Self-transformation and spirituality have not been extensively investigated in marketing research. However, these concepts are deeply impactful in an individual's life and are advocated by religious and spiritual traditions across the world. In Essay 1, I extend research on compassion, distance between self and other, and power by examining the effect of self-compassion on prosocial behavior. I test the effect of self-compassion on prosocial behavior mediated by the distance felt between self and other and moderated by felt power. Across five studies, I find that individuals in the self-compassionate and equal power mindset display higher prosocial behavior and lower empathy fatigue compared to the other conditions. In Essay 2, I examine the idea of agency in one's relationship with God which has not been investigated in business research although building one's relationship with God is the backbone of all major religious and spiritual traditions across the world and is seen to have widespread implications. Through five studies, I demonstrate that feelings of agency in one's relationship with God lead to a lower desire for retributive justice against an entity that has committed a transgression as compared to the no-agency condition. On the other hand, in line with earlier research, when one feels agency over material resources, one tends to have an increased desire for retributive justice against an entity that has committed a transgression compared to the no-agency condition. Across these essays, I examine the proposed conceptual models through mediation and moderation studies. Several theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

Abstract Perspective-taking is a part of different clinical interventions, with the purpose of promoting for example self-compassion or increasing tolerance to distress. The aim of the present experiment with healthy volunteers (N=40) was to investigate the effect of perspective-taking, specifically self-as-context, on self-compassion during a tolerance task. It was hypothesized that participants with higher levels of self-as-context would have higher levels of (1) self-compassion and (2) tolerance during a simple weight lifting task. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=20) or a control group (n=20). All participants completed four lifts, alternating using their dominant and non-dominant arm. During the latter two lifts, participants in the experimental condition were instructed to apply a self-as-context exercise while the participants in the control condition were instructed to apply a visualization exercise that was not related to the self. There was a positive correlation between self-as-context and self-compassion, but the results showed no significant group difference in self-compassion during the lifting task. The results showed no significant group difference in tolerance. Furthermore, there was no correlation between self-as-context and tolerance. The present study is the first to empirically show a relationship between self-as-context and self-compassion. The current results are promising and call for further controlled research on the relation between perspective taking and self-compassion and for the development and refinement of state measures of self-compassion and self-as-context. / Sammanfattning Perspektivtagande är en del av olika kliniska interventioner, med syfte att främja exempelvis självmedkänsla eller öka tolerans för obehag. Syftet med förevarande experiment som genomfördes med friska frivilliga deltagare (N=40), var att undersöka effekten av perspektivtagande, specifikt själv-som-kontext, på självmedkänsla under ett toleranstest. Det hypotiserades att deltagare med högre nivåer av själv-som-kontext skulle ha högre nivåer av (1) självmedkänsla och (2) tolerans under ett enkelt hantellyft. Deltagarna randomiserades till antingen en experimentgrupp (n=20) eller en kontrollgrupp (n=20). Alla deltagare genomförde fyra hantellyft, växelvis med sin dominanta respektive icke-dominanta arm. Under de senare två lyften instruerades deltagarna i experimentgruppen att tillämpa en själv-som-kontext-övning medan deltagarna i kontrollgruppen instruerades att tillämpa en visualiseringsövning som inte var själv-relaterad. Det fanns en positiv korrelation mellan själv-som-kontext och självmedkänsla, dock visade resultaten ingen signifikant gruppskillnad i självmedkänsla under lyften. Resultaten visade ingen signifikant gruppskillnad i tolerans. Vidare fanns det ingen korrelation mellan själv-som-kontext och tolerans. Förevarande studie är den första att empiriskt påvisa ett samband mellan själv-som-kontext och självmedkänsla. Förevarande resultat är lovande och uppmanar till ytterligare kontrollerad forskning kring sambandet mellan perspektivtagande och självmedkänsla och till utveckling och raffinering av state-mått för självmedkänsla och själv-som-kontext.

