Parental Attachment and the Development of Self-Compassion

Within literature, Compassion has been described in many ways though very few descriptions have agreed on how it is best identified (Volpintesta 2011). Crowther et al (2013) describe compassion as a deep emotion that is felt by the individual practitioner allowing them to understand what the patient may be experiencing. Nussbaum (2003) argues that compassion goes beyond just understanding and identifying that emotion, it requires the practitioner to produce a response to the feeling or emotion in order to improve the situation. Dewar (2011) points out that compassion is not only about the recognition of the patients suffering but includes small

Usually in my life I will experience a few negative emotions and thoughts and then briefly affirm that what I am believing is untrue and then switch my mind to something different. I also have journals that I will write in every once in a while, but it isn’t something I use for overcoming negative emotions. Coming from a conservative, religious family I have always heard that meditation is bad. While Neff practices Buddhist meditation and uses some of these ideas in her programs to teach self-compassion, after listening to one of the meditation podcasts, I can see the benefit. The meditation practices she developed helps one relax, become more self-aware, and focused on thoughts of love and compassion not only towards oneself but also towards others. Another aspect that I had not taken into consideration is the difference between self-compassion and self-esteem. As Neff explains, self-esteem is basically one’s perceived value and worth; however, it is contingent on how one is compared to another. I have never looked at self-esteem being a problematic, negative term, now I understand the aspects of it that can be detrimental to ones well-being. Always striving to have high self-esteem leads us to put other people down in the process, it also insinuates that we have to be perfect and better to be worthy, which is the opposite of what Neff’s concept of self-compassion entails. Our society thrives on the idea that one has to be better than their counterpart, what we lack is this idea of self-compassion. Therefore, I think it would be very beneficial to teach self-compassion in children; this may lead to an overall more compassionate generation that flourishes on how we can help each other and ourselves

Likewise, those who had less were more likely to struggle with their separation. Those who did not complete both follow-up tests were also found to have rated having less self-compassion on the first test, than those who completed all three follow-ups. The key analysis was the follow-up assessments along with the original. Without these tests, it would be much harder to gauge how self-compassion influenced a participant’s mindset over

Compassion helps builds relationships with people and builds trust as well. The way a leader may

The results were clearly related to the introduction and the authors found support for their hypothesis that compassion training would benefit health care workers. However, the study did have numerous shortcomings. The study sample was extremely small, and the participants worked in the same location and area of the hospital. This raises the question of if the results would be the same with a larger sample or in a different area of the country. An additional option for further research is to examine if the training would receive similar results in another area of the hospital, for example with employees in NICU. The study was also performed in a relatively short timeline with the follow-up being completed 9 months after training. How long will the impacts continue, and what on-going methods are necessary to continue battling compassion fatigue? Although the authors acknowledge that further exploration is necessary, they do not address any of these questions. In spite of these shortcomings, it was overall a strong paper and after further research the training referenced may be utilized to assist caregivers with compassion

Parents are a vital factor in the development of their children. Many parents fill various roles as teachers, playmates, caregivers, and disciplinary figures; but one of the most important roles that a parent can hold is that of an attachment figure. The attachment between a child and their attachment figure is a strong predictor of the child’s later social and emotional wellbeing (Benoit, 2004). John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth worked together to come to the principle of attachment theory (Bretherton, 1992).

Mindfulness is an abstract concept that can take on many different meanings to individual people. This form of self care is when one is mentally aware of the present or accepting of the moment. Many benefits come with practicing mindfulness, which is why all people should try to understand its importance.

Throughout the past, to modern day society, genuine compassion is shown to be the highest form of knowledge and understanding of another. Compassion through companionship is expressed irrespective of whether another is a close friend or an enemy. Furthermore, marriages that last for a short time do so due to the lack of compassion between each other. Finally, one's spiritual values may interfere with an intimate relationship with one another. Compassion is subjective in the ways it can be measured, however, ordinarily it is shown through the readiness to care for another.

Compassion, or caring can be viewed as “nursing’s most precious asset” (Schantz, 2007), a fundamental element of nursing care (Dietze and Orb, 2000), and as one of the strengths of the profession. According to Torjuul et al (2007), it involves being close to patients and seeing their situation as more than a medical scenario and routine procedures. Compassion is to feel passion with someone, to enter sympathetically into their sorrow, suffering, pain or situation and desire and attempt to alleviate the sorrow, suffering, pain or need. Compassion knows when to be the shoulder to cry on and when to be the motivator for life changing health habits. Compassion is; treating not only the diagnosis but the person, the person with feelings, the person who is going to cry sometimes.

Abundant research has been conducted with reference to parenting, attachment, and their effects on a child’s personality. The most notable research is credited to Mary Ainsworth, John Bowlby, and Harry Harlow. These behavioral scientists summarize that a child’s attachment style coupled with the parenting style of a caregiver can have long-term effects that are capable of impacting a child’s behavior and personality.

“What’s love got to do with it?” When it comes to matters of relationships, our primary relationships in early childhood, such as maternal love, impacts how all other relationships in our life progress and function. Formulated by psychoanalysts John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (McLeod, 2009), Attachment theory asserts that our early emotional bonds shape and influence the dynamics of all our interpersonal relationships. As a result, love and attachment play an important role in our lives. Beyond infancy, childhood development and experiences guide our behaviors, especially in matters of the heart. Love is a tricky science even in the best of circumstances; yet, for children of divorce, the impact of love gone sour has long lasting effects.

Compassion is commonly defined as the desire to alleviate an individual’s distress. A few authors extend this definition to include exploring one’s experiences and promoting one’s autonomy. This concept is demonstrated

The field of self-compassion research is emerging and gaining momentum as significance is found in the role of self-compassion to psychological wellbeing, social connectedness, and emotion regulation (Barnard & Curry, 2011). I am interested in investigating if future study results from this proposed project, using a sample of students at University of Alaska campuses, will corroborate with findings from existing literature. Also I am interested in examining the previously discussed cited qualities that are predicted by self-compassion such as, emotion regulation and social connectedness. Thus, the purpose of the proposed study is to investigate correlations between self-compassion, collective self-esteem, and emotion regulation. The term emotion

We are only beginning to overcome our natural tendency for selfishness, but as compassion grows inside each of us, it motivates truly selfless, altruistic

Mindfulness evolves from Buddhist practices, and has recently influenced Western practices. Conceptually, mindfulness refers to the ability of recognizing and understanding one’s emotion. This action allows the individual to become aware of the present moment (Bryant & Wildi, 2008). There are two elements in mindfulness: internal and external. External mindfulness originates from the Western cognitive and social psychology, which focuses on the self and environment.