Self-Compassion Soothes the Savage EGO-Threat System: Effects on Negative Affect, Shame, Rumination, and Depressive Symptoms
Abstract
Self-compassion, involving self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, appears well-suited to soothing feelings of threat following negative events and thereby reducing depressive sequellae. Study 1 found a strong negative association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms in 335 university students and evaluated four markers of threat that potentially mediate this relation. A test of multiple mediation revealed shame as a significant mediator, along with rumination and self-esteem. In Study 2, shame-prone students recalled an experience of shame and then were randomly assigned to (1) write about it self-compassionately, (2) express their feelings about it in writing, or (3) do neither. Participants completed their assigned task three times in one week. Immediately after writing, participants in the self-compassion condition reported less state shame and negative affect than those in the expressive writing condition. At two-week follow-up, participants in the self-compassion condition alone showed reductions in shame-proneness (d = .53), and depressive symptoms (d = .49). It appears that self-compassion promotes soothing, “hypo-egoic” (Leary, 2012) responses to negative outcomes that reduce threat system activation and depressive symptoms.
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The therapeutic benefits of the self-compassion intervention have been evident in several studies.
“the therapeutic benefits of the selfcompassion intervention, which has been evident in several studies (Albertson, Neff, & Dill-Shackleford, 2015;Diedrich, Hofmann, Cuijpers, & Berking, 2016;Johnson & O'Brien, 2013;Mosewich, Crocker, Kowalski, & DeLongis, 2013;Neff, 2016a;Odou & Brinker, 2014).”
From When ‘negativity’ becomes obstructive: a novel exploration of the two-factor model of the Self-Compassion Scale and a comparison of self-compassion and self-criticism interventions (2020) · cites this paper as Johnson & O'Brien, 2013
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Self-compassion: Theory, method, research, and intervention
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“…decreases depressed mood among people with major depressive disorder (Diedrich et al. 2014), reduces depressive symptoms in shame-prone individuals (Johnson and O’Brien 2013), reduces overeating in dieters (Adams and Leary 2007), and reduces disordered eating behavior and body shame in female…”
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A Compassionate Self Is a True Self? Self-Compassion Promotes Subjective Authenticity
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“…emotions in response to distressing situations (Leary, Tate, Adams, Allen, & Hancock, 2007), lower levels of shame and fewer symptoms of depression (Johnson & O'Brien, 2013), dampened psychobiological responses to stress (Arch et al., 2014), and higher levels of overall well-being and satisfaction…”
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“Writing about recalled shame and experiencing it self-compassionately resulted in less shame and negative affect two months later (Johnson & O’Brien, 2013).”
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“This has been observed in both correlational studies (Ferreira et al., 2013; Woods & Proeve, 2014) and intervention research (Cândea & Szentágotai-T ǎ tar, 2018a; Johnson & O’Brien, 2013).”
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“Johnson and O’Brien (2013) suggested that self-compassion, a potentially powerful contributor to interpersonal and intrapersonal well-being (Neff & Germer, 2017), may enhance mental health and decrease symptoms of depression by reducing one’s tendency to apply dysfunctional interpretations to…”
BackgroundThe impact of self-compassion on shame-proneness in social anxiety
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“Previous studies reported that both self-compassion and cognitive reappraisal were efficient in reducing state emotions (Arimitsu and Hofmann 2015), and self-compassion was found efficient in reducing shame-proneness in a high shame-prone sample (Johnson and O’Brien 2013).”
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“This relation is consistent with prior work that suggests self-compassion was related to depression (Johnson & O’Brien, 2013), avoidance (Krieger et al., 2013), and certain aspects of hyperarousal (Nakamura et al., 2013).”
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Relationship between Self-esteem and Problematic Use of Facebook among University Students
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“In a study by Johnson and O’Brien (2013), individuals were asked to recall an experience of shame and write about it self-compassionately or were assigned to control conditions.”
BackgroundFuture-outlook mediates the association between self-compassion and well-being
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Braun, T. D., Gorin, A. A., Puhl, R. M., Stone, A., Quinn, D. M., Ferrand, J., Abrantes, A. M., Unick, J., Tishler, D., & Papasavas, P. (2021) · Obesity Surgery · doi:10.1007/s11695-021-05392-z · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Pohl, S., Steuwe, C., Mainz, V., Drießen, M., & Beblo, T. (2020) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23070 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-Compassion, Self-Injury, and Pain
Gregory, W. E., Glazer, J. V., & Berenson, K. R. (2017) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-017-9846-9 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“Our study further extends this previous work, by suggesting that interventions focusing on personal values and/or self-compassion (e.g., Gilbert 2009; Johnson and O’Brien 2013; Smeets et al.”
BackgroundResultSelf‐compassion and psychological distress in chronic illness: A meta‐analysis
Baxter, R., & Sirois, F. M. (2024) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjhp.12761 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Yu, S., Zhang, C., & Xu, W. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23375 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-compassion and Shame Among Rape Survivors
Bhuptani, P., & Messman, T. L. (2021) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/08862605211021994 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Indeed, compassion-based interventions Bhuptani and Messman NP1658915 have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing shame, and subsequent decreases in PTSD symptom severity (e.g., Au et al., 2017; Johnson & O’Brien, 2013).”
BackgroundThøgersen‐Ntoumani, C., Dodos, L. A., Stenling, A., & Ntoumanis, N. (2020) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjhp.12499 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“Lastly, self-compassion can reduce ego threats, andhence alleviate feeling of defeatism and hopelessness associated with the lapse, thus protecting psychological resources (Johnson & O’Brien, 2013).”
