Abstract
Self-compassion and self-esteem are constructs that frequently attract attention in psychological research, yet little has been done to synthesize the literature. Self-compassion refers to a capacity to treat oneself with kindness and a desire to help rather than harm, and self-esteem refers to a sense of self-worth, often based on comparisons to others. This chapter examines the dynamic relationship between these constructs. We consider different forms of self-esteem, identifying that contingent self-esteem shares little commonality with self-compassion, while intrinsic self-esteem and self-compassion are more closely related. Examination of observational and intervention research highlights the interactive and bidirectional relationship between self-compassion and intrinsic self-esteem. Although highly correlated, the constructs have different strengths in predicting other psychological variables such as authenticity and mental health outcomes. Mediation research suggests self-compassion can buffer or mitigate some of the costs of pursuing self-esteem. In addition, self-compassion interventions appear to be more efficacious than self-esteem interventions. Yet longitudinal research suggests the relationship between the constructs is bidirectional and that they may dynamically bolster each other over time. Given these emerging trends, this chapter applies the Interventive Network Model as a framework for understanding these two constructs and outlines a direction for future research and psychological treatment.
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Fraser, M.I., Ciarrochi, J., Sahdra, B.K., Hunt, C. (2023). To Be Compassionate and Feel Worthy: The Bidirectional Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Self-Esteem. In: Finlay-Jones, A., Bluth, K., Neff, K. (eds) Handbook of Self-Compassion. Mindfulness in Behavioral Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_3
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