Self-compassion research is gaining ground in the organizational context. In a recent review article Dodson and Heng (2022) give us a lay of the land. In this review summary, we’ll look at the results to date on the effects of self-compassion on the individual within themselves (intrapersonal outcomes) and the results of how self-compassion is shown to affect others (interpersonal outcomes).
Intrapersonal outcomes
When it comes to mental and physical health in the organizational context, numerous studies confirm self-compassion to be associated with lower levels of burnout (Beaumont et al., 2016; Delaney, 2018; Duarte & Pinto-Gouveia, 2016; Gerber & Anaki, 2021; Gracia-Gracia & Oliván-Blázquez, 2017; Hashem & Zeinoun, 2020; Montero-Marin et al., 2016; Prudenzi et al., 2021; Schabram & Heng, 2022). For example Schabram and Heng, (2022) surveyed 130 nurses over a period of 3 years and found self-compassion to be associated with lower levels of exhaustion and Gerber and Anaki (2021) studied 109 professional caregivers working in a hospital’s intensive care and rehabilitative units and found self-compassion to be associated with reduced levels of burnout.
Studies have also found a significant negative relationship between self-compassion and depressive symptoms (Ghorbani et al., 2018; Kotera et al., 2019; 2021) and between self-compassion and stress (van der Meulen et al., 2021). Kaurin et al. (2018) found that self-compassion reduces the likelihood of negative thoughts leading to depressive feelings for workers exposed to traumatic events. Other studies have found a positive relationship between self-compassion and sleep quality (Kemper et al., 2015; Vaillancourt & Wasylkiw, 2019) and between self-compassion and health behavior change (Horan & Taylor, 2018).
Self-compassion has also been shown to improve resilience (Delaney, 2018; Franco & Christie, 2021; Kemper et al., 2015; Lewis & Ebbeck, 2014). Lewis and Ebbeck (2014), showed that self-compassionate workers were better able to draw upon their knowledge and resources when facing difficult decisions. Studies also link self-compassion with increased job satisfaction (Abaci & Arda, 2013; Voci et al., 2016) and job engagement (Babenko et al., 2019).
Interpersonal outcomes
Research shows a strong negative relationship between self-compassion and compassion fatigue (Delaney, 2018; Duarte & Pinto-Gouveia, 2016, 2017). Please note that although many researchers still refer to this term as compassion fatigue, in line with suggestions by Matthieu Ricard and Tania Singer (Klimecki & Singer, 2012), in the context of Mindful Self-Compassion training, we refer to this term as empathy fatigue rather than compassion fatigue. Empathy is defined as “an accurate understanding of the [other’s] world as seen from the inside” (Rogers, 1961), whereas compassion is the ability to empathize, with the addition of warmth and kindness. If we just feel the suffering of others without having the emotional resources to hold it, we will fight against it and become fatigued.
Research also shows a positive relationship between self-compassion and compassion satisfaction, defined as the emotional reward of caring for others in a work capacity (Alkema et al., 2008; Duarte & Pinto-Gouveia, 2017; Hotchkiss, 2018). Furthermore, Henshall et al. (2018) found self-compassion to be positively related to compassion at work and Lefebvre et al. (2020) found that self-compassion increased group- and individual-level innovation by increasing a sense of feeling safe in relationships with team members.
When it comes to self-compassion and leadership, Lanaj et al. (2021) found that self-compassionate leaders helped others more with both task-related and personal problems, and that they in turn were perceived as more competent and civil. Furthermore, Waldron and Ebbeck (2015) found that supervisors who self-reported higher self-compassion were rated as more effective leaders by their followers. Anjum et al. (2020) also studied how self-compassion influences interactions with co-workers and found that individuals with high levels of self-compassion experience less emotional exhaustion after negative interactions with coworkers.
To learn more about self-compassion or to attend an upcoming In-Person or Live Online Mindful Self-Compassion course, visit https://centerformsc.org/lomsc.
References
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