Self-compassion Research Articles

The Canonical Analysis of Self-Compassion Relation with Emotional Self-Awareness among Students of Medical Sciences

The Canonical Analysis of Self-Compassion Relation with Emotional Self-Awareness among Students of Medical Sciences

Compassion Focused Approaches to Working With Distressing Voices.

This paper presents an outline of voice-hearing phenomenology in the context of evolutionary mechanisms for self- and social- monitoring. Special attention is given to evolved systems for monitoring dominant-subordinate social roles and relationships. These provide information relating to the interpersonal motivation of others, such as neutral, friendly or hostile, and thus the interpersonal threat, versus safe, social location. Individuals who perceive themselves as subordinate and dominants as hostile are highly vigilant to down-rank threat and use submissive displays and social spacing as basic defenses. We suggest these defense mechanisms are especially attuned in some individuals with voices, in which this fearful-subordinate – hostile-dominant relationship is played out. Given the evolved motivational system in which voice-hearers can be trapped, one therapeutic solution is to help them switch into different motivational systems, particularly those linked to social caring and support, rather than hostile competition. Compassion focused therapy (CFT) seeks to produce such motivational shifts. Compassion focused therapy aims to help voice-hearers, (i) notice their threat-based (dominant-subordinate) motivational systems when they arise, (ii) understand their function in the context of their lives, and (iii) shift into different motivational patterns that are orientated around safeness and compassion. Voice-hearers are supported to engage with biopsychosocial components of compassionate mind training, which are briefly summarized, and to cultivate an embodied sense of a compassionate self-identity. They are invited to consider, and practice, how they might wish to relate to themselves, their voices, and other people, from the position of their compassionate self. This paper proposes, in line with the broader science of compassion and CFT, that repeated practice of creating internal patterns of safeness and compassion can provide an optimum biopsychosocial environment for affect-regulation, emotional conflict-resolution, and therapeutic change. Examples of specific therapeutic techniques, such as chair-work and talking with voices, are described to illustrate how these might be incorporated in one-to-one sessions of CFT.

A Compassionate Self Is a True Self? Self-Compassion Promotes Subjective Authenticity.

Theory and research converge to suggest that authenticity predicts positive psychological adjustment. Given these benefits of authenticity, there is a surprising dearth of research on the factors that foster authenticity. Five studies help fill this gap by testing whether self-compassion promotes subjective authenticity. Study 1 found a positive association between trait self-compassion and authenticity. Study 2 demonstrated that on days when people felt more self-compassionate, they also felt more authentic. Study 3 discovered that people experimentally induced to be self-compassionate reported greater state authenticity relative to control participants. Studies 4 and 5 recruited samples from multiple cultures and used a cross-sectional and a longitudinal design, respectively, and found that self-compassion predicts greater authenticity through reduced fear of negative evaluation (Study 4) and heightened optimism (Study 5). Across studies, self-compassion's effects on authenticity could not be accounted for by self-esteem. Overall, the results suggest that self-compassion can help cultivate subjective authenticity.

The Role of Compassion for Self and Others, Compassion Fatigue and Subjective Happiness on Levels of Well-Being of Mental Health Professionals

This study aimed to explore the role of compassion for self and others, compassion fatigue and subjective happiness on levels of well-being of mental health professionals as well as to contribute new knowledge by investigating whether and to what extent subjective happiness of therapists can be predicted. A sample population of the online survey comprised 58 mental health professionals living and working in Greece-Athens and the method of recruitment was by opportunity sampling. This particular study employed a series of two-tailed Pearson r correlation analyses as well as independent samples t-test and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis for the analysis of the data. The results that revealed through the four different questionnaires (Self-Compassion Scale, Professional Quality of Life Scale, Compassion-for-Others-Scale and Subjective Happiness Scale) showed that self-compassion has a protective function for the therapists. It enhances their subjective happiness, which in turn protects mental health and professional quality of life of therapists by reducing the negative effects of compassion fatigue. These findings highlight the importance of self-compassion, compassion for others and subjective happiness among therapists, as they are correlated with compassion fatigue.

