The role of relationships in the study of compassion: Connectedness and neediness predict compassion for others

While the majority of compassion research has been devoted to studying self-compassion, the literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of compassion to others, specifically how it relates to personality structure. Two-polarities model suggests that personality develops through the dialectical synergistic interaction of self-defining and relatedness tasks (Blatt and Luyten 2009). The present study was interested in examining the relationship between adaptive and maladaptive relatedness (e.g. connectedness and neediness) and compassion to others. Participants (N = 226) completed a series of self-report questionnaires online to assess connectedness, neediness, and compassion to others. Results showed that despite a strong correlation between connectedness and neediness, only connectedness was significantly associated with compassion to others. Additionally, connectedness and neediness were significant predictors of compassion to others. T<br>