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Cited by 420Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPersonality Traits and PsychologyPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

The role of self-compassion in development: a healthier way to relate to oneself

Open access
Neff, Kristin D.·2009·Human Development
DOI 10.1159/000215071PMC PMC2790748
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Abstract

The idea that people need high self-esteem in order to be psychologically healthy is almost a truism in Western developmental psychology.Parents are told that one of their most important tasks is to nurture their children's self-esteem.Teachers are encouraged to give all their students gold stars so that each can feel proud and special.Psychologists worry about the dangerous drop in self-esteem experienced by adolescents as they transition out of childhood and try to find ways to give teens a self-esteem boost.The assumption that high self-esteem is synonymous with wellbeing applies throughout the lifespan.The elderly benefit from high self-esteem as much as anyone, don't they?The issue is not so simple.In the field of social psychology, scholars are starting to fall out of love with self-esteem.Yes, it is true that high self-esteem is associated with less depression and anxiety, as well as with greater happiness and life satisfaction.However, there are also some dark sides to high selfesteem.For instance, high self-esteem is strongly correlated with narcissism.Twenge [2006] argued that the emphasis placed on self-esteem in American schools and culture at large is responsible for the creation of 'generation me', so named because of the steady and consistent rise in narcissism levels among American college students documented since the mid 1960s.Self-esteem is also associated with the better-thanaverage effect, the need to feel superior to others just to feel okay about oneself.Research shows that most people think they are funnier, more logical, more popular, better looking, nicer, more trustworthy, wiser and more intelligent than others [Alicke & Govorun, 2005].To be average is unacceptable in Western society, so pretty much everyone walks around wearing rose-colored glasses (at least when they are looking in the mirror).This comparative dynamic, however, the tendency to puff ourselves up and put others down, creates interpersonal distance and separation that undermines connectedness.

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Crossref · 10.1159/000215071

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12 of 12 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Self-compassion has previously been shown to be a mechanism of change in MBCT and to be inversely associated with depressive symptoms (Neff, 2009).

    “Self-compassion has previously been shown to be a mechanism of change in MBCT and to be inversely associated with depressive symptoms (Neff, 2009), which was also found in the present study.”

    From Internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for anxiety and depression in cancer survivors: Predictors of treatment response (2021) · cites this paper as Neff, 2009

    In the main text (p. 213), Neff states that higher self-compassion is linked to decreased depression, supporting the inverse-association claim. The paper does not say that self-compassion is a mechanism of change in MBCT; its discussion of mediation concerns family and developmental factors, not MBCT. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Group therapy provides a sense of universality and may enhance a sense of common humanity, a foundation of self-compassion.

    “Group therapy has been thought to provide a sense of universality [30] and may enhance a sense of common humanity, a foundation of self-compassion [31].”

    From One-Day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Compared to Support for Depressed Migraine Patients: a Randomized Clinical Trial. (2020) · cites this paper as [31]

    In the main text (p. 212), Neff identifies a sense of common humanity as one of three components of self-compassion. The paper does not address whether group therapy enhances that sense. The sentence cites a different source for group therapy’s purported sense of universality. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • This promoted a sense of common humanity rather than isolation, a key component in the cultivation of compassion.

    “This promoted a sense of common humanity, rather than isolation, a key component in the cultivation of compassion (Neff, 2009).”

    From A multi‐method evaluation of a compassion‐focused cognitive behavioural psychotherapy group for people who self‐harm. (2022) · cites this paper as Neff, 2009

  • AB has experience delivering these courses over Skype without excessive technical problems.

    “AB has experience delivering these courses over Skype without excessive technical problems [23, 63].”

    From Distant delivery of a mindfulness-based intervention for people with Parkinson's disease: The study protocol of a randomised pilot trial (2017) · cites this paper as [63]

    The Neff section discusses self-compassion research, including a classroom study (p. 213), but does not address AB delivering courses over Skype or technical problems. Searches for “Skype without excessive technical problems” and “delivering courses over Skype technical problems” found no relevant passage in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cites

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2 of the 14 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Neff, K.D. (2009). Self-Compassion. In M.R. Leary & R.H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of individual differ- ences in social behavior (pp. 561-573) . New York: Guilford Press.

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Authors
Neff, K. D.
Affiliations
The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Corresponding author
Neff, Kristin D.
ORCID
Neff, Kristin D.
Venue
Human Development
Publisher
S. Karger AG
Published
2009
Volume
52
Issue
4
Pages
211-214
ISSN
  • 0018-716X (ISSN-L)
  • 1423-0054
DOI
10.1159/000215071
PMC
PMC2790748
OpenAlex
W2138316746
Cited by
419
References
14
Citations by year
2026: 22 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 46 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 8
FWCI
5.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Human Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords
self-compassion, self-esteem, narcissism, better-than-average effect, psychological well-being, anxiety and depression, life satisfaction, interpersonal relatedness, Generation Me, developmental psychology

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