ABSTRACT
In the past decade, there has been a surge in research exploring what is termed “prosocial psychology.” This term covers a wide range of actions that are meant to benefit one or more people other than oneself, including behaviors such as helping, comforting and demonstrating kindness and cooperation. Included in the interest of prosocial psychology is the study of compassion, which is defined as the awareness and sensitivity to the suffering of self and others, with a commitment to try to alleviate or prevent it. Recent research suggests that compassion might be a source of hardiness, resilience and well-being. This research also points to a relationship between compassion and resilience, with resilience being described as the ability to recover from the ups and downs that life presents and to be able to have increased hope, reduced stress, greater spirituality and more positivity in the face of the challenges of life. The construct of compassion expands upon the individualistic orientation of positive psychology, with applications and implications for not just the individual but also the community and governance levels.
