| dc.description.abstract | After negative events, an individual may think about how a situation could have turned out differently. These counterfactual thoughts can improve similar future outcomes. While some research has explored the role individual differences play in counterfactual thinking, no research has studied the link between counterfactual thought and self-compassion. Self-compassion is the concept of being mindful of one’s own experience, caring towards one’s self, and understanding that imperfections are part of the human condition (Neff, 2003). To examine the relationship between these two variables, I conducted a series of four studies exploring the link between self-compassion and counterfactual thinking. In Study 1a, I found evidence that self-compassion and counterfactual thinking both affect judgements of self- and other-focused blame, responsibility and forgiveness. In Study 1b, counterfactual thinking was positively correlated with motivation, but I found no evidence of a link between self-compassion and motivation. Study 2 confirmed Study 1a’s findings regarding self- and other-focused judgements, and also found that a self-compassionate (vs. control) writing task led to marginally fewer functional counterfactual characteristics. Finally, in Study 3, individuals who completed a self-compassion manipulation reported marginally worse grades on a follow-up exam than those who completed a control writing task; however there were no differences between conditions regarding exam score satisfaction. I discuss these findings in regards to both the larger bodies of work regarding self-compassion and counterfactual thinking. | en |
