Background and Introduction
Mindfulness refers to one’s non-judgemental and non-reactivity approach to given situations. It can be presented through elements like meditation, and it results in different psychological effects like alteration of emotionality, aspects of one’s relationship, health as well as attention. The effects are as a result of different psychological and neurological issues. From the Buddhist point of view, this type of meditation entails the achievement of cognitive, emotional, and attentional balance (Cheng-Kar et al., 2016). These elements constitute of equanimity.
Buddhists define equanimity as a feeling, durable, and quality attitude. In this case, the Buddhists view equanimity as an aspect that increases happiness and minimizes suffering among the people in question. Suffering goes beyond physical pain as it incorporates the inner elements of satisfaction. Satisfaction is defined by the self-centred perspectives that define real elements from the individual point of view. On the contrary, practitioners embrace flexibility rather than rigidity caused by fixed mind-sets about “real” aspects. They embrace situations as they come and interpret them with regards to the present rather than the initial experiences (Ruiz et al., 2016). With time, the perspective of self-changes and, as such habitual occurrences diminish.
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Markedly, Buddhist conception views happiness free of these elements. An example of the frustration element in the Buddhist point of view is craving. It is defined differently by Buddhists and western psychology. Buddhists view craving as an afflictive attachment, like struggling to be promoted in the work settings. However, western psychology views craving as an in-depth desire directed to both objects and situations, and this leads to addiction. Based on past studies, the craving and addictive elements can be minimized through mindfulness meditation (Shapiro, De Sousa & Jazaieri, 2016). Markedly, it is expected that addiction will report improvement based on the positive results anticipated after the development of equanimity.
Literature Review
Equanimity refers to a stable and composed attitude that excludes unsolicited emotional elements. Based on this particular definition, equanimity minimizes the extent of emotional interference, enhances emotional stability, peace of mind, and minimizes the element of stress on people (García-Campayo, Navarro-Gil & Demarzo, 2016). Therefore, when this element is embraced in stressful scenarios, it enhances calmness and minimizes the possibility of the decision-making being affected by the stress and other forms of arousal.
Besides, equanimity can be viewed from the motivational point of view. Here, the people with this aspect can bar themselves from holding onto pleasant experiences or detaching themselves from unpleasant situations. The decoupling model of equanimity is embraced in this case as individual desires are disintegrated from one’s hedonic mode of experience. Mindfulness is responsible for decoupling an instant approach to craving reactions with regards to the hedonic tone (Shapiro, De Sousa & Jazaieri, 2016). The presence of equanimity reduces the overall reaction to the given desires.
Equanimity and mindfulness are directly and positively related. Equanimity has non-judgemental, non-reactive, and non-automatic characteristics. Some equanimity scales are founded on the definitions that have both similarities and differences. According to Hadash et al. (2016), equanimity is the art of being less excited regardless of the situations at hand. In this case, pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant aspects are approached with an equal interest. It further entails impartiality whereby an individual is confronted with unpleasant emotions but does not repress, deny, or judge them. Regardless of the experiences, one does not prolong or gain addiction towards them. The pattern suppresses any form of craving or thirst that is associated with these thoughts as there is no risk of dissatisfaction or any form of suffering associated with them.
Besides, equanimity entails equal treatment of individuals without any form of discrimination. Under normal circumstances, individuals draw boundaries with regard to their relationships and other individuals in their environment. As a result, people are defined in terms of friendship, enmity, familiarity whereby, the relationships between them are impacted. Markedly, they are not treated equally as they fall into friends, enemies, and strangers. However, the element of equanimity removes these boundaries, and as such, people are treated with unlimited love, joy, and compassion (Shapiro, De Sousa & Jazaieri, 2016). These elements are effortlessly applied, and as a result, they are no longer invoked for specific purposes.
Buddhist psychology depicts that mindfulness and equanimity correlate with each other, but they are different. Mindfulness embraces conscious awareness of everything in given situations while equanimity delves further in the element of awareness as it incorporates evenness and unbiased elements. These elements eventually give rise to neutrality, which entails non-attachment as well as non-resistance (Weber, 2017). Markedly, the development of mindfulness is the foundation of the development of equanimity.
Additionally, the application of the term detachment gives the impression that equanimity is similar to indifference. However, from the Buddhist point of view, the elements are entirely different from each other. Notably, indifference is considered the complete opposite of equanimity. The meaning of detachment, in this case, entails the minimization of craving, desire, and discontentment. On the contrary, indifference is based on the ignorance of the real nature of the aspects in question; hence it is harmful. Equanimity has three significant elements that further differentiate it from indifference which are; loving-kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy. Therefore, equanimity does not entail cold indifference but rather embraces mental imperturbability. In this case, even when one embraces equanimity, it is possible to react to given situations emotionally. Such reactions are not wrong because all that matters is whether the individual in question is attached to them or not (Schonert-Reichl & Roeser, 2016). Also, the extent of the degree of suffering or joyfulness of these aspects determines the presence or absence of equanimity.