Objective: Self-stigma in overweight and obese individuals has strong associations with impairment in mental and global health. This study sought to explore self-compassion as a psychological resource in the self-stigma process. Methods: In a 2012 representative German population survey of N = 1,158 overweight and obese individuals, self-compassion was examined as a mediator between self-stigma and mental and physical health outcomes, including BMI (kg/m 2 ), using structural equation modeling and controlling for sociodemographic factors. Results: Psychological variables were assessed using validated self-report questionnaires. Self-compassion partially mediated the relationships between self-stigma and depression, somatic symptoms, and health status / quality of life, lowering the predictive effect of self-stigma on the outcomes by approximately one-third. In contrast, self-compassion, because it was unrelated to BMI, did not mediate the association between self-stigma and BMI. Conclusion: Self-compassion has the potential to act as a buffer against the mental and global health detriments of self-stigma in overweight and obesity and could thus represent a target for interventions to reduce self-stigma and prevent these health impairments. In order to influence the association between self-stigma and BMI, self-compassion should conceptually be linked to weight management.

Self-compassion has quickly gained recognition for its many cognitive, emotional, and psychological benefits (Neff, 2003b). The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003a) is currently the only instrument measuring self-compassion and is commonly used. The current model contains six factors: self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and over-identification. However, the SCS has recently come under fire due to limited evidence of its psychometric properties (Lopez et al., 2015). Researchers who have attempted to replicate the factor structure proposed by Neff have found mixed results using both exploratory and confirmatory methods. Our primary aim is to establish the factor structure of the SCS with a large, more representative sample. Thirteen samples (total n = 2,515) using the SCS were combined to demonstrate a more comprehensive approach to investigating the scales’ psychometric properties. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated good model fit for the six-factor solution. However, little is known about how the SCS items naturally load together. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis (EFA) demonstrated lack of good model fit for the six-factor model; instead, a simpler, two-factor solution emerged. However, the twofactor model is inconsistent with the theoretical conceptualization of self-compassion. Future research should use more advanced statistical models to explain the multidimensionality of the SCS.

Självmedkänsla och tilltron till de egna förmågorna har visat sig viktiga för välmående i arbetslivet samt för att minska utmattning. Fortfarande sjukskrivs dock många på grund av stress och emotionell utmattning samtidigt som studier kring självmedkänsla i relation till self-efficacy i emotionellt krävande arbeten är få. Denna studie undersökte självmedkänslans relation till emotionell self-efficacy i emotionellt krävande arbeten, samt hur den påverkade nivåerna av upplevd utmattning och välmående. Analyserna (Pearsons korrelation, tvåvägs ANOVA för oberoende mätningar och multipel hierarkisk linjär regressionsanalys) baserades på enkätdata från 154 deltagare, utifrån skalorna Self-compassion scale short form, Scale of Occupational Emotional Self-Efficacy, Emotional Exhaustion samt EPOCH-s välmåendeskala. Resultatet visade att för välmående spelade emotionell self-efficacy en något större roll än självmedkänsla, medan det för utmattning endast var självmedkänsla som kunde bidra med förklarad varians. Intressanta upptäckter gjordes gällande kön, vilket föreslås vidare forskning kring, då variabeln kön var alltför snedfördelad i denna studie.

