A Compassionate Self Is a True Self? Self-Compassion Promotes Subjective Authenticity
Abstract
Theory and research converge to suggest that authenticity predicts positive psychological adjustment. Given these benefits of authenticity, there is a surprising dearth of research on the factors that foster authenticity. Five studies help fill this gap by testing whether self-compassion promotes subjective authenticity. Study 1 found a positive association between trait self-compassion and authenticity. Study 2 demonstrated that on days when people felt more self-compassionate, they also felt more authentic. Study 3 discovered that people experimentally induced to be self-compassionate reported greater state authenticity relative to control participants. Studies 4 and 5 recruited samples from multiple cultures and used a cross-sectional and a longitudinal design, respectively, and found that self-compassion predicts greater authenticity through reduced fear of negative evaluation (Study 4) and heightened optimism (Study 5). Across studies, self-compassion’s effects on authenticity could not be accounted for by self-esteem. Overall, the results suggest that self-compassion can help cultivate subjective authenticity.
Publication Title
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Recommended Citation
Zhang, J., Chen, S., Tomova Shakur, T., Bilgin, B., Chai, W., Ramis, T., Shaban-Azad, H., & Razavi, P. (2019). A Compassionate Self Is a True Self? Self-Compassion Promotes Subjective Authenticity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45 (9), 1323-1337. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218820914
