Self-Compassion

"One moment of self-compassion can change your whole day. A series of such moments can change your entire life." – Christopher Germer

Self-compassion is compassion that you have for yourself, especially in difficult situations. It is a protective factor against psychological problems and can increase well-being. Self-compassion can be specifically strengthened through target group-specific exercises and sessions - this is being scientifically monitored and investigated as part of various small research projects.

Self-compassion is an attitude that turns our compassion inwards. It means being aware of our own suffering and mistakes, treating them with understanding and seeing them as part of human life (Gruber et al., 2020; Neff, 2003b). At its core, it is about treating yourself as kindly as you would treat a good friend (Castello, 2020). According to Neff (2003b), the components of self-compassion are described below:

1. Self-kindness: Being kind to yourself instead of judging yourself
2. Unifying humanity: Recognizing that negative experiences and suffering are an essential part of human existence and that we are not alone in our difficulties of experiencing ourselves as isolated
3. Awareness: Mindful perception instead of over-identification with negative experiences

To operationalize the described concept, instruments are available for both adulthood (Self-Compassion Scale; Neff, 2003a) and adolescence (Self-Compassion Scale for Youth; Neff et al., 2021). The german version of the Self-Compassion Scale for Youth is currently being validated in the Department of Psychology in the Field of Special Education (Grabowski et al., in preparation).

Originally based on Buddhist philosophy, self-compassion has also been the subject of increasing attention in Western research for some time. It has been shown that self-compassion is a changeable character trait and therefore "learnable" (Bluth et al., 2020). Self-compassion is a protective and resilience factor; higher levels of self-compassion are associated with lower levels of psychopathology (anxiety, depression, stress) and higher levels of life satisfaction in adults (MacBeth & Gumley, 2012; Zessin et al., 2015). Self-compassion can also be an important component of strengthening mental health in children and adolescents (Marsh et al., 2018; Neff & McGehee, 2010), which can already be strengthened through small interventions and exercises. In this context, at-risk groups can profit from strengthening self-compassion in order to prevent mental health problems.

Various forms of self-compassion units have already been investigated as part of projects:

• Positive evaluation of three double lessons on self-compassion for children and adolescents with emotional and social problems (Boss, 2023)

The strengthening of self-compassion is currently being investigated in the following projects:

• A project day on the topic of self-compassion in 12th grade students
• Three double lessons on the topic of self-compassion among 7th graders at a community school
• …

https://self-compassion.org/

https://www.bruecke-flensburg.de/aktuelles/artikel/ich-kann-selbstmitgefuehl-du-auch

Neff, K. (2012). Selbstmitgefühl – Wie wir uns mit unseren Schwächen versöhnen und uns selbst der beste Freund werden. Kailash.

Bluth, K., Park, J. & Lathren, C. (2020). Selbstmitgefühl im jugendlichen Alter: Überblick über die aktuelle Forschung. In H. Bents, M. Gschwendt & J. Mander (Hrsg.), Achtsamkeit und Selbstmitgefühl (S. 50–64). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Boss, L. (2023). Selbstmitgefühl fördern: Interventionen für Kinder und Jugendliche mit emotionalen und sozialen Auffälligkeiten [Bachelorarbeit]. Europa-Universität Flensburg, Flensburg.

Castello, A. (2020). Trend: Self-Compassion bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Vierteljahresschrift für Heilpädagogik und ihre Nachbargebiete, 89(4), 293–296. https://www.reinhardt-journals.de/index.php/vhn/article/view/153019/5563

Grabowski, F. C., Berger, F. & Schinz, I. (in Vorbereitung). Translation and validation of the German version of the Self-Compassion Scale for Youth.

Gruber, E., Bents, H. & Mander, J. (2020). Achtsamkeit und Selbstmitgefühl in der Psychotherapie – state of the art. In H. Bents, M. Gschwendt & J. Mander (Hrsg.), Achtsamkeit und Selbstmitgefühl (S. 6–16). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

MacBeth, A. & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: a meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 32(6), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003

Marsh, I. C., Chan, S. W. Y. & MacBeth, A. (2018). Self-compassion and Psychological Distress in Adolescents-a Meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 9(4), 1011–1027. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0850-7

Neff, K. D. (2003a). The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Self-Compassion. Self and Identity(2), 223–250. DOI: 10.1080/15298860390209035

Neff, K. D. (2003b). Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032

Neff, K. D., Bluth, K., Tóth-Király, I., Davidson, O., Knox, M. C., Williamson, Z. & Costigan, A. (2021). Development and Validation of the Self-Compassion Scale for Youth. Journal of Personality Assessment, 103(1), 92–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2020.1729774

Neff, K. D. & McGehee, P. (2010). Self-compassion and Psychological Resilience Among Adolescents and Young Adults. Self and Identity, 9(3), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860902979307

Zessin, U., Dickhäuser, O. & Garbade, S. (2015). The Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis. Applied psychology. Health and well-being, 7(3), 340–364. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12051

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