Abstract
CONTEXT: The work of Arnold Beisser, Eugene Gendlin, Leslie Greenberg and other authors emphasized the importance of acceptance of one's own experience for emotional regulation, maintenance and cultivation of mental health and wellbeing. At the same time the newly defined ability of self-compassion probably facilitates or more precisely enables this acceptance.
METHOD: By means of two questionnaire surveys we made an attempt to verify the theoretically anticipated connections between the ability of self-compassion, the difficulties in emotional regulation and the presence of feelings of internalized shame. To assess the relationship between the variables the Pearson correlation coefficients and the results of linear regression analysis were used.
RESULTS: Survey 1 (N=471) showed a strong negative correlation (r=-0,71; p < 0,01) between the ability of self-compassion and difficulties in emotional regulation. In sample 1, self-compassion was statistically significant predictor of the difficulties in emotion regulation (F(1, 469)=463,836, p<0,001).
The model explained approximately 49,7 % of the variance of the resulting variable. Survey 2 (N=215) showed a strong negative correlation (r=-0,77; p<0,01) between the ability of self-compassion and the presence of feelings of internalized shame.
In sample 2, self-compassion was statistically significant predictor of the feelings of internalized shame (F(1, 213)=313,429, p<0,001). The model explained approximately 59,5 % of the variance of the resulting variable.
CONCLUSIONS: The ability of self-compassion probably significantly eliminates both feelings of internalized shame and difficulties in emotion regulation. It is therefore probably an important prerequisite for mental health and wellbeing.