Kirsten E. Klingle

Although recent research has pointed to the potential benefits of self-compassion for youth, relatively little is known about the perspectives and lived experience of adolescents as they extend compassion toward themselves. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain an in-depth understanding of self-compassion from the adolescent perspective. Six adolescents, who had experienced a variety of life difficulties, were interviewed about their experiences of self-compassion in the context of their daily lives. Data were analyzed for common themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The resulting themes included putting oneself at the center, maintaining a positive outlook, engaging in pleasurable activities, connecting positively with others, working on self-improvement, making oneself attractive to others, accepting oneself, and experiencing emotional balance. Findings from this study add to self-compassion research by bringing attention to the contextualized meaning and experiences of self-compassion from the adolescent perspective. Directions for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.

This paper is a short reflection on the nature of psychology as an interpretive practice by exploring the question: how, if at all, does interpretation apply to the field of psychology? This author presents the notion that interpretation is relational and that both client and therapist histories shape the individual’s ways of interpreting experience and prejudices that arise in therapeutic practice.