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).