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Self-compassion and reactions to unpleasant self-relevant events: The implications of treating oneself kindly
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Short Title: Self-compassion and reactions to unpleasant self-relevant events
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2007
Pages: 887-904
Library/Archive: (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved
Sources ID: 22297
Visibility: Private
Abstract: (Show)

Five studies investigated the cognitive and emotional processes by which self-compassionate people deal with unpleasant life events. In the various studies, participants reported on negative events in their daily lives, responded to hypothetical scenarios, reacted to interpersonal feedback, rated their or others' videotaped performances in an awkward situation, and reflected on negative personal experiences. Results from Study 1 showed that self-compassion predicted emotional and cognitive reactions to negative events in everyday life, and Study 2 found that self-compassion buffered people against negative self-feelings when imagining distressing social events. In Study 3, self-compassion moderated negative emotions after receiving ambivalent feedback, particularly for participants who were low in self-esteem. Study 4 found that low-self-compassionate people undervalued their videotaped performances relative to observers. Study 5 experimentally induced a self-compassionate perspective and found that self-compassion leads people to acknowledge their role in negative events without feeling overwhelmed with negative emotions. In general, these studies suggest that self-compassion attenuates people's reactions to negative events in ways that are distinct from and, in some cases, more beneficial than self-esteem.

Subjects: 
Psychology and Contemplation
Science and Contemplation
Contemplation by Applied Subject