Table 3.
Results of principal component analysis (oblimin rotation), extracting 5 factors from the different compassion questionnaires
| Original scale and item number | Item | Empathy | Indifference | Common humanity | Recognizing suffering | Willingness to act |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLH15 | If a person (a stranger) is troubled, I usually feel extreme tenderness and caring | 0.84 | ||||
| CLH12 | I often have tender feelings toward people (strangers) when they seem to be in need | 0.82 | ||||
| CLH9 | I tend to feel compassion for people even though I do not know them | 0.82 | ||||
| CLH6 | I feel considerable compassionate love for people from everywhere | 0.76 | ||||
| CLH13 | I feel a selfless caring for most of mankind | 0.76 | ||||
| CLH11 | I would rather engage in actions that help others, even though they are strangers, than engage in actions that would help me | 0.75 | ||||
| CLH10 | One of the activities that provides me with the most meaning to my life is helping others in the world who need help | 0.74 | ||||
| CLH17 | I try to put myself in a stranger’s shoes when he or she is in trouble | 0.70 | ||||
| CLH20 | I want to spend time with people I don’t know well so that I can help enrich their lives | 0.70 | ||||
| CLH5 | If I encounter a stranger who needs help, I would do almost anything I could to help him or her | 0.69 | ||||
| CLH14 | I accept others whom I do not know even when they do things I think are wrong | 0.67 | ||||
| CLH3 | When I hear about someone (a stranger) going through a difficult time, I feel a great deal of compassion for him or her | 0.66 | ||||
| CLH18 | I feel happy when I see that others (strangers) are happy | 0.65 | ||||
| CLH4 | It is easy for me to feel the pain (and joy) experienced by others, even though I do not know them | 0.63 | ||||
| CLH2 | When I see people I do not know feeling sad, I feel a need to reach out to them | 0.61 | ||||
| CLH8 | If given the opportunity, I am willing to sacrifice in order to let the people from other places who are less fortunate achieve their goals | 0.59 | ||||
| CLH7 | I would rather suffer myself than see someone else (a stranger) suffer | 0.58 | ||||
| CLH1 | When I see people I do not know feeling sad, I feel a need to reach out to them | 0.55 | ||||
| CLH16 | I try to understand rather than judge people who are strangers to me | 0.53 | ||||
| CLH19 | Those whom I encounter through work and public life can assume that I will be there for them if they need me | 0.43 | ||||
| CS-P3 | I am unconcerned with other people’s problems | 0.73 | ||||
| CS-P7 | I think little about the concerns of others | 0.69 | ||||
| RCS3 | I find it hard to understand other peoples' problems | 0.62 | ||||
| CS-P15 | I can’t really connect with other people when they’re suffering | 0.61 | ||||
| CS-P11 | I try to avoid people who are experiencing a lot of pain | 0.60 | ||||
| RCS4 | I don't know what to do when other people are distressed | 0.52 | ||||
| CS-P1 | I pay careful attention when other people talk to me about their troubles | − 0.50 | ||||
| CS-P9 | I listen patiently when people tell me their problems | − 0.50 | ||||
| CS-P14 | When others feel sadness, I try to comfort them | − 0.50 | ||||
| SOCS-O9 | I stay with and listen to other people when they’re upset even if it’s hard to bear | − 0.49 | ||||
| CS-P2 | If I see someone going through a difficult time, I try to be caring toward that person | − 0.48 | ||||
| RCS1 | I like to listen to other peoples' experiences | − 0.43 | ||||
| SOCS-O8 | When I hear about bad things happening to other people, I feel concern for their wellbeing | − 0.43 | ||||
| SOCS-O4 | When someone else is upset, I try to stay open to their feelings rather than avoid them | − 0.42 | ||||
| CS-P6 | I like to be there for others in times of difficulty | − 0.40 | ||||
| SOCS-O2 | I understand that everyone experiences suffering at some point in their lives | 0.82 | ||||
| SOCS-O7 | I understand that feeling upset at times is part of human nature | 0.82 | ||||
| SOCS-O12 | Like me, I know that other people also experience struggles in life | 0.77 | ||||
| CS-P4 | I realize everyone feels down sometimes, it is part of being human | 0.70 | ||||
| SOCS-O17 | I know that we can all feel upset at times when we are wronged | 0.70 | ||||
| CS-P16 | Despite my differences with others, I know that everyone feels pain just like me | 0.60 | ||||
| CS-P8 | I feel it’s important to recognize that all people have weaknesses and no one’s perfect | 0.59 | ||||
| CS-P12 | I feel that suffering is just a part of the common human experience | 0.58 | ||||
| CS-P13 | When people tell me about their problems, I try to keep a balanced perspective on the situation | 0.48 | ||||
| SOCS-O3 | When someone is going through a difficult time, I feel kindly towards them | 0.42 | ||||
| SOCS-O11 | I’m quick to notice early signs of distress in others | 0.85 | ||||
| SOCS-O6 | I notice when others are feeling distressed | 0.84 | ||||
| SOCS-O1 | I recognize when other people are feeling distressed without them having to tell me | 0.82 | ||||
| SOCS-O16 | I recognize signs of suffering in others | 0.79 | ||||
| CS-P5 | I notice when people are upset, even if they don’t say anything | 0.70 | ||||
| CS-M3 | How much of your future savings would you give away now to help a stranger in need of financial help? | 0.64 | ||||
| CS-M5 | How much of your personal space would you share with a friend? | 0.63 | ||||
| CS-M6 | How much of your personal space would you share with a stranger that poses no threat to you? | 0.60 | ||||
| CS-M4 | How much of your free time would you spend to do work for a stranger that needs your skills but cannot afford to pay you? | 0.57 | ||||
| CS-M8 | How many times would you do the right thing if it puts your family at risk? | 0.54 | ||||
| CS-M1 | How much of your future savings would you give away now to help a friend in need of financial help? | 0.53 | ||||
| CS-M10 | How many times would you allow others the pleasure of something that causes you pain? | 0.52 | ||||
| CS-M7 | How many times would you do the right thing if it puts your friends at risk? | 0.49 | ||||
| CS-M2 | How much of your future savings would you give away now to help a stranger in need of financial help? | 0.48 |
n = 407. CLH = Compassionate Love for Humanity; CS-M = Compassion Scale (Martin); CS-P = Compassion Scale (Pommier); RCS = Relational Compassion Scale; SOCS-O = Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale. Items not included in the Table had factor loadings below 0.40