The Lived Experience of Self-Compassion in Social Workers

173 Pages·2012·1.27 MB·English

by  Anne Carter

The Lived Experience of Self-Compassion in Social Workers

A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
BY

Susan Rickers

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Dr. Jeffrey Edleson

July 2012
© Susan Rickers 2012
Acknowledgements

This dissertation represents countless hours of conversations with colleagues,
social workers, faculty, and friends, classroom learning, and perseverance. I am forever
grateful to everyone who has had a hand in this process whether it was sharing your
presence with me in this process, a conversation that furthered my thinking, or a key
element of my research and writing.
This dissertation would not be possible without the 10 social workers who were
willing to share their time and stories about self-compassion with me. I am grateful to
them and inspired by their stories and the work that they do.
I would also like to thank and acknowledge the faculty and staff who assisted me
on this journey. To my adviser, Jeff Edleson, I thank you for your ongoing support and
guidance. To Miriam Cameron, what an amazing door I opened when I walked into your
Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing of Yoga course in 2009. Thank you for your wisdom,
guidance, and presence throughout this process. To Helen Kivnick thank you for your
mentorship as a qualitative researcher and the many conversations that enhanced this
dissertation. To Peter Dimock, thank you for bringing your experience as a social worker
with an interest in mindfulness to my committee. I would like to say a special thank you
to Jan Goodno. Your guidance and support were ever present and invaluable. Thank you
for the “Loads of Hope”, both literally and figuratively.
Thank you to the members of my cohort: Ericka, Jae Ran, Jay, Kofi, Seok Won,
and Shweta. Support presents itself in many ways; good food, laughter, a tear or two, a
writing session. I would not have wanted to undertake this process without you.
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Last, but certainly not least, I thank my family for their unending support. You
have always encouraged me in whatever adventure I’ve chosen to undertake. Thank you
for instilling in me a love of learning and the opportunity to pursue my goals.
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Dedication

This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, who inspire me to lovingly be the
best I can be, and to the research participants. I embarked on this research project with
the intention of contributing to the field of social work. The participants I met and the
gifts of their stories have had a lasting impact on me. May the voice they give to their
experiences be an opportunity for all of us to learn from their wisdom. To my parents
and to the research participants, I say, Namaste; the light in me honors the light in you.
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Abstract
Social workers often face challenging work situations. The result of these
situations can be stress, burnout, and secondary trauma. Though social workers are
known for having compassion for others, the concept of self-compassion, having
compassion for oneself, is relatively new and understudied. The purpose of this study
was to develop and advance an understanding of the lived experience of self-compassion
among social workers. The study was guided by one research question: What is the
lived experience of self-compassion in social workers who have completed Mindfulness
Based Stress Reduction, a program on developing mindfulness? The conceptual
framework and methodology are grounded in phenomenology. This dissertation is
important as it provides critical knowledge about self-compassion for social workers,
other helping professionals, and lay people living in a stressful world.
Participants in this study included 10 social workers who have completed
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program on mindfulness that also
incorporates learning about self-compassion. The social workers represented a variety of
practice experiences including: county human service work, private practice, non-profit
work, school social work, hospital social work, nursing home social work, and crisis
work. The participants had between five and 30+ years of experience as social workers.
During an in-depth interview, each participant responded to the primary interview
prompt: Please think about and describe a specific instance or situation in your social
work practice when you experienced self-compassion. A thematic analysis of individual
interviews was completed and validated by each study participant. Analysis across
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interviews revealed four distinct themes. First, the participants described the nature of
self-compassion, emphasizing five elements. Second, participants described the value of
self-compassion in stressful work situations. Third, the participants described self-
compassion as a “conduit” of healing for others. Fourth, the participants described self-
compassion as a life long journey. In a fifth finding, not shared by all participants,
inclusion of self-compassion into the social work education curriculum and continuing
education was advocated.
This research leads to an understanding of what self-compassion is as well as
what it means for practicing social workers. Implications of this study are relevant to
social work practice, education, and research.

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Table of Contents
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ i
DEDICATION ......................................................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... vi
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. xiii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ xiv
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW ............................................... 1
Synopsis of the Study ..................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement ............................................................................. 2

Purpose of the Study ........................................................................... 4

Need for the Study .............................................................................. 5

Phenomenology and Method of Inquiry .............................................. 5
My Experience as a Social Worker ................................................................. 7
Arriving at a Research Question ................................................................... 10
Arriving at a Phenomenological Dissertation ................................................ 11
Overview of the Dissertation ........................................................................ 13
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 16
What Is Compassion? ................................................................................... 16
Tibetan Buddhist Compassion .......................................................... 17
Caring Theory .................................................................................. 18
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Summary of Compassion .................................................................. 19
A Framework of Self-Compassion ............................................................... 21
Self-Compassion: A Definition ........................................................ 22
Self-Compassion as a Distinct Concept ............................................. 25
The Self-Compassion Scale .............................................................. 27
Current Research Based on Neff’s Conceptualization of Self-Compassion ... 29
Self-Compassion and Mental Health and Well-Being ....................... 29
Self-Compassion among Helping Professionals ................................ 31
Individual Variation in Self-Compassion .......................................... 33
Summary ..................................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER 3. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................... 37
Research Question ....................................................................................... 37
Phenomenology ........................................................................................... 38
Phenomenology as Qualitative Research ........................................... 38
Defining Phenomenology ................................................................. 39
Descriptive Phenomenology ............................................................. 40
Hermeneutic Phenomenology ........................................................... 42
Philosophical Assumptions of this Study .......................................... 44
Strengths and Limitations of the Study as Designed ..................................... 45
Summary ..................................................................................................... 47
CHAPTER 4. METHOD OF INQUIRY ................................................................. 48
Preparatory Work ......................................................................................... 49
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Participants .................................................................................................. 50
Interviews .................................................................................................... 54
Field Notes................................................................................................... 56
Data Analysis and Validation ....................................................................... 56
Thematic Analysis ............................................................................ 56
Contextualization.............................................................................. 57
Six Steps of Data Analysis and Validation ........................................ 57
Transcription ......................................................................... 58
Analysis of Individual Interviews .......................................... 58
Participant Validation of Initial Interview Analysis ............... 61
Analysis across Interviews .................................................... 62
Validation of Findings by Dissertation Committee
Members ............................................................................... 63
Validation of Findings by Participants................................... 64
My Experience with Self-Compassion and the Research Process .................. 64
Trustworthiness ............................................................................................ 66
Credibility ........................................................................................ 66
Triangulation ........................................................................ 66
Peer Debriefing ..................................................................... 67
Member Checks .................................................................... 67
Consistency ...................................................................................... 68
Neutrality ......................................................................................... 68
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