Self-Compassion

Abstract

Self-compassion involves relating to oneself with care and support when we suffer. Neff (2003b) defines self-compassion as consisting of three central components: self-kindness versus selfjudgment, common humanity versus isolation, and mindfulness versus overidentification. These elements combine and mutually interact to create a self-compassionate frame of mind when encountering personal mistakes, perceived inadequacies, or various experiences of life difficulty. Self-kindness entails being loving, gentle, and understanding toward oneself and involves actively soothing and comforting oneself in times of struggle. This response stands in contrast to a self-critical approach in which one judges or blames oneself for not being good enough or for not coping well enough with life challenges. Selfcompassion involves framing one's experiences of imperfection in light of the shared human experience, accepting that all people struggle in some form or another. Rather than seeing oneself as a separate, unworthy individual, self-compassion involves recognizing that one's experience of imperfection is connected to the experience of imperfection shared by all humanity. Instead of feeling cut off and isolated from others in times of loss or failure, self-compassion fosters a deep sense of belonging. Finally, self-compassion entails a balanced, mindful response to distress that neither stifles and avoids nor amplifies and ruminates on uncomfortable emotions. Rather than running away with the narrative or storyline of one's problems and shortcomings, selfcompassion involves maintaining equanimity in the face of unpleasant experiences, opening up to life as it is in the present moment. Compassion can be extended toward oneself when suffering occurs through no fault of one's ownwhen the external circumstances of life are simply painful or hard to withstand. Self-compassion is equally relevant, however, when suffering stems from one's own mistakes, failures, or personal limitations.

Validation of the Psychometric Properties of the Self‐Compassion Scale. Testing the Factorial Validity and Factorial Invariance of the Measure among Borderline Personality Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Eating Disorder and General Populations

“…During recent years, there has been a growing interest in self-compassion due to its strong links to both mental and physical health (Hofmann et al, 2011;Leary et al, 2007;MacBeth & Gumley, 2012;Neff, 2003b;Neff & Lamb, 2009;Neff & Vonk, 2009;Petrocchi et al, 2013). Despite increasing evidence that compassion enhances affective states through an awareness and non-judgmental acceptance of difficult emotions, recent research has failed to confirm the original structure of SCS purposed by Neff (2003b).…”

“…During the last years, there has been a growing interest in self-compassion and its potential benefits (Hofmann, Grossman, & Hinton, 2011;Petrocchi, Ottaviani, & Couyoumdjian, 2013) related to mental health and well-being (Banard & Curry, 2011;Leary et al, 2007;MacBeth & Gumley, 2012;Neff, 2003aNeff, , 2003bNeff, Kirkpatrick, & Rude, 2007;Neff & Lamb, 2009;Neff & Vonk, 2009;Wei, Liao, Tsun, & Shaffer, 2011).…”

Exploring the paths between dysfunctional attitudes towards motherhood and postpartum depressive symptoms: The moderating role of self‐compassion

“…Furthermore, more recent theoretical models have added to the understanding of the occurrence of depressive symptomatology in the general population by highlighting the relevant role of other constructs, such as self-compassion. Self-compassion may be understood as an individual capacity to have a kind and caring attitude towards oneself in the face of personal suffering, to recognize that all individuals share a common human condition (in which feelings of pain, failure, and inadequacy are included), and to acknowledge and desire to alleviate the individual's suffering in a nonjudgmental way (Neff, 2003a(Neff, , 2009(Neff, , 2012. As described by Neff (2003a), self-compassion entails three dimensions: self-kindness (i.e., the tendency to face difficulties, failures, and pain with a caring and understanding attitude, rather than being self-critical and judgmental), common humanity (i.e., the tendency to acknowledge that one's painful experiences are part of a common human condition, rather than feeling isolated, ashamed, or different), and mindfulness (i.e., the tendency of being aware of painful emotions and experiences in a balanced manner, instead of ignoring, avoiding, or overidentifying with one's negative experiences).…”

Releasing latent compassion through an innovative compassion curriculum for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses

“…Overcoming the barriers by promoting a compassion "flow" from self-self is a critical part of the CMM. It is suggested to be promoted by enhancing the attribute, self-compassion (Neff, 2009) identified by Raes, Pommier, Neff, and Van Gucht (2011;p250) as the "ability to hold one's feelings of suffering with a sense of warmth, connection, and concern". It has been linked to improved emotional intelligence in student nurses (Heffernan, Griffin, McNulty, & Fitzpatrick, 2010;Şenjuva, Kaya, Işik, & Bodur, 2014) and to compassionate care (Gustin & Wagner, 2013).…”

“…It is enshrined in UK Department of Health initiatives to promote a caring culture in the UK National Health Service (NHS) (Department of Health 2012, NHS England 2016. Compassion enhances quality of client care (Maben, Adams, Peccei, Murrells, & Robert, 2012), builds compassionate resilience of practitioners (Pettit & Stephen, 2015), and helps to prevent staff burnout (Neff, 2009). The Constitution of the NHS identifies it as a core value (Department of Health, 2015) and facilitating compassionate care is a key consideration in the UK Nursing Strategy (Department of Health, 2012).…”