The effects of work environmental factors and self-compassion on burnout of school counselors

The effects of work environmental factors and self-compassion on burnout of school counselors

Effects of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group Program (ACT) on the Psychological Flexibility, Self-Compassion, and Recovery in Alcoholics

Effects of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group Program (ACT) on the Psychological Flexibility, Self-Compassion, and Recovery in Alcoholics

Add some self-compassion to your day.

Add some self-compassion to your day.

Validation study of the Korean version of self-compassion scale – focusing on correctional workers

Validation study of the Korean version of self-compassion scale – focusing on correctional workers

Relationship between Prescribed Perfectionism and Disordered Eating Behaviors :The Double Mediating Effects of Self-Compassion and Body Shame in Obesity Clinical Women

Relationship between Prescribed Perfectionism and Disordered Eating Behaviors :The Double Mediating Effects of Self-Compassion and Body Shame in Obesity Clinical Women

Prediction of Resilience Based on Self-Compassion and Empathy in Veterans

Prediction of Resilience Based on Self-Compassion and Empathy in Veterans

Self-compassion is associated with less stress and depression and greater attention and brain response to affective stimuli in women managers

BackgroundWomen have been assuming more responsibilities and higher positions in major companies, which exposes them to high levels of stress. Higher perceived work stress is related to higher emotional reactivity. Difficulties with emotional regulation can lead to anxiety and mood disorders, which are more prevalent in women than men. Indeed, women leaders are more likely to experience emotional fatigue than men due to excessive empathy. Our aim was to evaluate the associations between self-compassion (SC) scores to depression symptoms, perceived stress and mindfulness, as well as with brain responses to high-arousal unpleasant and pleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), as measured through functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in women managers.MethodsForty-six participants were selected for the study. All participants filled the Self Compassion Scale (SCS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Mindful Awareness Attention Scale (MAAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). After that they were scanned during an fMRI affective response paradigm. Correlation analysis were performed among these variables.ResultsOur data suggest that women with higher SC scores respond to affective stimuli with higher activation of the precuneus (a brain region related to self-referential processing), lower levels of stress and depression and show greater attention in everyday activities.ConclusionSC may be an important characteristic for women leaders because of its association with higher sensitivity to emotional stimuli and mindfulness. These skills may allow them to be more aware of others while being less susceptible for stress and depression symptoms.

Self-Criticism and Self-Compassion: A Mindfulness Approach

Self-criticism is a core feature of multiple mood and anxiety disorders, sometimes persists even after effective treatment of other features of these

Social workers and alienation: the compassionate self and the disappointed juggler

British social work has been undergoing a series of radical transformations from the 1980s onwards. The main shift has been a move away from the parochial professionalism of the 1970s to a profession that is being constantly reshaped by the impulses of new managerialism to meet the needs of the neoliberal state. From the vantage point of Marxian alienation theory, this article analyses the experiences of 16 social workers of being alienated and estranged from how they desire their labour to be. The main finding to emerge from the qualitative semi-structured interviews is that the logics of new managerialism lead to a loss of the object of labour (the service user) by substituting that object with another: the case report. That report requires none of the creativity and skills that the social workers wish to exercise in their labour. Instead, it dominates and structures their work while distorting their subjectivity.

Modes of Processing Trauma: Self-Compassion Buffers Affective Guilt

Self-compassion (SC) entails being kind toward oneself when in pain and holding painful experiences in mindful awareness, and has been associated with lower levels of posttraumatic stress severity. Recent research suggests SC may be more relevant to the current conceptualization of PTSD that is based on the DSM-5 definition, which includes a new symptom cluster focused on alterations of cognitions and mood such as guilt. We examined effects of SC on affective guilt as a function of treatment-relevant processing modes. One week after completing the SC Scale, 63 victimized women were randomly assigned to one of three processing mode induction conditions: “analytic” (brooding), “experiential” (mindful experiencing), or control. Following induction, women completed a trauma-specific perseverative thinking interview to process their trauma. Before induction (T1) and after the interview (T2), women completed a measure of affective guilt. Guilt increased from T1 to T2, and SC was negatively related to increases in guilt. Processing mode conditions moderated the relation between SC and changes in guilt; simple slopes revealed a negative relation among the analytic condition. Components of SC, including greater self-kindness and mindfulness, were related to diminished increases in guilt. Results suggest SC can buffer feelings of guilt, especially in those who process their trauma analytically. Implications for research are discussed.

