Abstract:

Self‐compassion refers to the ability to express sympathy or compassion to oneself when faced with failures, inadequacies or suffering. Self-compassion has been found to have a profound impact on individuals' physical and psychological health. In view of its mechanisms, self-compassion can exert positive impacts on individuals by reducing one’s maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and promoting adaptive emotion regulation strategies. Additionally, self-compassion can also maintain ones’ homeostasis by regulating the biological markers of the stress response, which in turn, facilitates their adjustment. The major interventions related to self-compassion include Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT). More studies are needed to further explore the mechanism of self-compassion, expand its investigation by using various measurement and research methods, and use more rigorous interventional designs to evaluate the effects of self-compassion interventions under the Chinese cultural background.

Key words: self-compassion, mindfulness, emotion regulation, mindful self-compassion, compassion-focused therapy