IMPERFECTIONS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING: THE ROLE OF SELF-COMPASSION CREATIVE MEDITATION ON RECONVERTING THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF PERFECTIONISM
Ileana Loredana Vitalia
CURRENT TRENDS IN NATURAL SCIENCES December 31, 2025 DOI: 10.47068/ctns.2025.v14i28.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Loving-kindness and self-compassion creative meditation mindfulness drawing |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Each of the three perfectionism types showed significant negative correlations with self-kindness. After a humanistic-experiential exercise combining loving-kindness and self-compassion creative meditation, mindfulness, and drawing, paired-samples t-tests showed significant differences in self-critical perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and general perfectionism scores. The authors argue the exercise helped participants access warmth, compassion, and self-acceptance. |
Abstract
The present study explores the dynamic interactions between the three dimensions of perfectionism (rigid perfectionism, self-critical perfectionism and narcissistic perfectionism) and the components of self-compassion (self-kindness, self-judgement, common humanity, mindfulness, overidentification and isolation). The main objective was to identify the most significant correlations between perfectionism and self-compassion. Results indicated significant negative correlations between each of the three types of perfectionism and self-kindness. These results were further applied in a quasi-experiment focused on highlighting the effectiveness of a humanistic-experiential exercise that combined multiple expressive-creative techniques (loving-kindness and self-compassion creative meditation, mindfulness and drawing) in diminishing the negative aspects of perfectionism. Paired Samples T test analyses showed significant differences regarding self-critical perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism and general perfectionism score after the experiment. Being able to self-center in a gentle, supportive and understanding manner gave the participants the context to access the personal resources of warmth and compassion and to enhance the capacity of self-acceptance.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |