Selbstmitgefühl

Selbstmitgefühl is the German edition of Kristin Neff's "Self-Compassion," in which the psychologist lays out the research program she pioneered around treating oneself with the same kindness normally reserved for others.

Neff argues that the culture's emphasis on self-esteem — built on comparison and achievement — sets people up for a fragile sense of self-worth that collapses under failure. She proposes self-compassion, built from three components — self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindful awareness of one's own suffering — as a sturdier foundation, and walks through exercises readers can use to build it.

Drawing on both academic research and personal experience, including raising an autistic son, the book blends scientific grounding with a practical, exercise-based approach to changing how readers relate to their own struggles.