The Process of Science: A Critical Evaluation of more than 15 Years of Research on Self-Compassion with the Self-Compassion Scale

Abstract

Objectives Falsification is regarded as a cornerstone of science. Anomalous data-even when highly credible-do not always lead to an adjustment of theory. In this paper, we discuss reasons for why current theories are not modified despite a corpus of work falsifying (parts of) the theory, using the case of self-compassion as an example. During more than 15 years, this psychological construct has been heralded as a protective factor against stress and emotional adversity. Methods A search in the Web of Science database using [SELF-COMPASSION in title] as the search term was conducted and found empirical papers were critically evaluated. Results Good evidence abounds indicating that the theoretical definition of self-compassion is limited and that as a consequence its proper assessment with the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is obscured as the measure is contaminated by psychopathological characteristics. Surprisingly, few researchers take these critical notes into account when conducting and reporting new studies on this topic. We argue that this might be due to all kinds of (conscious and unconscious) tendencies and cognitive biases of researchers and clinicians. Conclusion Research lines are not always guided by solid data but strongly determined by social factors. We close by providing a recommendation for researchers regarding the assessment of self-compassion including the continued use of the SCS.

The (non)Protective Role of Self-Compassion in Internalizing Symptoms: Two Empirical Studies in Adolescents Demonstrating Unwanted Effects of Using the Self-Compassion Scale Total Score

“…In the present study, the reliability coefficients (Cronbach's αs) of the SCS-SF were .73 for the total score, .70 for CSR, and .80 for USR, which indicates that the scale has acceptable to good reliability (Iacobucci and Duhachek 2003). Because the SCS-SF also includes negatively formulated items, the validity of the scale is subject to similar critique as has been raised with regard to the full-length version (Muris and Otgaar 2020).…”

“…Comparable findings have been documented in a study with adolescents (Muris et al 2019a). Given the overlap with neuroticism, it will come as no surprise that the predictive value of self-compassion for symptoms of anxiety and depression is smaller when controlling for the influence of this personality trait (Neff et al 2018), and this might be even more the case when discarding the USR components from the construct and only focusing on CSR (Geiger et al 2018;Muris and Otgaar 2020).…”

“…Not surprisingly, a metaanalysis statistically comparing the relations with psychopathology between CSR and USR has shown that USR is more strongly related to internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression than CSR (Muris and Petrocchi 2017). Furthermore, regression analyses exploring the relative contributions of CSR and USR to internalizing symptoms have confirmed this finding, but also convincingly demonstrated that the inclusion of the (reversed) USR items in the SCS total score inflates the relation between self-compassion and such symptoms (Muris et al 2019b;Muris and Otgaar 2020). As such, it has been argued that the use of the SCS total score will not only obscure the true protective nature of the selfcompassion construct but also hinder the examination of its unique contribution to symptoms of anxiety and depression beyond other vulnerability and protective psychological factors.…”

“…That is, items belonging to the USR components are formulated in such a way that they resemble psychopathological phenomena (e.g., self-judgment parallels self-criticism, isolation shares similarities with loneliness, while over-identification is comparable to worry and rumination). Indeed, face validity checks have revealed that USR items are often viewed as symptoms rather than as intended self-directed, cognitive coping (Muris et al 2018;Muris and Otgaar 2020). Not surprisingly, a metaanalysis statistically comparing the relations with psychopathology between CSR and USR has shown that USR is more strongly related to internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression than CSR (Muris and Petrocchi 2017).…”

Self‐compassion predicting pain, depression and anger in people suffering from chronic pain: A prospective study

“…Sixth, the psychometric properties of the measurements we took were somewhat compromised, largely due to the PDI and SCS. Although recommended by Muris and Otgaar (2020), it is still unclear what the two factors (RUS and CS) of the SCS actually measure. Due to these restrictions, we refrained from calculating a structural equation model.…”