Emotional recovery following divorce: Will the real self-compassion please stand up?. (April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chau, Ronald F.; Sawyer, Widyasita N.; Greenberg, Jeff; Mehl, Matthias R.; Sbarra, David A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of social and personal relationships. Volume 39:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 996
• Page End: 1022
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Subjects: Divorce -- coping -- self-compassion -- marital separation -- psychological adjustment; Interpersonal relations -- Periodicals; Social interaction -- Periodicals; 302.05
• DOI: 10.1177/02654075211047238
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0265-4075

Abstract

Self-compassion is a positive psychological construct associated with heightened well-being, but the construct is largely measured via self-report. In a study of divorcing adults ( N = 120), we sought to replicate and extend prior research on the association between self-rated and observed self-compassion, the linguistic cues associated with self-rated and observed self-compassion, and the predictive utility of observed self-compassion. Untrained observers rated participants' stream-of-consciousness recordings about their marriage and separation experience. We found adequate consensus among raters of observed self-compassion and a significant, positive association between self-rated and observed self-compassion. Greater self- and observer-rated self-compassion were associated with less distress at baseline; however, only observed self-compassion was associated with less distress at the final study assessment. Discussion centers on the cues observers use to perceive self-compassion in others and the extent to which behavioral manifestations of affect may shape such ratings.