- Compassion
- The awareness of another's suffering combined with the wish and motivation to alleviate it. Distinguished from empathy in that compassion does not require sharing the other's emotional state — it requires caring about it. More action-oriented and more sustainable than affective empathy alone.
- Self-compassion
- Neff's construct referring to treating oneself with the same kindness, understanding, and care one would extend to a good friend in times of difficulty. Comprises three components: self-kindness (vs. self-judgement), common humanity (vs. isolation), and mindfulness (vs. over-identification). Distinguished from self-esteem in that it does not require positive self-evaluation.
- Common humanity
- One of Neff's three self-compassion components: the recognition that suffering, failure, and imperfection are part of the shared human experience rather than signs of personal inadequacy. Counters the tendency toward isolation and shame that often accompanies difficult experiences.
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
- A psychological therapy developed by Paul Gilbert for people who experience high levels of shame and self-criticism, often as a result of early adversity. CFT uses psychoeducation about three-systems model (threat, drive, and soothing/affiliative systems) and compassion-based practices (imagery, breathing, compassionate self) to develop the soothing system.
- Compassion fatigue vs. compassion
- Paradoxically, "compassion fatigue" is better described as empathy fatigue — it is the result of over-identification with and absorption of another's suffering. True compassion, because it involves caring about suffering rather than feeling it, is more sustainable. Research by Olga Klimecki and colleagues shows that compassion training — focused on loving-kindness — increases positive affect and approach motivation in the face of others' suffering, unlike empathy training which increased distress.