Mind full of kindness: self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence as vehicles for compassion.
BMC psychology July 29, 2022 Jacob T Miller, Paul Verhaeghen 46 citations
Mindfulness—understood as a combination of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence—is linked to compassion, which itself has distinct affective, cognitive, and motivational components. In a survey of 407 undergraduates, reflective awareness predicted multiple aspects of compassion beyond other mindfulness facets and moral foundations. The moral foundation of individualizing (care and fairness) was associated with all compassion aspects, while binding (loyalty, authority, purity) only related to recognizing suffering and willingness to act. Awareness of privilege was positively linked to mindfulness through individualizing and recognition of common humanity, and directly negatively related to binding. Mindfulness and compassion together enhance ethical sensitivities, suggesting mindfulness interventions may foster compassion and ethical awareness.