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Resumen El presente estudio explora la relación entre autocompasión e imagen corporal a partir de las vivencias y los significados reportados por mujeres chilenas. Se exploró mediante una metodología cualitativa, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a ocho mujeres normopeso entre 20 y 30 años de Chile. Los datos fueron analizados en base a la perspectiva de la teoría fundamentada. Tras el análisis descriptivo se dio cuenta de los siguientes fenómenos: (1) la apreciación corporal depende de la complexión física, la que es variable; (2) las mujeres presentan dificultad para relacionarse amablemente con su cuerpo; (3) cuando se conocen, quieren y aceptan son más autocompasivas con su cuerpo; y (4) llevar una vida saludable ayuda a tener una mayor autocompasión. A pesar de que a las mujeres les resulta fácil reconocer la insatisfacción corporal, se les hace especialmente difícil aliviarla de manera amable. Una forma de lograr aliviar más autocompasivamente es aumentando el autoconocimiento, la aceptación, el amor, la confianza y la seguridad en sí mismas; como una forma de protegerse ante las exigencias impuestas.
Abstract Several studies show the relationship between self-compassion and body image in women, showing that the increase in self-compassion contributes to a healthier body image, therefore, it is relevant to investigate in depth the experiences and meanings associated with this relationship, considering that Body image is influenced by different sociocultural and cognitive factors. From a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight normal-weight women between 20 and 30 years of age in Chile. The data was analyzed based on the perspective of the Grounded Theory. The following results were reported in the analysis: (1) body appreciation depends on the body shape which is variable, (2) women have difficulty in relating kindly to their body, (3) when they know, love and accept themselves they are more self-compassionate with their body, and (4) leading a healthy life helps them to have more self-compassion. Although it is easy for women to recognize body dissatisfaction, it is especially difficult to alleviate it in a kind manner. One way to achieve better self-compassion is to increase self-awareness, acceptance, love, and self-confidence; to protect them self from imposed demands.
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Introduction: Traditionally, empathy has been studied from two main perspectives: the theory-theory approach and the simulation theory approach. These theories claim that social emotions are fundamentally constituted by mind states in the brain. In contrast, classical phenomenology and recent research based on the enactive theories consider empathy as the basic process of contacting others' emotional experiences through direct bodily perception and sensation. Objective: This study aims to enrich the knowledge of the empathic experience of pain using an experimental phenomenological method. Materials and methods: Implementing an experimental paradigm used in affective neuroscience, we exposed 28 healthy adults to a video of sportspersons suffering physical accidents while practicing extreme sports. Immediately after watching the video, each participant underwent a phenomenological interview to gather data on embodied, multi-layered dimensions (bodily sensations, emotions, and motivations) and temporal aspects of empathic experience. We also performed quantitative analyses of the phenomenological categories. Results: Experiential access to the other person's painful experience involves four main themes. Bodily resonance: participants felt a multiplicity of bodily, affective, and kinesthetic sensations in coordination with the sportsperson's bodily actions. Attentional focus: some participants centered their attention more on their own personal discomfort and sensations of rejection, while others on the pain and suffering experienced by the sportspersons. Kinesthetic motivation: some participants experienced the feeling in their bodies to avoid or escape from watching the video, while others experienced the need to help the sportspersons avoid suffering any injury while practicing extreme sports. The temporality of experience: participants witnessed temporal fluctuations in their experiences, bringing intensity changes in their bodily resonance, attentional focus, and kinesthetic motivation. Finally, two experiential structures were found: one structure is self-centered empathic experience, characterized by bodily resonance, attentional focus centered on the participant's own experience of seeing the sportsperson suffering, and self-protective kinesthetic motivation; the other structure is other-centered empathic experience, characterized by bodily resonance, attentional focus centered on the sportsperson, and prosocial kinesthetic motivation to help them. Discussion: We show how phenomenological data may contribute to comprehending empathy for pain in social neuroscience. In addition, we address the phenomenological aspect of the enactive approach to the three dimensions of an embodiment of human consciousness, especially the intersubjective dimension. Also, based on our results, we suggest an extension of the enactive theory of non-interactive social experience.
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Gratitude and life satisfaction are associated with several indicators of a good life (e.g., health, pro-social behavior, and relationships). However, how gratitude and life satisfaction relate to each other over time has remained unknown until now. Although a substantial body of research has tested the link from gratitude to life satisfaction, the reverse association remains unexplored. In addition, recent cross-cultural research has questioned the link between gratitude and subjective well-being in non-Western countries, suggesting that the benefits of gratitude may only prevail in Western societies. However, previous cross-cultural studies have only compared western (e.g., American) and eastern (e.g., Asian) cultures, but this simple contrast does not adequately capture the diversity in the world. To guide further theory and practice, we therefore extended previous cross-sectional and experimental studies, by testing the bi-directional longitudinal link between gratitude and life satisfaction in a Latin American context, aiming to establish temporal precedence. We assessed two adult samples from Chile, using three-wave cross-lagged panel designs with 1 month (Study 1, N = 725) and 3 months (Study 2, N = 1,841) between waves. Both studies show, for the first time, that gratitude and life satisfaction mutually predict each other over time. The reciprocal relationships suggest the existence of a virtuous circle of human well-being: higher levels of gratitude increase life satisfaction, which in turn increases gratitude, leading to a positive spiral. Key theoretical and practical implications for the dynamics of human flourishing and field of positive psychology are discussed.
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BACKGROUND: Recent studies have associated positive emotions with several variables such as learning, coping strategies or assertive behaviour. The concept of gratitude has been specifically defined as a tendency to recognise and respond to people or situations with grateful emotion. Unfortunately in Latin America, no validated measures of gratitude on different populations are available. The aim of this study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6) in two Chilean samples. METHODS: Two studies were conducted: the first with 668 high school adolescents (390 women and 278 men, with ages ranging between 12 and 20, and a mean age 15.54 ± 1.22) and the second with 331 adults (231 women and 100 men, with an average age of 37.59 ± 12.6). An analysis of the psychometric properties of the GQ-6 scale to determine the validity and reliability of the instrument in Chilean adolescents and adults was performed. Bivariate correlations, multiple regression analyses, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Monte Carlo simulations were carried out. Finally, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed. RESULTS: A single-factor solution was found in both studies, a 5 item version for the adolescents and 6 items for adults. This factorial solution was invariant across genders. Reliability of the GQ was adequate in both samples (using Cronbach's alpha coefficient). In addition convergent and discriminate validity were assessed. Additionally, a negative correlation between the GQ-5 and depression in adolescents and a positive correlation between the GQ-6 and happiness in adults was found. CONCLUSIONS: The GQ is a suitable measure for evaluating a person's disposition toward gratitude in Chilean adolescents and adults. This instrument may contribute to the advancement of the study of positive emotions in Latin America.