Self-compassion involves showing kindness and understanding to the self during times of stress. Individuals with social anxiety have been shown to exhibit lower levels of self-compassion than the general population.
Objectives
The present pair of studies examined levels of self-compassion for different types of stress. Across both studies, individuals with elevated social anxiety were hypothesised to display the lowest levels of self-compassion in times of social judgement.
Methods
In Study 1 (N = 160), self-compassionate responding was assessed after randomly assigning participants to recall a time in their lives when they were socially judged, physically ill, or experiencing symptoms of burnout. Study 2 (N = 230) was a replication of Study1, but potential mediation models for differences in self-compassionate responding were also explored.
Results
For Study 1, there was a significant interaction such that individuals high in social anxiety had lower levels of self-compassion in times of social judgement, whereas those low in social anxiety displayed the lowest levels of self-compassion in times of burnout. For Study 2, individuals in the physical illness condition displayed the greatest self-compassion, and those in the burnout condition displayed the least self-compassion, regardless of social anxiety level. Self-blame was found to mediate the relationship between condition and self-compassion, such that those in the physical illness condition reported less self-blame, which was associated with greater self-compassion.
Conclusions
This research provides initial support for the possibility that self-compassion can depend on the domain of stress an individual encounters. Self-blame may be one reason for differences in self-compassion across different domains of stress.