Approximately 43% of college students report experiencing suicidal ideation in the past year, and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among college students, making it a significant public health concern. Development of successful suicide intervention and prevention strategies is predicated on identification of risk (e.g. negative life events, hopelessness) and protective factors (e.g. self-compassion) that may be targeted for treatment. A well-established linkage exists between life stressors and suicidal behavior; however, potential mechanisms of action underlying this association are under-researched. It may be that negative life events contribute to feelings of hopelessness, which is conceptualized as negative beliefs and expectations about one’s self and future. However, not all persons who experience negative life events and hopelessness become suicidal, perhaps due to protective factors such as self-compassion. Comprised of self-kindness, mindfulness and sense of common humanity, self-compassion may contribute to emotional resilience when negative life events occur; however, this premise has not been previously examined. We hypothesized that hopelessness would mediate the relation between negative life events and suicidal behaviors, such that negative life events would be related to increased feelings of hopelessness and, in turn, to greater risk for suicidal behavior. We also hypothesized that self-compassion would beneficially moderate the mediating effect of hopelessness. Our sample of college students (n=338) were primarily female (67%; n=227) and White (89.6%; n=294), with a mean age of 21.8 years (SD=4.7). Participants completed self-report measures including the Life Events Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Inventory, the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire - Revised, and the Self-Compassion Scale. Supporting our hypotheses, hopelessness fully mediated the relation between negative life events and suicidal behavior (DE=.07, SE=.06, 95% CI=.05,.28,p

Depression is a serious public health concern and leading cause of global disability; in the U.S., it is estimated that over 35 million individuals suffer from depression. Health-related dysfunction, including impairment and poor quality of life, are often associated with depressive symptoms; however, little research has examined the interrelationships between these factors. Functional impairment, or the experience of difficulty conducting necessary activities of daily living, may contribute to emotional distress directly but may also impact perceived quality of life. Health-related quality of life (HRQL), which is conceptualized as a holistic and subjective perception of one’s physical and mental quality of life, is a wellestablished indicator of overall general health. Given the dearth of research examining the linkages between these variables, we hypothesized that greater levels of functional impairment would be positively related to depressive symptoms and that physical and mental HRQL would mediate this association, such that greater functional impairment would be associated with poorer mental and physical HRQL and, in turn, to greater depressive symptoms. Our sample (N=100; 70.3% female (N=71); 93% Caucasian (N=94); Mean Age = 42.18, SD = 12.83) was recruited from a rural, Southern Appalachian primary care clinic serving working and uninsured patients. Participants completed self-report measures: Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale - Brief, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Simple mediation analyses, consistent with Preacher and Hayes, were conducted covarying age, sex and ethnicity. In support of our hypothesis, the direct effect of functional impairment on depressive symptoms decreased but remained significant (DE=-1.39, SE=.66, p=.03) when mental HRQL was included as a mediator (IE lower 95% CI=-3.27, upper 95% CI=-.877), indicating partial mediation. In addition, the direct effect of functional impairment on depressive symptoms fell out of significance (DE=-1.18, SE=.33, p=.15) when physical HRQL was included as a mediator (IE lower 95% CI=-3.79, upper 95% CI=-.83), indicating full mediation. Our findings suggest that individuals experiencing functional limitations are less likely to report good mental and physical HRQL and, in turn, endorse higher levels of depressive symptoms. Our findings may have clinical implications; therapeutic enhancement of coping skills and problem-solving strategies may reduce psychological distress, whereas engagement with social and instrumental support networks may provide assistance with physical limits, thereby reducing risk for depressive symptoms in individuals experiencing functional impairment.

Structural racism is often perpetuated by well-intentioned White individuals who passively accept or are unaware of its existence. However, when their perceptions and understanding of the world are challenged through learning about structural racism, White people may experience emotions such as fear, and guilt, which seem to serve either a debilitating or a motivating role in multicultural attitude development. Self-compassion, which is the ability to process distressing emotions without resorting to avoidance of the emotional experience, may help White individuals work through strong negative affect that accompanies an awareness of structural racism and ultimately aid in the development of multicultural attitudes. This hypothesized model of moderated mediation was tested using a sample of White adults (N = 240; 70.8% women, 26.3% men, 2.9% gender-expansive) who completed an online survey. Awareness of structural racism had a larger positive relationship with White guilt in individuals who endorsed lower levels of self-compassion. For individuals with high levels of self-compassion, more awareness of structural racism was associated with more fear, which in turn was associated with lower multicultural attitudes. For individuals with low levels of self-compassion, more awareness of structural racism was associated with less fear, which in turn was associated with more multicultural attitudes. Contrary to the theoretical model, the indirect effect of awareness of structural racism on multicultural attitudes through White guilt was not moderated by self-compassion. Implications and recommendations for research and practice in the field of counseling psychology are discussed.