Caring for yourself, caring for nature: a pro-environmental mechanism of self-compassion and intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Self-compassion can enhance an individual's willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior, but its underlying mechanisms have been limitedly explored. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of self-compassion on pro-environmental behavior and the underlying psychological mechanisms using correlational study and experimental intervention. METHODS: Study 1 utilized self-compassion scale, materialism scale, and pro-environmental behavior scale to conduct a correlational study among 712 middle school students, preliminarily exploring the interrelationships among these three constructs. Study 2 randomly assigned participants to an intervention group and a control group, employing an intervention study method to intervene in the participants' self-compassion over a period of 7 days, to investigate the causal relationship between self-compassion, materialism and pro-environmental behavior. RESULTS: The results of study 1 revealed that self-compassion, materialism, and pro-environmental behavior were significantly and positively interrelated; self-compassion significantly and positively predicted pro-environmental behavior; and materialism mediated the relationship between self-compassion and pro-environmental behavior. Study 2 found that as the level of self compassion increasesed, the level of materialism among participants decreased and their willingness to participate in pro-environmental behavior significantly increases. CONCLUSION: This study examines the potential benefits of self-compassion in promoting pro-environmental behavior and explores its underlying psychological mechanisms, which may offer insights into the social implications of self-compassion.