PSYC1005 Chap.7 Self-Acceptance and Self-Compassion
Self-Acceptance and Self-Compassion
Self-acceptance is a Ryff dimension: a positive attitude toward all aspects of oneself and one’s life so far.
This chapter contrasts it with self-esteem, a global evaluation that must be earned, and reviews the self-esteem literature: its link with life satisfaction across 31 nations, weaker on average in collectivistic cultures, the vulnerability and scar hypotheses for depression, eating disorders and self-worth based on shape and weight, and contingencies of self-worth.
It sets out four costs of pursuing self-esteem, then defines self-compassion through Neff’s three components, answers four common misgivings with evidence, and explains the self-compassionate letter exercise.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Self-acceptance and self-esteem
- 02
Self-esteem across cultures
- 03
Vulnerability and scar hypotheses
- 04
Contingencies of self-worth
- 05
Four costs of pursuing self-esteem
- 06
Neff's three components of self-compassion
- 07
Misgivings and the evidence
- 08
The compassionate letter
Worked example · free
Averaging national self-esteem and wellbeing correlations
- 1Add the eight values: .27 + .07 + .08 + .44 + .30 + .59 + .61 + .37 = 2.73.
- 1Divide by eight: 2.73 ÷ 8 = .34 to two decimal places.
- 1Compare: .34 is below .52, so on average the link is weaker in collectivistic nations, although single nations overlap the other group.
Key terms
- Self-acceptance
- A positive attitude toward oneself that acknowledges good and bad aspects alike, with a positive view of one’s life so far.
- Self-esteem
- A global evaluation of the self, favourable when high and unfavourable when low.
- Contingencies of self-worth
- The domains, such as appearance or approval, on which a person stakes their sense of worth.
- Scar hypothesis
- The proposal that episodes of depression leave a lasting mark of low self-esteem on the self-concept.
- Common humanity
- The part of self-compassion that sees suffering and failure as shared human experiences, not personal defects.
- Compassion-focused therapy
- Gilbert’s therapy that teaches compassion toward oneself and others during distress.
Self-Acceptance and Self-Compassion FAQ
What is the difference between self-esteem and self-compassion?
Self-esteem is a global evaluation of yourself that depends on doing well and tends to fall when you fail. Self-compassion is a way of responding to your own suffering with mindfulness, a sense of common humanity and self-kindness, and it does not have to be earned. Unlike self-esteem, it is not associated with narcissism.
Why is pursuing self-esteem risky?
The lecture lists four costs: overestimating our good qualities, which leads to poor decisions and a failure to grow; an unstable sense of self that deserts us when we fail; dysfunctional behaviour such as severe dieting or bingeing when self-esteem falters; and treating other people as competitors in a zero-sum contest.
Does self-compassion make people lazy?
The evidence says no. In Breines and Chen’s study, students given a self-compassionate message after a hard test studied longer for the next test than students given a self-esteem boost or no message. Self-compassion motivates improvement from self-care rather than from a sense of inadequacy.
What are the vulnerability and scar hypotheses?
They are two accounts of how self-esteem and depression relate. The vulnerability hypothesis says negative beliefs about the self, that is low self-esteem, cause depression. The scar hypothesis says episodes of depression leave a permanent mark on the self-concept in the form of low self-esteem.
How do you do the self-compassionate letter exercise?
Think of a distressing event from the past week, then write yourself a short letter, one paragraph long, in the voice of an imaginary, compassionate friend, acknowledging the distress, recalling that others feel the same, and saying what you need to hear. It takes about 5 to 15 minutes, and you reread it twice during the week.
Why is basing self-worth on shape and weight risky?
The lecture’s pie-chart exercise shows the problem. A single dominant slice puts all your eggs in one basket, so a setback in that area leaves you feeling worthless, and it narrows life as other areas go undeveloped. The basket is also a poor one, because weight is under strong physiological control.
Exam move
Build a three-column table of self-acceptance, self-esteem and self-compassion with a definition and one risk or benefit for each. Memorise the four costs of pursuing self-esteem as a numbered list, and the four misgivings with the study that answers each. Learn Neff’s three components with their opposites.
For the national data, know the overall correlation of .47 and the direction of the cultural difference, and practise one calculation of a mean from the table so the numbers feel familiar.
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