Knowra Self-compassion Self-compassion Self-compassion is responding to personal suffering with kindness, recognition of shared human imperfection, and mindful awareness rather than harsh self-judgment.
Self-kindness : A caring, understanding response to one’s own pain or shortcomings instead of harsh self-criticism. It supplies the compassionate response to suffering at the heart of the concept.
Emotion regulation : Processes that influence which emotions arise, when they occur, and how they are experienced or expressed. Self-kindness and mindful acknowledgment can change how distress is handled.
Mindful Self-Compassion : An eight-week training program developed by Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff to cultivate mindfulness and self-compassion. It provides a structured course for practicing the concept in everyday life.
Kristin Neff : An American educational psychologist whose research helped establish self-compassion as a measurable psychological construct. Her definition and scale shaped much of contemporary self-compassion research.
Common humanity : The recognition that struggle, failure, and imperfection are shared features of human life. It counters the sense of isolation that personal suffering can create.
Psychological flexibility : The capacity to stay responsive to present circumstances while acting in line with chosen values. A less self-punitive response can make room for constructive action during difficulty.
Self-compassion scale : A questionnaire developed by Kristin Neff to assess self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, and their opposites. It is a widely used measure for studying individual differences in self-compassion.
Christopher Germer : An American clinical psychologist who developed mindfulness- and compassion-based approaches to psychotherapy and training. His clinical work helped translate self-compassion research into teachable practices.
Mindfulness : Attending to present experience with openness and without excessive judgment or avoidance. It helps acknowledge painful feelings without becoming overwhelmed by them.
Self-compassion break : A brief practice that names suffering, recalls shared humanity, and offers oneself kindness. It turns the concept’s three elements into a short, repeatable exercise.
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