ObjectiveTheories about within‐person (WP) variation are often tested using between‐person (BP) research, despite the well‐established fact that results may not generalize across levels of analysis. One possible explanation is vague theories that do not specify which level of analysis is of interest. We illustrate such a case using the construct of self‐compassion. The factor structure at the BP level has been highly debated, although the theory is actually concerned with relationships at the WP level.MethodMultilevel confirmatory factor analysis was applied to experience‐sampling data of self‐compassion (N = 213, with n = 4052 measurement occasions).ResultsAt both levels of analysis, evidence for a two‐factor model was found. However, the factors were moderately related at the WP level (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) but largely independent at the BP level (r = 0.04, p = 0.696). Exploratory analyses revealed considerable heterogeneity in the WP relationship among individuals.ConclusionWe discuss how our results provide new impulses to move the debate around self‐compassion forward. Lastly, we outline how the WP level—which is of major interest for self‐compassion and other constructs in psychology—can guide the conceptualization and assessment to promote advancements of the theory and resulting applications.

中文翻译：

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论明确兴趣分析水平的重要性：以自我慈悲为例进行说明

关于人内（WP）变异的客观理论经常使用人际（BP）研究进行测试，尽管众所周知的事实是结果可能无法在不同层次的分析中推广。一种可能的解释是模糊的理论，没有具体说明感兴趣的分析级别。我们使用自我慈悲的结构来说明这样的案例。尽管该理论实际上关注的是 WP 层面的关系，但 BP 层面的因素结构一直备受争议。方法将多级验证性因素分析应用于自我慈悲的经验抽样数据（氮= 213，与n= 4052 个测量场合）。结果在两个分析级别上，都发现了双因素模型的证据。然而，这些因素在 WP 水平上有中等程度的相关性（r= 0.37,p< 0.001），但在 BP 水平上很大程度上独立（r= 0.04,p= 0.696）。探索性分析揭示了个体之间的 WP 关系存在相当大的异质性。结论我们讨论我们的结果如何提供新的动力来推动围绕自我慈悲的辩论向前发展。最后，我们概述了 WP 级别（对于自我慈悲和心理学中的其他结构非常重要）如何指导概念化和评估，以促进理论和由此产生的应用的进步。