Self–Compassion as A Facet of Neuroticism? A Reply to the Comments of Neff, TóTh–KiráLy, and Colosimo (2018)

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattis Geiger ◽  
Stefan Pfattheicher ◽  
Johanna Hartung ◽  
Selina Weiss ◽  
Simon Schindler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Association ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Incremental Validity ◽  
The Self ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Psychological Constructs ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Sound Measurement ◽  
Compassion Scale ◽  
Data Analytic

In this paper, we respond to comments by Neff et al. (2018) made about our finding that the negative dimensions of self–compassion were redundant with facets of neuroticism ( rs ≥ 0.85; Pfattheicher et al., 2017) and not incrementally valid. We first provide epistemological guidance for establishing psychological constructs, namely, three hurdles that new constructs must pass: theoretically and empirically sound measurement, discriminant validity, and incremental validity—and then apply these guidelines to the self–compassion scale. We then outline that the critique of Neff et al. (2018) is contestable. We question their decisions concerning data–analytic methods that help them to circumvent instead of passing the outlined hurdles. In a reanalysis of the data provided by Neff et al. (2018), we point to several conceptual and psychometric problems and conclude that self–compassion does not overcome the outlined hurdles. Instead, we show that our initial critique of the self–compassion scale holds and that its dimensions are best considered facets of neuroticism. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Assessing Compassion in Korean Population: Psychometric Properties of the Korean Version of Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyoung Kim ◽  
Jang-Won Seo
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Compassionate Love ◽  
Korean Version ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
Compassion Scale

A newly developed scale, the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scale (SOCS) measures compassion for others and the self-based on an empirically supported five-elements definition of compassion: (a) recognizing suffering; (b) understanding the universality of suffering; (c) feeling for the person suffering; (d) tolerating uncomfortable feelings; and (e) motivation to act/acting to alleviate suffering. This study aimed to validate a Korean version of SOCS in a Korean adult sample. We administered the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scale for Others (SOCS-O), the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scale for the Self (SOCS-S), and other self-report measures of mindfulness, self-compassion, compassionate love, wellbeing, interpersonal reactivity, and mental health problems to analyze their psychometric properties. The findings support the five-factor hierarchical structure for the SOCS-O and SOCS-S, and as well as both scales’ adequate psychometric properties of measurement invariance, interpretability, internal consistency, floor/ceiling effects, and convergent/discriminant validity.

THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE TURKISH VERSION OF THE SELF-COMPASSION SCALE

2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1151-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Engin Deniz ◽  
Şahin Kesici ◽  
A. Serkan Sümer
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
The Self ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Turkish Version ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Language Equivalence ◽  
Compassion Scale

The purpose of this study was to adapt the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003) into Turkish and test the validity and reliability of the measure. The study was conducted in four phases with 341 (184 female, 157 male) university students. Both the Turkish and original versions of the SCS were applied to 66 English language teachers to examine the language equivalence. Since the scale had high levels of language equivalence, validity and reliability studies were conducted. For construct validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant validity and item-total correlations were employed. For reliability, internal consistency and test-retest analysis were employed. Results demonstrated that the Turkish version of the SCS is a valid and reliable measure.

Self–Compassion is Best Measured as a Global Construct and is Overlapping with but Distinct from Neuroticism: A Response to Pfattheicher, Geiger, Hartung, Weiss, and Schindler (2017)

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin D. Neff ◽  
István Tóth–Király ◽  
Ken Colosimo
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Incremental Validity ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Large Correlation ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Compassion Scale

Pfattheicher and colleagues recently published an article entitled ‘Old Wine in New Bottles? The Case of Self–compassion and Neuroticism’ that argues the negative items of the Self–compassion Scale (SCS), which represent reduced uncompassionate self–responding, are redundant with neuroticism (especially its depression and anxiety facets) and do not evidence incremental validity in predicting life satisfaction. Using potentially problematic methods to examine the factor structure of the SCS (higher–order confirmatory factor analysis), they suggest a total self–compassion score should not be used and negative items should be dropped. In Study 1, we present a reanalysis of their data using what we argue are more theoretically appropriate methods (bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling) that support use of a global self–compassion factor (explaining 94% of item variance) over separate factors representing compassionate and reduced uncompassionate self–responding. While self–compassion evidenced a large correlation with neuroticism and depression and a small correlation with anxiety, it explained meaningful incremental validity in life satisfaction compared with neuroticism, depression, and anxiety. Findings were replicated in Study 2, which examined emotion regulation. Study 3 established the incremental validity of negative items with multiple well–being outcomes. We conclude that although self–compassion overlaps with neuroticism, the two constructs are distinct. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology

