Self-compassion and negative outgroup attitudes: The mediating role of compassion for others

ABSTRACT Self-compassion, rooted in common humanity, self-kindness, and mindfulness, is an adaptive self-concept that assuages defensiveness to self-image threats. We hypothesized that self-compassion would buffer the need to express negative intergroup attitudes and that this relation would be explained by compassion for others. In a preregistered study, participants (N = 163) with stronger self-compassion rooted in common humanity, but not self-kindness or mindfulness, expressed less negative attitudes toward outgroups than those with lower self-compassion rooted in common humanity. Moreover, this relation persisted even after controlling for self-esteem, a construct related to but distinct from self-compassion. Finally, compassion for others mediated the relation between self-compassion and intergroup attitudes. These findings support the positive and unique role of individual-level self-compassion in intergroup relations.