Self-Compassion: Theory, Method, Research, and Intervention
This review, by the researcher who defined the construct, is the most complete single statement of the self-compassion literature. It sets out the theoretical model as six elements, three present and three absent: kindness rather than judgment, common humanity rather than isolation, mindful awareness rather than being consumed by a feeling. It reviews how self-compassion is measured, and the large body of studies associating it with mental and physical wellbeing. A useful section addresses the objections most often raised in ordinary conversation, that being kind to yourself is weak, selfish, indulgent or a route to lower standards, and reviews the evidence against each. It also covers the interventions built on the construct, including compassion-focused therapy and mindful self-compassion training. The review discusses problems in the field, including the argument over how the scale should be scored, from one side of that argument. This vault cites it as the authoritative overview while recording the disagreement separately.
This review, by the researcher who defined the construct, is the most complete single statement of the self-compassion literature. It sets out the theoretical model as six elements, three present and three absent: kindness rather than judgment, common humanity rather than isolation, mindful awareness rather than being consumed by a feeling. It reviews how self-compassion is measured, and the large body of studies associating it with mental and physical wellbeing. A useful section addresses the objections most often raised in ordinary conversation, that being kind to yourself is weak, selfish, indulgent or a route to lower standards, and reviews the evidence against each. It also covers the interventions built on the construct, including compassion-focused therapy and mindful self-compassion training. The review discusses problems in the field, including the argument over how the scale should be scored, from one side of that argument. This vault cites it as the authoritative overview while recording the disagreement separately.
Written from the abstract, OpenAlex.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
73; and Neff, K. D. (2022), "Embracing the Complexity of our Inner Worlds: Understanding the Dynamics of Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism," Mindfulness, the direct reply to Muris and Otgaar.
Where we use it
- Why You Are Kinder to Your Friends Than to Yourself, Why We Care
Reliability of this reference
The link below is the right work, with one detail that does not line up. Title and author match exactly, but Crossref dates the article 18 Jan 2023, volume 74, not volume 73 (2022) as in the citation. The companion reply to Muris and Otgaar in Mindfulness was not separately resolved because the slug carries only one DOI field. Worth opening before quoting a figure from it.
The source
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-032420-031047
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-032420-031047