Abstract
The ability to take an emotionally positive attitude toward the self in the moments when we experience some suffering, failure or when we realize our imperfections, is an important aspect of emotion regulation as well as a prerequisite for wellbeing and mental health. This attitude termed as "self-compassion" is probably also an important element of psychotherapeutic change.
The presentation will introduce the concept of self-compassion which, apart from mindfulness, have become another element of traditional Buddhist psychology arousing the interest of Western experts in the last years. It will compare this new concept with related psychological notions.
It will describe the expected effect of the lack of self-compassion in the etiopathogenesis of mental disorders and it will mention some possibilities of developing this kind of attitude toward the self. It will review the research activities concerning self-compassion currently being conducted in the Czech Republic.