its the best part of Easter,E - ating all of the chocolate bunnies and collecting the eggs.R - emember to get some rest for the special day! EASTER E - aster is a great time of yearA - nd every child loves to eat chocolateS - o make sure you don’t eat too muchT - ogether we can hideE - aster eggs and find themR - emember not to eat too much candy or youll get a belly ache! EGGS E - atG - ather eggsG - o to churchS - pring has sprung SPRING S -ring is a wonderful time of yearP -icture the flowers bloomingR -abbits are hoppingI -t is soN -ice and warm outsideG -rowing flowers at Easter time.