Compassion for self and others
Compassion is a felt response to suffering that involves caring and an authentic desire to ease distress (Goetz, Keltner, & Simon-Thomas, 2010). Compassion towards self, despite setbacks, imperfections, and shortcomings, is strongly associated with wellbeing (Zessin, Dickhäuser, & Garbade, 2015).
Research suggests higher levels of self-compassion serves as a significant protective element, promoting emotional resilience (Neff, 2009), decreased depression and anxiety (Raes et al. 2011). Actively developing compassion has been linked to reductions in depression, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and other psychological distress (Kirby, Tellegen, & Steindl, 2017).
The Compassion Scale Combined (CSC)
The CSC combines the Compassion (for others) Scale (CS; Pommier, Neff, & Tóth-Király, 2019) and Self Compassion Scales - Short Form (SCS-SF; Raes et al., 2011).
Each scale conceptualises compassion as an interaction between multiple factors.
The CS measures Kindness and concern towards others, including the desire to help them, a recognition of others’ troubles as part of our Common Humanity, balanced Mindfulness of others’ pain without avoiding or getting too lost in it, and Indifference (or lack thereof) regarding the pain of others.
The SCS measures Self-Kindness and self-care relating to one’s own imperfections, the lack of Self-Judgement regarding those imperfections, recognition of one’s own struggles as normal and part of our Common Humanity, the sense of Isolation (or lack thereof) and that one’s problems are one’s own, a Mindfulness about the balance in life and emotions when things are tough, and Over-Identification or fixation (or lack thereof) on problems and a sense of inadequacy.
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