Compassionate Values as a Resource During the Transition to College: Quiet Ego, Compassionate Goals, and Self-Compassion

This study examined the unique contributions of compassion-related values and skills on stress and life satisfaction in two samples of first-year college students. Quiet ego, a measure of a compassionate self-identity, was associated with using relatively more compassionate interpersonal goals relative to selfimage goals. Self-compassion and, to a lesser extent, self-control showed similar patterns of relative goal use. We tested a path model of hypothesized relationships in Sample 1 and confirmed the model in Sample 2. Quiet ego characteristics were associated with greater life satisfaction. Furthermore, these relationships were at least partially mediated by the relationships between self-compassion, self-control, and perceived stress. Discussion focuses on the potential importance of studentfocused interventions that cultivate compassionate goals and a compassionate self-identity as a resource during the transition to college.