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), as defined by the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000), is a multifaceted mental illness characterized by pervasive instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, affect and behavior. Despite a growing consensus that the etiological basis of BPD stems from a combination of biological vulnerability and an early developmental history characterized by invalidation, abuse and/or neglect (e.g., Clarkin, Marziali, & Munroe-Blum, 1991; Linehan, 1993), the reasons for the diversity of troubling symptoms (e.g., self-injury, suicidality, mood reactivity, relationship difficulties) remain unclear. Psychopathology theorists differ in their conceptualization of the fundamental problems (e.g., impulsivity vs. identity disturbance vs. emotion dysregulation) underlying BPD and further research is needed to clarify which features are central to the maintenance of the difficulties associated with the disorder. In the current research, the some of the tenets of Linehan’s (1993) biosocial theory of BPD and the core constructs implicated in her conceptualization of the disorder were explored empirically in several samples of undergraduate university students. According to the biosocial theory, difficulties regulating emotions represent the core pathology in the disorder and contribute causally to the development and expression of all other BPD features. The emotional dysregulation is proposed to emerge from transactional interactions between individuals with biological vulnerabilities (i.e., a highly arousable temperament, sensitive to both positive and negative emotional stimuli) and specific environmental influences (i.e., a childhood environment that invalidates their emotional experience). The theory asserts that the dysregulation affects all aspects of emotional responding, resulting in (i) heightened emotional sensitivity, (ii) intense and more frequent responses to emotional stimuli, and (iii) slow return to emotional baseline. Furthermore, Linehan proposed that individuals with BPD lack clarity with respect to their emotions, have difficulties tolerating intense affect, and engage in maladaptive and inadequate emotion modulation strategies. As a result of their dysfunctional response patterns during emotionally challenging events , individuals with BPD fail to learn how to solve the problems contributing to these emotional reactions. In accordance with this theory, a number of hypotheses were tested. First, it was hypothesized that the interaction between temperamental sensitivity and an adverse childhood environment would predict BPD features over and above that predicted by either construct independently. Second, it was hypothesized that BPD traits would be predicted by high levels of emotional dysregulation (affect lability), problems across different aspects of emotional experience (e.g., intensity, awareness, clarity), and deficits in emotion regulation skills (e.g., poor distress tolerance, self-soothing). Based on the initial findings of the research, a series of competing hypotheses were tested that addressed the nature of the emotional, cognitive and motivational mechanisms that may underlie maladaptive behavior in BPD more directly. Prior to testing these hypotheses, it was important to select a set of measures that would best represent these constructs within an undergraduate population. The purpose of Studies 1a and 1b (N = 147 and N = 56, respectively) was to determine the reliability and validity of a series of self-report measures that assess BPD features and to select one questionnaire with high sensitivity (percentage of cases correctly identified) and high specificity (percentage of noncases correctly identified) as a screener for BPD within undergraduate students by comparing the results of the questionnaires against a “gold standard” criterion diagnosis of BPD (as assessed by two semi-structured interviews: DIB-R and IPDE-I). The second goal of these studies was to conduct a preliminary exploratory analysis of the association of scores on the BPD measures and constructs that have been hypothesized to be relevant to the development and maintenance of BPD symptoms (e.g., “Big Five” personality factors, emotional experience, impulsivity). Overall, the findings of Studies 1a and 1b indicated that screening for BPD in an undergraduate population is feasible and there are several questionnaires that may help in the identification of participants for future studies. Specifically, the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD; Zanarini et al., 2003), International Personality Disorder Examination DSM-IV Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-S; Loranger, 1999) and Borderline Personality Questionnaire (BPQ; Poreh et al., 2006) were all found to be internally consistent and valid screening measures. Furthermore, the results of correlation and regression analyses between dimensions of the “Big Five” and scores on the BPD measures were consistent with previous findings in the literature that BPD is associated with higher scores on neuroticism, lower scores on agreeableness, and to a lesser degree, lower scores on conscientiousness and extraversion. The similarity