Abstract
The Interconnectedness Scale aims to measure people’s understanding and endorsement of the interdependent nature of phenomena in the world. The concept has been secularized from Buddhism and is operationally defined as an awareness that the existence of all phenomena in the world is the result of the fulfillment of different causes and conditions, in which no entity can sustain independently without relying on other factors. This chapter first briefly explicates the concept of interconnectedness and its theoretical foundation. Then, procedures on scale development, its psychometric properties, and ways of administration are discussed.
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Appendix: Scale in Its Current Version
Appendix: Scale in Its Current Version
Interconnectedness Scale (English Version)
Strongly disagree | Moderately disagree | Disagree a little | Agree a little | Moderately agree | Strongly agree | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | I understand that goodness and badness are inter-changing; therefore, I try to face good and bad happenings with a peaceful mind. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
2. | I believe/think that the person I am today is a combination of past experiences. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
3. | I am grateful for all encounters in life because they make me who I am today. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
4. | All happenings are closely interrelated; therefore, I do not deny any of my experience. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
5. | When I see someone ruining the natural environment, I think they are harming themselves. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
6. | I (e.g., my effort/ability) am only one of the (many) causes that contribute to a success/failure. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
7. | I care about social issues because they are intimately related to me. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
8. | I understand that it takes numerous factors working together to succeed, so I cannot fully control the result. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
9. | I try to keep calm in both ups and downs because I know fluctuating emotions bring suffering. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
10. | Since everything in this world is affecting one another, I actively pay attention to every happening in the world. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
11. | I conserve/save energy because I know that a lot of people in this world are paying the price for my consumption. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
12. | I do not blame myself when things go wrong because the result is contributed by many factors. | ① | ② | ③ | ④ | ⑤ | ⑥ |
Below are some statements related to your daily thoughts; please read them carefully, and choose the answer that can represent your opinion the best.
Subscale of Emotional Response to Interconnectedness: items 1, 3, 9, and 12
Subscale of Interconnectedness within the Self: items 2, 4, 6, and 8
Subscale of Interconnectedness in Social Relations: items 5, 7, 10, and 11
Scoring:
Composite scores of the scale can be computed by averaging the score of all the items. Subscale scores can be computed by averaging the respective items.
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Yu, B.C.L., Mak, W.W.S. (2023). Interconnectedness Scale. In: Medvedev, O.N., Krägeloh, C.U., Siegert, R.J., Singh, N.N. (eds) Handbook of Assessment in Mindfulness Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_53-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_53-1
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