A Comparison Between Self-compassion and Unconditional Self-acceptance: Interventions on Self-blame, Empathy, Shame-, Guilt-Proneness, and Performance

Self-compassion implies kindness towards oneself, a feeling of shared humanity and mindfulness. On the other hand, unconditional self-acceptance means that the self has inherent value due to its existence, therefore it should be accepted unconditionally. While there is research on each of these concepts separately, the literature is scarce when it comes to differences between the two. This study aims to investigate the effect of a self-compassion training and an unconditional self-acceptance training on self-blame levels, empathy levels, guilt- and shame-proneness levels, and performance on a task. Participants of all ages were recruited and randomized into two groups. Daily, for a week, each group had to apply a self-compassion exercise, or an unconditional self-acceptance exercise. Out of the original sample, 157 participants completed the study. A mixed ANOVA was employed for analysis. Self-compassion and unconditional self-acceptance increased in both groups. No significant differences were found between the two groups on self-blame and empathy levels. Shame-proneness levels lowered in both groups. After the training, participants in the self-compassion group presented significantly lower levels of guilt-proneness than participants in the unconditional self-acceptance group. Performance did not differ between the two groups. Although self-compassion and unconditional self-acceptance seem like different concepts, it is possible that the two lead to similar outcomes, using different means.