The Compassion Chronicles

From anger to compassion and forgiveness.

Beverly Engel has been a psychotherapist for over 30 years and is the author of 20 books, many of which have been bestsellers. See full bio

August 24, 2008

The Expectation that Women Be Compassionate

The question was asked whether women in other countries are also "empathy sick." Read More

July 26, 2008

Are Women Too Compassionate for Their Own Good?

Most people consider females to be more compassionate than males. But is this always a good thing? Females are hard-wired to be compassionate and patient and to value connection over confrontation. This is partly because we are biologically programmed to be caretakers. Nature has an investment in women being unselfish when it comes to their children-otherwise, children would be left to their own devices and would starve or go unprotected and be killed. Add to this the fact that women are socialized from early childhood to put other people first and to sacrifice for the people they care about, and we find that it is not uncommon for women to put other people's feelings and needs ahead of their own. But unfortunately, often women are too compassionate for their own good.

May 23, 2008

Quieting Your Inner Critic Through Self-Compassion

Are you being controlled by your inner critic? Read More

April 29, 2008

What Is Compassion and How Can It Improve My Life?

The definition of compassion is the ability to understand the emotional state of another person or oneself. Read More

March 20, 2008

To Forgive or Not Forgive: That is the Question

"I get so tired of people saying that you should forgive. What if you can't? Does that make you less of a person?" As a psychotherapist with over 30 years experience I hear comments like this all the time. Read More

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