Ameliorating the Adverse Effects of Powerlessness: An Investigation of the Benefits of Brief Mindfulness Practice

Abstract

The experience of powerlessness is associated with a host of maladaptive cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes that present significant challenges to the individual's well-being (Peterson, Maier, & Seligman, 1993; Smith, Jostmann, Galinsky, & van Dijk, 2008). However, little research has explored how to ameliorate these deleterious effects. The current research program investigated the utility of mindfulness as a strategic response to states of powerlessness. A series of four experiments tested its expected benefits in multiple domains. Study 1 demonstrated that a short mindfulness exercise attenuated the rise in negative affect associated with powerlessness, and likewise enhanced positive affect. However, an unexpected finding emerged in Study 2. While mindfulness improved executive functioning in powerless participants, it impaired performance in the comparison group, degrading their ability to inhibit competing responses. In line with learned helplessness theory (Maier & Seligman, 1976), Study 3 investigated whether mindfulness could offset biased appraisals of situational control occasioned by powerlessness, but failed to find evidence for its hypothesised salutary effects. Interestingly, Study 4 showed that for powerless participants, mindfulness promoted goal-congruent action-taking and minimised the belief that future situations would engender further powerlessness. Consistent with Study 2, however, it had the reverse effect on the comparison group. Instead of promoting action, mindfulness fostered passivity in the face of achievable goals and promoted a belief in future powerlessness. Taken together, findings from these studies provide initial evidence that the benefits of brief mindfulness practice are context-dependent. When used to offset the adverse effects of psychological states of powerlessness, mindfulness was beneficial. However, when used under neutral eliciting conditions, it led to unexpected deficits that undermined cognitive functioning and behavioural regulation. The present findings raise questions about the indiscriminate use of short mindfulness practice and suggest boundary conditions that determine its adaptive application.