in results between the current and past studies suggested that individuals in the present samples showed characteristics consistent with that seen in both clinical and nonclinical populations with BPD traits. The results also provided support for the notion that individuals with BPD have a lower threshold (i.e., greater sensitivity) for both sensory and affective stimuli, as well as higher amplitude of emotional response (i.e., greater reactivity) to such stimuli. Furthermore, the findings suggested that those with BPD traits may lack understanding of their emotional state, may be unable to effectively regulate their emotional state, and that their impulsive behavior may be driven by negative affect. The purpose of Study 2 (N = 225) was to test some of the specific tenets of Linehan’s (1993) biosocial theory. The results suggested that BPD traits are associated with numerous dimensions of temperament [e.g., higher levels of negative affect; lower levels of positive affect; lower levels of effortful control; low sensory threshold (i.e., greater sensitivity) for both sensory and affective stimuli; ease of excitation (i.e., greater reactivity to sensory and affective stimuli)] and childhood environment (e.g., authoritarian parenting style, invalidating parenting, neglect, abuse). An examination of the interactions between dimensions of temperament and childhood environment suggested that interactions between (i) ease of excitation (greater reactivity to sensory and affective stimuli) and environment and (ii) trait negative affect and environment, predicted BPD symptoms over and above the temperament and environment variables alone. The results also suggested that a number of other factors are associated with BPD symptoms, including: increased attention to (or absorption in) emotional states, poor emotional clarity, affect lability (particularly anger), poor distress tolerance, and negative urgency (impulsive behavior in the context of negative affect). The association between BPD symptoms and difficulties identifying feelings seemed to be mediated by affect lability and negative urgency. Self-soothing and self-attacking did not predict BPD traits over and above the other variables. Wagner and Linehan (1999) also proposed that the intense emotions (and emotional dysregulation) experienced by those with BPD interferes with cognitive functioning and effective problem solving, resulting in poor decisions and the observed harmful behaviors. Other researchers have suggested that the repetitive, self-damaging behavior occurring in the context of BPD may reflect impairments in planning and failure to consider future consequences (e.g., van Reekum et al., 1994). Proponents of this view suggest that individuals with BPD show greater intensity and lability in their emotional response to their environment because they are unable to inhibit or moderate their emotional urges (i.e., impulsivity is at the core of the disorder). The purpose of Study 3 (N = 220) was to characterize decision making in an undergraduate sample of individuals with BPD traits and to ascertain the relative contribution of individual differences in the following areas to any deficits identified in decision making: emotional experience (e.g., increased affective reactivity or lability); reinforcement sensitivity (e.g., sensitivity to reward and/or punishment); impulsivity; executive functioning (measured by an analogue version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test); and reversal learning. Decision making was assessed using modified versions of two Iowa Gambling Tasks (IGT-ABCD and IGT-EFGH; Bechara, Damasio, Damasio, & Anderson, 1994; Bechara, Tranel, & Damasio, 2000) that included reversal learning components (i.e., Turnbull et al., 2006). The results of Study 3 showed that participants in the BPD group demonstrated deficits in decision-making as measured by the IGT-ABCD but not on the IGT-EFGH. The results [interpreted in the context of reinforcement sensitivity models, the somatic marker hypothesis (Damasio, 1994) and the “frequency of gain” model e.g., Chiu et al. 2008)] suggested that decision making under uncertainty may be guided by gain-loss frequency rather than long-term outcome for individuals with BPD traits. The results failed to show consistent associations between BPD symptoms and performance on either version of the IGT. Individual differences in emotional experience, executive functioning or reversal learning did not account for the decision-making problems of the BPD group on the IGT-ABCD.

The concept of self-compassion has been gathering interest for researchers in recent years, as it appears to offer an array of benefits to wellbeing. This study investigated the potential role of self-compassion as a protective factor against disordered eating behaviors. It also examined the mediating roles of three potential variables: body dissatisfaction, perfectionism and contingent self-worth. Given modern representations of the female ideal, failure to achieve or adequately conform to such standards often poses psychological challenges for women and girls. Self-compassion encompasses kind, mindful self-treatment and may be an ideal protective factor against disordered eating. It has also been linked with lower body dissatisfaction, maladaptive perfectionism, and contingent self-worth. The present study found that dissatisfaction with one’s body, as well as a tendency to judge one’s personal worth based on appearance fully mediated the relationship between self-compassion and both restrained and emotional disordered eating respectively. Therefore, a self-compassionate attitude may serve as a protective factor against engaging in disordered eating vis-à-vis strengthening young women’s abilities to look at their bodies in a more compassionate and unconditionally accepting way. / text