Empathy, A critical link between self-compassion and social dominance orientation.

Abstract

Previous research has focused on how self-compassion relates to empathy and compassion, two related constructs that broaden the scope of concern for others. However, less is known about how self-compassion relates to generalized factors of prejudice. Using psychometric network analysis, we investigated the relationships between social dominance orientation (SDO), empathy, and different facets of self-compassion in two independent undergraduate students’ samples collected before (n = 578) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 456). In both samples, SDO had a strong connection with empathy which was in turn connected to the tightly interrelated self-compassion network. Invariance analysis confirmed that network structure did not differ between the samples, suggesting that this pattern remained stable despite the differences in social conditions due to COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest a potential pathway in which self-compassion is related to a greater sense of connection to others on an interpersonal and societal level.

Polina Beloborodova

PhD Candidate

Studying how mindfulness and sustainability help us to live more fulfilling and happy lives.