Compassion - Bridging Practice and Science - page 131

enemy, or a person one wishes to care for[2],[9]. Each social mentality has, at its core, a
motivational system to create a certain type of relationship. When other individuals respond in a
reciprocal manner, then a social role is created and the motivation is fulfilled. Without motivation
there is no means to trigger these attention, thinking, feeling and behavioural competencies in the
social context. A social mentality is more complex and than a motive in that it is reciprocal, dynamic
and co-regulated through the unfolding relational process sometimes in a moment- by-moment
way. For example, two friends start a discussion and then gradually they develop an argument –
shifting therefore from an affiliative-cooperative to a more competitive and even aggressive
interaction -but as this happens they may wish to pull it back into the affiliative cooperative
relationships and so begin sending signals to do this. Provided both flow in that direction, the
affiliative cooperative relationship is restored or maintained. If however one individual stays angry
or upset, that would then block the cooperative affiliative mentality in both individuals. Social
mentalities are rooted in both motivational models and communication or processes.
Clearly compassion is a type of social mentality because it arises from signals in the outside world
that trigger motivational states, communication and social behaviour within the self. Compassion is
loosely regarded as a form of pro-social motivation – that is one is motivated to take an interest in
others, to be helpful and sharing; not only relieving stress but also facilitating the other person's
well-being[11],[12].This is linked to the evolution of altruism that evolved from the benefits of
sharing, mutual helping, affiliative bonding, and parental-caring[1],[13],[14].With the evolution of
various cognitive competencies such as for imagination, perspective taking and empathy, these
social motives and behaviours became more complex and reciprocal[1], [15]. Loosely described,
human prosocial behaviour involves a variety of processes such as taking an interest in others,
developing an empathic understanding about the mental states and needs of others, feeling forms
of pleasure from sharing, creating joy for others, helping others when they require help (for
example children helping another child with their homework) or when distressed [11].Crocker &
Canevello [16]looked at self-motivation and self-identity and compared compassionate-self goals
with self-image goals. For compassionate-self goals, students were asked how much they had
tried to be ‘supportive of others,’ and ‘have compassion for others’ mistakes and weaknesses’. In
contrast, self-image goals are primarily self-defensive such as how did one try to ‘convince others
that you are right,’ or ‘avoid showing your weaknesses.’ The findings are revealing in that although
our economic systems often encourage people to be competitive and self-focused, in fact self-
image goals predicted conflict, loneliness, and fearful and confused feelings, whereas
compassionate self goals predicted closeness, clear and connected feelings, and increased social
support and trust over the semester. It is also recognised that increasing rates of mental health
problems may well be linked to the way in which there has been a shift towards materialistic self-
focused values away from community and mutual support[17].
It makes senses then that compassion training such as CFT would focus on people thinking about
and cultivating a sense of being a compassionate person. CFT uses method acting techniques,
that involve body postures, facial expressions, practising voice tones, as well compassionate
thinking, behaving feeling and, focusing [8].There is increasing evidence that practising acting as a
self that one first imagines, can produce changes in emotions and actions[18].So for example a
person maybe trained to ask themselves in any situation –“if I was the most compassionate person
I could be, how would I act in this situation, how about act right now?”, in other words, to stop and
literally imagine themselves thinking and acting compassionate ways.
Basic Emotions
Motivations can be cultivated and built; they are with us all the time with different degrees of
activation. Emotions guide motives and wax and wane according to how our motives are going.
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