| 英文摘要 |
This study investigates the complex emotional landscape experienced by immigrant women in Taiwan as they navigate the enduring tensions between work responsibilities and family obligations, emphasizing how self-compassion functions as a vital psychological mechanism that supports their ability to manage work-family conflict while cultivating a flourishing life. As Taiwan transitions into a more multicultural society, immigrant women have become indispensable contributors to family systems, caregiving networks, and the labor force. Yet many continue to encounter profound challenges involving cultural adjustment, linguistic barriers, economic pressures, intergenerational expectations, and socio-structural inequalities. These overlapping difficulties generate ongoing emotional strain, requiring immigrant women to continually negotiate their roles and identities while striving to maintain emotional balance and a sense of well-being. In this study, flourishing is conceptualized not as the absence of hardship but as a holistic and integrative form of well-being encompassing emotional richness, meaningful engagement, competence, purpose, connection, and an intentional attitude toward life. Flourishing involves the capacity to embrace challenges, transform adversity into insight, and maintain psychological vitality even in uncertain or restrictive environments. For immigrant women adapting to a new cultural context, flourishing is a dynamic process marked by cycles of resilience, cultural negotiation, interpersonal adaptation, and continued personal growth. They must reconcile the demands of economic participation with traditional expectations of caregiving, often facing unspoken pressure to perform flawlessly in both domains. These dual expectations frequently intensify work-family conflict, making it essential to examine which internal capacities help sustain well-being amid such complex stress. The findings of this study reveal that self-compassion exerts a powerful and transformative influence on immigrant women's experience of well-being. Rather than functioning as a passive form of self-soothing, self-compassion operates as a deeply active psychological stance that fosters emotional clarity, grounded awareness, and balanced self-understanding. Women with greater self-compassion respond to challenges with patience rather than self-criticism and view their struggles as part of the broader human experience instead of personal failure. This orientation allows them to regulate emotional distress more effectively and to maintain perspective in moments of conflict. As a result, self-compassion significantly strengthens their ability to navigate work-family conflict with composure, adaptability, and emotional resilience, enabling them to sustain motivation without diminishing their own needs. Importantly, the findings highlight that self-compassion alters not only emotional reactions but also cognitive interpretations of stress. Immigrant women who approach themselves with understanding demonstrate a greater capacity to reframe conflicts constructively, reducing the emotional burden associated with role strain. They are more likely to view daily challenges as manageable, to interpret setbacks with flexibility, and to adopt healthier expectations for themselves. This shift in internal dialogue helps prevent cycles of guilt, perfectionism, and self-blame that often arise in situations of role overload. It allows women to preserve their sense of dignity and personal agency even when external pressures escalate. The study further shows that self-compassion encourages adaptive behavioral responses that support long-term psychological well-being. Women with higher self-compassion are more willing to communicate their needs, negotiate responsibilities, and set realistic boundaries-behaviors critical for sustaining emotional health in the face of persistent workfamily conflict. They are also more inclined to seek social support, engage in meaningful self-care practices, and adopt problemsolving approaches rather than disengagement or avoidance. These behavioral patterns demonstrate that self-compassion is not merely an emotional buffer but a catalyst for constructive action that enhances coping resources and strengthens personal resilience. Another significant finding concerns the role of self-compassion in maintaining a coherent sense of identity amid the complexities of migration. Many immigrant women experience cultural dissonance as they reconcile the values of their home culture with those of their new environment. Self-compassion facilitates identity integration by helping them process these differences with openness and acceptance. It enables them to view personal change not as loss but as an evolving narrative of growth, cultural expansion, and emotional maturity. This integrative process contributes to a more stable sense of self that can adapt fluidly across cultural settings, thereby supporting sustained flourishing. The study also underscores the importance of considering the intersectionality of immigrant women's experiences. Their well-being is shaped simultaneously by gender roles, migration histories, economic constraints, multicultural family dynamics, and social expectations. While these intersecting identities often increase vulnerability to stress, the findings show that self-compassion mitigates these pressures by providing emotional grounding and reducing internalized stigma. With self-compassion, women become less likely to interpret social barriers as personal inadequacies and more able to recognize structural inequalities for what they are. This perspective enhances their psychological strength, supports advocacy for their own needs, and promotes healthier relational patterns within their families and communities. Cultural context deepens the significance of these findings. Taiwanese cultural values emphasize relational harmony, empathy, humility, and emotional sincerity-qualities that align closely with the internal stance cultivated through selfcompassion. Immigrant women who practice self-compassion often integrate into Taiwanese cultural life more fluidly, finding it easier to communicate openly, maintain emotional stability in interpersonal situations, and participate in community life with confidence. This connection between self-compassion and cultural attunement suggests that compassion-based emotional approaches may help immigrant women navigate not only personal stress but also broader processes of cultural integration and relationship-building. The practical implications of this study extend to mental health services, community programs, and policy-level initiatives. Supporting immigrant women in developing self-compassion can foster long-term resilience, reduce emotional burnout, and enhance their capacity to flourish within complex sociocultural environments. Interventions that incorporate mindfulness practices, reflective writing, emotional awareness training, and compassion-based group dialogue may be particularly effective. Such programs can be embedded within existing immigrant support systems-such as language classes, parenting workshops, vocational training, and community resource centers-to create a holistic framework that strengthens psychological well-being alongside practical integration. From a theoretical perspective, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how internal emotional resources shape the capacity to flourish in marginalized populations. The study shifts attention away from deficit-based views of immigrant women and toward a strengths-based perspective that recognizes their emotional intelligence, adaptability, and potential for growth. It highlights self-compassion as a central process linking emotional regulation, identity continuity, cultural adaptation, and flourishing life. By conceptualizing flourishing as an ongoing, multidimensional practice rather than a static condition, the study emphasizes that well-being is sustained through psychological skills that can be nurtured and developed. The broader societal implications of these findings are equally meaningful. When immigrant women cultivate selfcompassion, they often extend greater patience, empathy, and understanding to others. This ripple effect enhances interpersonal relationships within multicultural families, strengthens community cohesion, and contributes to a more compassionate social climate. Encouraging self-compassion is therefore not only a matter of individual mental health but also a pathway toward broader social harmony in an increasingly diverse Taiwan. In conclusion, this study affirms that self-compassion is a foundational psychological resource that enables immigrant women in Taiwan to navigate work-family conflict while sustaining the multidimensional well-being associated with a flourishing life. Self-compassion empowers them to transform adversity into insight, emotional strain into resilience, and daily challenges into opportunities for personal growth. It enables them to live with balance, confidence, and dignity even in the presence of persistent stress. Promoting self-compassion thus represents a sustainable, culturally attuned, and empowering strategy for supporting immigrant women's long-term psychological well-being-not merely helping them adapt to their environment but enabling them to truly flourish within it. |
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