Self-Compassion and Self-Construal in the United States, Thailand, and Taiwan

TLDR

Self‑compassion is a self‑attitude rooted in Buddhist psychology that involves kindness toward oneself, recognition of shared human experience, and mindful awareness of pain. The study compares self‑compassion levels among participants in the United States, Thailand, and Taiwan. Self‑compassion was highest in Thailand, lowest in Taiwan, and intermediate in the United States, with interdependence predicting it only in Thailand and independence predicting it in Taiwan and the US, indicating that cultural features—not broad East–West distinctions—underlie self‑compassion and that it is consistently associated with well‑being across all three societies.

Abstract

Self-compassion is a self-attitude construct derived from Buddhist psychology (Neff, 2003a). It entails being kind rather than harshly critical toward oneself, perceiving one's experiences as part of the larger human experience, and holding painful feelings in mindful awareness. Given that self-compassion is an Asian construct, this study compares self-compassion levels in the United States, Thailand, and Taiwan. Results indicate that self-compassion is highest in Thailand and lowest in Taiwan, with the United States falling in between. Interdependence is linked to self-compassion in Thailand only, whereas independence is linked to self-compassion in Taiwan and the United States. Results suggest that self-compassion levels in these societies are linked to specific cultural features rather than general East—West differences. However, self-compassion is significantly associated with well-being in all three cultures.