A Gender Study on Self-Comparison, Self-Compassion and Self-Improvement Motivation among Young Adults

Abstract

Over the years, researchers have studied the effects of various motives that influence the behavior of an individual. The study aimed to investigate the correlation between the variables self-compassion, self-comparison and self-improvement motivation and their effect on young adults. A randomised sample of 60 young adults, 30 females and 30 males were administered three questionnaires measuring self-compassion, self-comparison, and error-oriented motivation. Correlation matrix showed a significant negative relationship (r= -0.269, p<0.05) between self-compassion and self-comparison. Similarly, a significant negative relationship (r= -0.507, p<0.001) was found between self-improvement motivation and self-compassion. There was evidence of a significant positive relationship (r=0.440, p<0.001) between self- improvement motivation and self-comparison. However, no significant differences were seen in the results between males and females. The present study revealed the various relationships between the variables and addressed the grounds regarding the non-significant gender difference. Recommendations and implications of the findings were also addressed.