BackgroundCrisan, S., Canache, M., Buksa, D., & Nechita, D. (2023) · Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1007/s10942-022-00451-5 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Prentice, K., Rees, C. S., & Finlay‐jones, A. L. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01685-7 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Felver, J. C., Cary, E. L., Helminen, E. C., Schutt, M. K. A., Gould, L. F., Greenberg, M. T., Roeser, R. W., Baelen, R. N., & Schussler, D. L. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-02015-1 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-compassion: Implications for work-family conflict and balance
Nicklin, J. M., Shockley, K. M., & Dodd, H. (2022) · Journal of Vocational Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103785 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Rose, A. L., & Kocovski, N. L. (2020) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00302-3 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Byrne, G., Sarma, K. M., Hendler, J., & O'Connell, A. (2018) · British Journal of Learning Disabilities · doi:10.1111/bld.12227 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Rakhimov, A., Ong, J. C., Realo, A., & Tang, N. K. Y. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02661-z · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Sajjadi, M., Noferesti, A., & Abbasi, M. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03761-0 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“So, it will reduce internal shame and will raise one’s self-criticism threshold (Johnson & O'Brien, 2013).”
BackgroundTürk, F., Kellett, S., & Waller, G. (2021) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.01.007 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Examining the importance of academic-specific self-compassion in the academic self-control model
Martin, R. D., Kennett, D. J., & Hopewell, N. M. (2019) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2018.1555128 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Dispositional self-compassion impacts immediate and delayed reactions to social evaluation
Ewert, C., Gaube, B., & Geisler, F. C. M. (2018) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.037 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“In line with these ideas, trait SC was found to be negatively associated with trait shame (e.g. Johnson & O'Brien, 2013).”
BackgroundKeng, S.-L., & Wong, Y. Y. (2017) · Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation · doi:10.1186/s40479-017-0075-3 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Further, the association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms was mediated by shame, symptom-focused rumination, and cognitive and behavioral avoidance [28, 29].”
BackgroundEwert, C., Buechner, A., & Schröder-Abé, M. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02295-1 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Trait Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Self-Talk: A Correlational Analysis of Young Adults
Grzybowski, J., & Brinthaupt, T. M. (2022) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs12090300 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“Research also suggests that higher self-compassion is associated with an increased ability to deal with personal troubles or failures [25,26].”
BackgroundKwok, S. Y. C. L., Gu, M., & Kwok, K. (2022) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105629 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Carona, C., Xavier, S., Canavarro, M. C., & Fonseca, A. (2022) · Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12388 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Bian, X., Hou, X., Zuo, Z., Quan, H., Ju, K., Wu, W., & Xi, J. (2020) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-020-00946-3 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“Regarding the relationship between self-compassion and rumination, past research has consistently found that increased self-compassion was significantly associated with decreased rumination (Fresnics and Borders 2017; Johnson and O'Brien 2013; Neff 2003a; Raes 2010; Smeets et al. 2014).”
ResultRice, S., Treeby, M. S., OLIVE, L. S., Saw, A. E., Kountouris, A., Lloyd, M., Macleod, G., Orchard, J. W., Clarke, P., Gwyther, K., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.581914 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“, 2019), given this approach is known to reduce shame-proneness and associated mental health symptoms (Gilbert and Procter, 2006; Johnson and O’Brien, 2013).”
BackgroundWesterman, G., McCann, E., & Sparkes, E. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01340-7 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Cha, J. E., Boggiss, A. L., Serlachius, A. S., Cavadino, A., Kirby, J. N., & Consedine, N. S. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01935-2 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“…health and psychosocial outcomes include aspects of rumination and worry (Arimitsu & Hofmann, 2015; Fresnics & Borders, 2017; Hodgetts et al., 2020; Johnson & O'Brien, 2013; Raes, 2010; Tandler et al., 2020), emotion regulation (Chishima et al., 2018; Meyer & Leppma, 2019), coping (Hamrick &…”
BackgroundWillems, R., Drossaert, C., Vuijk, P., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2021) · International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being · doi:10.1080/17482631.2021.1986920 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Cultivating Self-Compassion Promotes Disclosure of Experiences that Threaten Self-Esteem
Dupasquier, J. R., Kelly, A. C., Moscovitch, D. A., & Vidovic, V. (2019) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-019-10050-x · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Türk, F., Kellett, S., & Waller, G. (2021) · Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia Bulimia and Obesity · doi:10.1007/s40519-021-01144-1 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Ye, J., Hong, J., & Fan, J.-Y. (2019) · Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education · doi:10.29333/ejmste/108455 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Martin, R. D., & Kennett, D. J. (2017) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2017.1407286 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
A Brief Self-Compassionate Letter-Writing Intervention for Individuals with High Shame
Swee, M. B., Klein, K. P., Murray, S., & Heimberg, R. G. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02097-5 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“However, this finding is in line with at least one previous study that found self-compassionate letter writing to have a greater direct influence on reducing shame than increasing self-compassion (Johnson & O'Brien, 2013).”
ResultSelf-Compassion as a Means to Improve Job-Related Well-Being in Academia
Dreisoerner, A., Klaic, A., van Dick, R., & Junker, N. M. (2022) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-022-00602-6 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
- Authors
- Johnson, E. A., & O'Brien, K. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Manitoba (CA)
- Venue
- Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
- Publisher
- Guilford Publications
- Published
- 2013-11
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 939-963
- ISSN
- 0736-7236 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2015451642
- Cited by
- 263
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 10.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- self-compassion, ego threat, shame, rumination, depressive symptoms, negative affect, self-esteem, expressive writing, self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, university students
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