Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself
Neff's paper defines self-compassion as a construct with three components: kindness towards oneself in pain or failure rather than harsh self-criticism, recognition that the experience is part of what everyone goes through rather than something isolating, and holding difficult thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness rather than being consumed by them. The argument for treating it as distinct from self-esteem is the core of the paper. Self-esteem requires a favourable evaluation, which must be defended, and is therefore associated with comparison against others, self-centredness and fragility under failure. Self-compassion involves no evaluation at all, so it offers a way of relating to oneself that does not require winning, and should protect against the effects of self-judgment, isolation and rumination. The paper is conceptual, setting out the construct and its relations to other measures. This is the founding statement of a literature this vault draws on frequently.
Neff's paper defines self-compassion as a construct with three components: kindness towards oneself in pain or failure rather than harsh self-criticism, recognition that the experience is part of what everyone goes through rather than something isolating, and holding difficult thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness rather than being consumed by them. The argument for treating it as distinct from self-esteem is the core of the paper. Self-esteem requires a favourable evaluation, which must be defended, and is therefore associated with comparison against others, self-centredness and fragility under failure. Self-compassion involves no evaluation at all, so it offers a way of relating to oneself that does not require winning, and should protect against the effects of self-judgment, isolation and rumination. The paper is conceptual, setting out the construct and its relations to other measures. This is the founding statement of a literature this vault draws on frequently.
Written from the abstract, OpenAlex.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
Neff, K. D. (2003). "Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself." Self and Identity, 2(2), 85-101. The theory paper.
Where we use it
- Why You Are Kinder to Your Friends Than to Yourself, Why We Care
Reliability of this reference
The link below was matched against the publisher's record on title, first author and year, and all three agree.
The source
https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032
DOI: 10.1080/15298860309032