Scientific background: Self-Compassion
About this test
The Self-Compassion Scale was developed in 2003 by Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin) and is the most widely used instrument in self-compassion research worldwide. Self-compassion comprises three complementary pairs of opposites: self-kindness versus self-judgment, experiencing common humanity versus isolation, and mindfulness versus over-identification with negative feelings. Studies consistently show good internal consistency across the six subscales, along with robust associations with lower depression and anxiety and higher well-being. The bands used here were derived from the means/standard deviations reported in the original study's Table 4 (Neff, 2003, N=391 U.S. college students): Self-Kindness M=3.05/SD=0.75, Self-Judgment M=3.14/SD=0.79, Common Humanity M=2.99/SD=0.79, Isolation M=3.01/SD=0.92, Mindfulness M=3.39/SD=0.76, Over-Identification M=3.05/SD=0.96 (each on the 5-point item scale). The "average" range corresponds roughly to one standard deviation around that mean for each subscale. Kristin Neff's own materials explicitly note that there are no official clinical norms for the SCS -- these bands are a reference point, not a diagnostic scheme.
Dimensions
Self-Kindness
Being understanding, warm, and supportive toward yourself instead of harshly judging yourself.
Self-Judgment
The tendency to be strict and intolerant toward yourself over your own mistakes and flaws.
Common Humanity
Seeing your own mistakes and struggles as part of the shared human experience.
Isolation
The tendency to feel cut off and alone with your own shortcomings.
Mindfulness
Meeting painful thoughts and feelings with balanced attention, instead of suppressing or exaggerating them.
Over-Identification
The tendency to get swept up in and lost in negative thoughts and feelings.
Sources & license
Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223–250.
Kristin Neff grants permission to use the Self-Compassion Scale "for any purpose whatsoever, including research, clinical work, teaching, etc." (documented in a signed letter on self-compassion.org), asking only that the original source be cited. Item wording, response-scale anchors, and the official scoring key were verified verbatim against self-compassion.org's own published materials.
https://self-compassion.org