MINDFUL SELF-CARE DIMENSIONS AS AGENTS OF WELL-BEING FOR STUDENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH FIELDS

The purpose of the study was to examine the role of mindful self-care along with the sub-dimensions of physical care, supportive relationships, mindful awareness, self-compassion and purpose, mindful relaxation, and supportive structure in predicting well-being levels of students attending to mental health programs. A total of 262 undergraduate students (191 female, 71 male) within the departments of psychological counseling and guidance and psychology formed the sample group. The mean age of the participants was 20.31 (SD=1.45). The data were obtained through Mindful Self-care Scale (Cook-Cottone and Guyker 2018) and The Well Star Scale (Korkut-Owen, Dogan, Demirbas-Celik and Owen, 2016). The results of multiple linear regression analysis yielded that all of the mindful self-care dimensions significantly predict well-being. Regarding the contribution of each self-care dimension on well-being scores; supportive structure has the highest contribution followed by self-compassion and purpose, supportive relationships, mindful awareness, physical care and mindful relaxation. In addition, mindful self-care was found to explain 39% of the variance of the well-being scores in candidate mental health professionals. Article visualizations:

Self-compassion as a buffer against concrete but not abstract threat

Terror management theory posits that validation of self-esteem is a major defense mechanism in keeping mortal concerns at bay. Yet, self-esteem often leads to devaluation of others. Self-compassion (SC) is an alternative, more inclusive construct than self-esteem. We explored among 125 university students whether SC serves as a defense mechanism from abstract and concrete threats responses, utilizing a dot-probe task and mortality salience priming. Although SC was not associated with avoidance of abstract threats, it was associated with avoidance of concrete threats. These findings underscore the potential role of SC in coping with trauma and in shielding from developing post-traumatic symptoms.

Self-compassion and healthy eating behavior in emerging adulthood

Self-compassion and healthy eating behavior in emerging adulthood

An Internet-Based Compassion-Focused Intervention for Increased Self-Criticism: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Increased levels of self-criticism and a lack of self-compassion have been associated with the development and maintenance of a range of psychological disorders. In the current study, we tested the efficacy of an online version of a compassion-focused intervention, mindfulness-based compassionate living (MBCL), with guidance on request. A total of 122 self-referred participants with increased levels of self-criticism were randomly assigned to care as usual (CAU) or the intervention group (CAU + online intervention). Primary endpoints were self-reported depressive, anxiety and distress symptoms (DASS-21) and self-compassion (SCS) at 8 weeks. Secondary endpoints were self-criticism, mindfulness, satisfaction with life, fear of self-compassion, self-esteem, and existential shame. At posttreatment, the intervention group showed significant changes with medium to large effect sizes compared to the control group regarding primary outcomes (Cohen’s d: 0.79 [DASS] and -1.21 [SCS]) and secondary outcomes (Cohen’s ds: between 0.40 and 0.94 in favor of the intervention group). The effects in the intervention group were maintained at 6-months postrandomization. Adherence measures (number of completed modules, self-reported number of completed exercises per week) predicted postintervention scores for self-compassion but not for depressive, anxiety, and distress symptoms in the intervention group. The current study shows the efficacy of an online intervention with a transdiagnostic intervention target on a broad range of measures, including depressive and anxiety symptoms and self-compassion.

A double mediating effect of self-compassion and resilience in the relationship between job stress and burnout of school counselor

A double mediating effect of self-compassion and resilience in the relationship between job stress and burnout of school counselor

The impact of self-compassion on mental health, sleep, quality of life and life satisfaction among older adults

Given South Korea's rapidly aging population, mental health and quality of life (QoL) in older adults are increasingly becoming important. Self-compassion (SC), defined as extending compassion to oneself in times of suffering, has been found to have associations with positive mental health outcomes. This study was performed to examine associations between self-compassion and mental health symptoms, sleep disturbance, life satisfaction, and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) among older Korean adults. The participants in this cross-sectional study included 203 older Korean adults aged 65 and over. Findings of this study suggest that self-compassion in older adults protects them from developing mental health and sleep disturbance symptoms while enhancing their life satisfaction, self-care, and usual activities. Therefore, interventions fostering self-compassion may benefit older adults’ mental health and quality of life.