Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Compassion for Others: The Mediated Effect of Perceived Social Support and Psychological Resilience

Abstract

Studies from individualistic cultural contexts have shown there were no or negative significant correlation between self-compassion and compassion (for others). However, there may be a closer association between them in a collectivism and Buddhism culture. This study randomly selected 441 college students in China and used measures of self-compassion, trait compassion (compassion for others), psychological resilience, and perceiving social support to investigate this relationship. The results showed a moderately positive correlation between self-compassion and compassion. Further chain-mediation analyses revealed that self-compassion not only directly predicted compassion for others but also indirectly influenced it through the mediating effects of perceiving social support and psychological resilience. The results of this study suggest that the quality of compassion may be significantly influenced by culture.