Exploring Muslim Students’ Conceptualization of Self Compassion While Attending a Christian University

Overview: This qualitative study highlighted the ways in which Muslim persons exhibited the process of self-compassion during their time in college. The data analysis focused on how the participants processed, constructed, and produced their personal meanings, norms, beliefs, and attitudes associated with self-compassion process through their personal narratives.Proposal text: Self-compassion “is an open-hearted way of relating to the negative aspects of oneself and one’s experience that enables greater emotional resilience and psychological well-being” (Neff, 2004, p. 28). Self-compassion helps to provide the emotional protection needed to see the self without fear of self-condemnation, allowing the individual to more accurately perceive and resolve patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Neff, 2003; Neff, 2008; Neff, 2009). The process of engaging in another religious context can cause significant shifts in a Muslim students’ sense of self as well as their worldview. Mezirow (1995) stated that a transformation like this “may involve a reassessment of one’s self-concept...is threatening, emotionally charged, and extremely difficult” (Mezirow, 1995, p. 48).
This qualitative study explored and investigated the research question: How Muslim students experience self-compassion as they attend a Christian University? In seeking to explore, describe, and analyze meanings surrounding the individuals’ lived experiences, a narrative analysis approach was used to help describe the “meaning and experience for those who frequently are socially marginalized or oppressed, as they construct stories (narratives) about their lives” (Marshall & Rossman, 2011, p. 22). Sixteen (16) persons agreed to participate in the study.
Christopher Germer’s (2009) five constructs of self-compassion (aversion, curiosity, tolerance, allowing, and friendship) were used as a foundation for viewing the coming out process and how these are shown/not shown in the coming out narratives for those who identify as LGB. Each of the five constructs of the self-compassion development process (aversion, curiosity, tolerance, allowing, and friendship) will be highlighted in the analysis of the participants’ narratives. This paper also looks through the lens of belonging for Muslim students’ at a Christian university. Belonging is conceptualized through peer relationships/interactions, faculty interactions, classroom experiences, and campus community.
This study determined to look at the how the process of self-compassion was seen in the coming out narratives of those who identify as Muslim students on a Christianc campus. In this one can understand the transitional process in involved to help people cope with the challenges that come from identifying differently from the status quo of Judeo-Christian beliefs and behaviors. Identity can be blurred where one knows they are moving beyond what they were, yet are still unclear as to the expectations about what it is they need to be. There was not an on-campus role model, there was not a template for understanding the impact of who they are and what it would look like to grow into their identity on a Christian campus. It was determined that as the participants moved through and into the process they were able to gain valuable knowledge and skills of self-compassion, resiliency, and courage. They built on these skills to move through their identity struggle to build an affection for themselves. Finally, they were able to move out into the world as a Muslim person who has been made stronger through the process.