Mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation: Perspectives from Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT)
Emily K. Lindsay, J. David Creswell
October 5, 2019 DOI: 10.31231/osf.io/xtrgb (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Psychological intervention Mechanism biology Experiential avoidance Psychotherapist Self-acceptance Intervention counseling Mental health Experiential learning Applied psychology |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | Acceptance is a critical emotion regulation mechanism of mindfulness interventions. |
Abstract
Experiential acceptance—an orientation of receptivity and noninterference with present-moment experiences—is described as central to mindfulness interventions, yet little experimental work has tested acceptance as a mechanism for mindfulness intervention effects. Guided by Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT), this review situates acceptance as an emotion regulation mechanism and reviews self-report mindfulness literature showing that attention monitoring skills are only associated with beneficial mental and physical health outcomes when accompanied by acceptance skills. New experimental dismantling work shows that removing acceptance training from mindfulness interventions reduces their efficacy for improving stress, positive emotion, and social relationship outcomes. Overall, converging evidence demonstrates that acceptance is a critical emotion regulation mechanism of mindfulness interventions. This work advances basic research, has translational value, and offers opportunities for future research.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 14
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- How Does Mindfulness Training Affect Health? A Mindfulness Stress Buffering Account Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2014
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for preventing relapse in recurrent depression: A randomized dismantling trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology December 3, 2013
- Are People Mindful in Different Ways? Disentangling the Quantity and Quality of Mindfulness in Latent Profiles and Exploring Their Links to Mental Health and Life Effectiveness European Journal of Personality June 15, 2017
- How mindfulness training promotes positive emotions: Dismantling acceptance skills training in two randomized controlled trials August 21, 2018
and 9 more in the library