Old Wine in New Bottles? The Case of Self–Compassion and Neuroticism

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Kandler ◽  
Stefan Pfattheicher ◽  
Mattis Geiger ◽  
Johanna Hartung ◽  
Selina Weiss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Negative Factor ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Compassion Scale ◽  
Positive Factor

Research on self–compassion, which is defined as being understanding and kind to oneself when confronted with negative experiences, has produced an impressive number of articles in recent years. This research shows that individual differences in self–compassion, as measured by the Self–Compassion Scale (SCS), are positively related to life satisfaction, health and social functioning. However, a critical and systematic test of self–compassion from a personality perspective has not yet conducted so far. In the present study ( N = 576), we (i) tested the factor structure of the SCS, (ii) examined the distinctiveness of self–compassion with regard to the five–factor model of personality, focusing on neuroticism, and (iii) tested the incremental predictive power of self–compassion beyond the five–factor model in the context of life satisfaction. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two–factor plus six facets solution of self–compassion (a positive factor and a negative factor). Additional analyses revealed that the negative factor was redundant with facets of neuroticism ( rs ≥ .85), whereas the positive factor had some unique variance left. However, neither the negative factor nor the positive factor could explain substantial incremental variance in life satisfaction beyond neuroticism. Recommendations for how to use the SCS are provided, and the future of research on self–compassion is discussed. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology

Clarifying the Factor Structure of the Self-Compassion Scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noelle J. Strickland ◽  
Raquel Nogueira-Arjona ◽  
Sean Mackinnon ◽  
Christine Wekerle ◽  
Sherry H. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Lower Order ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
The Hierarchical Structure ◽  
Compassion Scale

Abstract. Self-compassion is associated with greater well-being and lower psychopathology. There are mixed findings regarding the factor structure and scoring of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Using confirmatory factor analysis, we tested and conducted nested comparisons of six previously posited factor structures of the SCS. Participants were N = 1,158 Canadian undergraduates (72.8% women, 26.6% men, 0.6% non-binary; Mage = 19.0 years, SD = 2.3). Results best supported a two-factor hierarchical model with six lower-order factors. A general self-compassion factor was not supported at the higher- or lower-order levels; thus, a single total score is not recommended. Given the hierarchical structure, researchers are encouraged to use structural equation models of the SCS with two latent variables: self-caring and self-coldness. A strength of this study is the large sample, while the undergraduate sample may limit generalizability.

Is Self-Compassion Universal? Support for the Measurement Invariance of the Self-Compassion Scale Across Populations

Assessment ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
István Tóth-Király ◽  
Kristin D. Neff
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The Self ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Compassion Scale

The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is a widely used measure to assess the trait of self-compassion, and, so far, it has been implicitly assumed that it functions the same way across different groups. This assumption needs to be explicitly tested to ascertain that no measurement biases exist. To address this issue, the present study sought to systematically examine the generalizability of the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling operationalization of the SCS via tests of measurement invariance across a wide range of populations, varying according to features such as student or community status, gender, age, and language. Secondary data were used for this purpose and included a total of 18 samples and 12 different languages ( N = 10,997). Multigroup analyses revealed evidence for the configural, weak, strong, strict, and latent variance–covariance of the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling operationalization of the SCS across different groups. These findings suggest that the SCS provides an assessment of self-compassion that is psychometrically equivalent across groups. However, findings comparing latent mean invariance found that levels of self-compassion differed across groups.

scholarly journals A Preliminary Investigation Into the Relationship Between Autistic Traits and Self-Compassion

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412095724
Author(s):  
Abby Howes ◽  
Gareth Richards ◽  
John Galvin
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
The Self ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
The Social ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Compassion Scale

Self-compassion refers to the extension of kindness to oneself when faced with feelings of inadequacies, shortcomings or failures. It is possible that individuals high in autistic traits may encounter difficulties with self-compassion, and this could be particularly pronounced due to the social challenges they might face. To explore this potential relationship, we recruited university students and members of the general population to an online survey (n = 176). Participants completed measures on demographics, autistic traits, and self-compassion. We found that autistic traits were indeed negatively correlated with self-compassion in both males and females. Interestingly, a comparison of the slopes showed significantly stronger relationships in males compared to females for the negative (but not the positive) subscales of the self-compassion scale. Although speculative at this point, it is possible that self-compassion acts as a mediator between autistic traits and psychopathology. With this in mind, further work is warranted to determine whether self-compassion could be a target for therapeutic intervention.

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