A Compassionate Self Is a True Self? Self-Compassion Promotes Subjective Authenticity
Both theory and research show that authenticity has positive psychological effects. However, surprisingly little research has been done on the factors that promote authenticity.
However, these five studies test whether self-compassion promotes subjective authenticity.
- Study 1 found a positive association between the traits self-compassion and authenticity.
- Study 2 showed that on days when people felt more self-compassion, they also felt more authentic.
- Study 3 found that people who were experimentally induced to have self-compassion reported greater levels of authenticity compared to control participants.
- Research 4 and 5 found that self-compassion predicts greater authenticity by:
- Reduced fear of negative evaluation (study 4);
- and increased optimism (survey 5).
In all studies, the effects of self-compassion on authenticity could not be explained by self-respect. The results do suggest that self-compassion can help cultivate subjective authenticity.
Publication
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin –
Volume 45, Issue 9
Authors
Jia Wei Zhang, Serena Chen, Teodora K. Tomova Shakur, Begüm Bilgin, Wen Jia Chai, Tamilselvan Ramis, Hadi Shaban-Azad, Pooya Razavi, Thingujam Nutankumar, and Arpine Manukyan
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