Chen
asked undergraduate students think about a recent moral transgression that they
regretted and felt guilty about. One group of participants were then told to write something “kind
and understanding” about what happened, another were told to “think about your positive qualities”
and another group were told simply to write about their favorite hobbies. The group given
instructions to be self-compassionate were significantly more motivated to repair any harm caused
by the transgression and committed not to repeat the mistake again than the other two groups.
It’s easier to see oneself clearly and own up to past misdeeds when this type of honesty is met
with kindness and self-acceptance rather than harsh self-condemnation.
Self-Compassion and Coping
Self-compassion can be seen as an effective way to cope with difficult emotional experiences. For
instance, Sbarra, Smith & Mehl
found that self-compassion was key in helping people adjust
after divorce. Researchers asked divorcing adults to complete a 4-minute stream-of-
consciousness recording about their separation experience, and independent judges rated how
self-compassionate their dialogs were. Those who displayed greater self-compassion when talking
about their break-up not only evidenced better psychological adjustment at the time, but this effect
persisted over nine months. Findings were significant even after accounting for a number of
competing predictors such as self-esteem. Research also indicates that self-compassion helps
people cope with early childhood traumas. In a youth sample, Vettese, Dyer, Li and Wekerle
found that self-reported levels of self-compassion mediated the link between childhood
maltreatment and later emotional dysregulation. This suggests that people with trauma histories
who have compassion for themselves are better able to deal with upsetting events in a productive
manner. Self-compassion also appears to help people cope with chronic physical pain, allowing
them to maintain emotional balance and function better in daily life
Figure 1.
Cross-cultural differences in Self-compassion
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