University of Twente Student Theses
The Fluctuation of Self-kindness in Flourishing and Non-Flourishing University Students
Schulze, Celina (2023) The Fluctuation of Self-kindness in Flourishing and Non-Flourishing University Students.
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| Abstract: | Self-kindness, as part of self-compassion, has the potential to give meaningful insights into the functioning of well-being as it has been found to have several health-related benefits, especially for university students who often experience higher amounts of stress and mental health problems than the general population. However, less is known about the fluctuation of self-kindness in flourishing and non-flourishing individuals. It was hypothesised that self-kindness fluctuates less over time for flourishers compared to non-flourishers as flourishers tend to react with less distress to stressful life events. In the current study, the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) was used for measuring self-kindness three times daily over a period of seven days. The sample consisted of 18 university students aged between 20 and 26, with the majority (66.7%) being female. Consistent with previous literature, self-kindness and flourishing was found to be positively correlated at baseline, indicating that flourishing individuals have higher levels of self-kindness than non-flourishing individuals. Results of a Linear Mixed Model analysis showed self-kindness fluctuating over time, with more variability within than between persons. Irrespective of the flourishing status, self-kindness was observed to be significantly lower in the morning compared to other times of the day. Additionally, flourishers reported significantly higher scores of self-kindness in the evening than non-flourishers. Findings highlight the importance of taking time of the day into account when examining self-kindness and suggest the influence of other factors on self-kindness. Overall, the study gives insight into the dynamic nature of self-kindness. However, the study was limited in several ways and the results need to be interpreted with caution. Future research should strive for a larger sample size to ensure greater statistical power. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/95319 |
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