Self-compassion decreases acceptance of own immoral behaviors

Article history: Received 27 April 2016 Received in revised form 10 October 2016 Accepted 17 October 2016 Available online xxxx Self-compassion, which is a kind attitude toward oneself, has been well documented to promote psychological health. This research extended the literature by examining how self-compassion would predict the acceptance of one's own immoral behavior. Study 1 recruited participants in China, measured their trait self-compassion, and instructed them to judge hypothetical moral transgressions. Study 2 recruited participants in the United States, manipulated state self-compassion, and measured judgments on real immoral behaviors. Two studies, with samples from different cultures, consistently revealed that higher self-compassionate people accepted their ownmoral transgressions less. These findings not only enrich the literature about how self-compassionate individuals react to their own moral violations but also link self-compassion to moral behaviors and concerns. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.