Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aleah Goold

Date

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Jia Wei Zhang

Committee Member

Mollie Anderson

Committee Member

Randy Floyd

Abstract

Self-compassion traits can be beneficial when coping with stressful or painful situations. However, previous research on the subject has not examined how it can specifically benefit students in an academic setting. This study investigated the effects of a self-compassion writing intervention (Neff & Germer, 2018) on academic motivation and academic stress. Recruiting students enrolled in a Midsouth university, this study asked participants to answer questions on a survey relating to their current self-compassion, perceived academic stress, academic motivation, and satisfaction with life. They were then asked to reflect on a stressful academic experience and were randomly assigned into either (1) an attention control writing group or (2) a self-compassion writing group. Participants responded to these prompts while thinking about the stressful academic experience. After they completed the prompts, they were asked to answer the same questions as they had before the writing portion. The current study did not detect any changes in self-compassion, perceived academic stress, or in academic motivation. However, future research on how self-compassion can improve the academic life of students is still needed.

Comments

Data is provided by the student

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

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