For instance, in the case of the loss of a loved one, it is natural that one will be sad. Lack of any emotion will depict indifference. Equanimity comes in, based on the outcomes of the whole situation. In cases where the extent of suffering is taken personal and extended beyond the necessary measures, then the individual in question is said to lack equanimity. Equanimity results in the regulation of emotional disposition caused by the responses attached to given situations. Based on the example of the loss of a loved one, it is possible to fall into stress, which lengthens the extent of suffering. Stress is a form of reaction, but it leads to harm ion the individual in question (Weber, 2017). Mindfulness enhances the learning process that helps in the development of the capability of reducing the extent of distraction through the element of equanimity.
Measurement of Equanimity
In the study of equanimity, various elements are applied in the quest to measure it. For instance, a self-report case is applied in the establishment of the level of its existence. Here, it is hypothesized that there are two main factors, which are; hedonic independence and even-minded elements. Equanimity is assumed to be related to one’s mental health. In this case, addiction can be managed through an increase in emotional regulation. The process of reduction of desire and cravings amounts to hedonic independence, and in the end, this directly impacts the extent of addiction. Based on these reactions, studies predict that hedonic independence is negatively related to addiction and dependence behaviors . Similarly, Sedikides et al. (2016) suggest that there is a connection between equanimity and positive coping aspects. Equanimity is viewed considered to be even-minded, and hence it can be hypothesized that it directly correlates with emotional functioning and effective coping mechanisms. There are positive correlations between equanimity and perspectives, positive reappraisal, acceptance, and positive refocusing. However, it has a negative correlation with the blame games, rumination, and catastrophizing.
The measurement of equanimity poses challenges due to the perception that it is similar to other elements, as discussed above. Therefore, different studies have come up with different scales of measurement of this element. The element of non-attachment has also been considered as a measure to establish the relationships of various constructs of equanimity (Spence & Deci, 2016). Based on the perspectives of both the classic and modern Buddhists, non-attachment entails psychological flexibility, mindedness, ease in recovering from different situations, non-reactivity, and the ability to support the freedom of other parties regardless of the outcomes of such decisions.
Equanimity detaches individuals from the possibility of being stuck on ideas, objects, or the internal pressure to either achieve or hold onto events and situations. The scale is inversely related to the avoidant attachment and dissociation. Markedly, the self-report scale incorporates different elements in the questionnaires, and as such, it is crucial to present them in the right manner to the right populations to ensure that the required validity is attained.
References
Cheng-Kar Phang, Firdaus Mukhtar, Normala Ibrahim, Sherina Mohd. Sidik, (2016) Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS): factorial validity and psychometric properties in a sample of medical students in Malaysia", The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Vol. 11 Issue: 5, pp.305-316
García-Campayo, J., Navarro-Gil, M., & Demarzo, M. (2016). Attachment-based compassion therapy. Mindfulness & Compassion , 1(2), 68-74.
Hadash, Y., Segev, N., Tanay, G., Goldstein, P., & Bernstein, A. (2016). The decoupling model of equanimity: theory, measurement, and test in a mindfulness intervention. Mindfulness , 7(5), 1214-1226.
Ruiz, F, Juan Carlos Suárez-Falcón, J, Riano-Hernández, D (2016) Psychometric properties of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in Colombian undergraduates, Suma Psicológica, p 18-24
Schonert-Reichl, K and Roeser, R. (2016). Handbook of Mindfulness in Education: Integrating Theory and Research into Practice - Mindfulness in Behavioral Health , Springer, Switzerland.
Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Cheung, W. Y., Routledge, C., Hepper, E. G., Arndt, J., ... & Vingerhoets, A. J. (2016). Nostalgia fosters self-continuity: Uncovering the mechanism (social connectedness) and consequence (eudaimonic well-being). Emotion, 16(4), 524.
Shapiro, S, De Sousa, S, and Jazaieri, H. (2016). Mindfulness, Mental Health, and Positive Psychology. In I. Ivtzan (Ed.), Mindfulness in Positive Psychology: The Science of Meditation and Wellbeing. London: Routledge.
Spence, G. B., & Deci, E. L. (2016). Self ‐ determination theory within coaching contexts: Supporting motives and goalsthat promote optimal functioning and well ‐ being. Beyond Goals. Effective Strategies for Coaching and Mentoring.
Weber, J (2017) Mindfulness is not Enough: Why Equanimity holds the key to Compassion, Mindfulness and Compassion , 2, pp149-158.
