The Strength of Self-Acceptance

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Theory and Research

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Humanistic Psychology and Self-Acceptance

      • Louis Hoffman, Abraham J. Lopez, Michael Moats

      Pages 3-17

   3. Self-Acceptance in Buddhism and Psychotherapy

      • Daniel David, Steven Jay Lynn, Lama Surya Das

      Pages 19-38

   4. Self-Acceptance and Christian Theology

      • Stevan Lars Nielsen, Aurora Szentagotai, Oana A. Gavita, Viorel Lupu

      Pages 39-64

   5. The Value of a Human Being

      • Albert Ellis

      Pages 65-72

   6. Psychologically Flexible Self-Acceptance

      • Tami Jeffcoat, Steven C. Hayes

      Pages 73-92

   7. Unconditional Positive Self-Regard

      • Tom G. Patterson, Stephen Joseph

      Pages 93-106

   8. Unconditional Self-Acceptance and Self-Compassion

      • Windy Dryden

      Pages 107-120

   9. Self-Acceptance and Happiness

      • Aurora Szentagotai, Daniel David

      Pages 121-137

   10. Measuring and Characterizing Unconditional Self-Acceptance

       • Martha J. Falkenstein, David A. F. Haaga

       Pages 139-151

3. Practice

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 153-153

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   2. Self-Acceptance in the Education and Counseling of Young People

      • Michael E. Bernard, Ann Vernon, Mark Terjesen, Robyn Kurasaki

      Pages 155-192

   3. Self-Acceptance and the Parenting of Children

      • Oana Alexandra Gavita, Raymond DiGiuseppe, Daniel David

      Pages 193-214

   4. Self-Acceptance and Successful Relationships

      • Michael S. Broder

      Pages 215-227

   5. Self-Acceptance in Women

      • Monica O’Kelly

      Pages 229-246

   6. Self-Acceptance and Chronic Illness

      • Jennifer A. Gregg

      Pages 247-262

   7. Self-Acceptance and Aging: Using Self-Acceptance as a Mediator of Change in CBT with Older People

      • Ken Laidlaw

      Pages 263-279

4. Back Matter

   Pages 281-288

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​ Self-acceptance is recognized in diverse schools of Christian and Eastern theology as well as in various schools of counseling and psychotherapy (e.g., Humanistic, Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy) as a major contributor to mental health, life satisfaction and wellness. A review of the professional literature reveals there is no text that spells out how different theologies, theories of personality and approaches to counseling and therapy conceptualize self-acceptance and how this concept is interrelated to other aspects and constructs of spirituality and psychological functioning (e.g., flexibility, mindfulness). Additionally, the field of positive psychology, which studies the character strengths and virtues that help individuals to experience well-being and to flourish, has largely ignored the concept of self-acceptance.            

• Measuring and characterizing unconditional self-acceptance
• Self-Acceptance and Happiness
• Self-Acceptance and Psychological Flexibility
• Self-Acceptance and Self-Esteem
• Self-Acceptance and aging
• Self-Acceptance and raising children
• Self-Acceptance and self-compassion
• Self-Acceptance and successful relationships
• Self-Acceptance and the education of young people
• Self-Acceptance and women
• Self-Acceptance in Buddhism
• Self-Acceptance in Christian Theology
• Self-Acceptance in Humanistic Psychology and Psychotherapy

• , Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

  Michael E. Bernard

Michael E. Bernard, Ph.D. is an international consultant to universities, educational authorities, organisations, and government as well as a Professor at the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education. He is the Founder of You Can Do It! Education, a program for promoting student social-emotional well-being and achievement that is being used in over 6,000 schools in Australia, New Zealand, England, and North America. After receiving his doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he worked for 18 years in the College of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia. In 1983, he was appointed as Reader and Coordinator of the Master of Educational Psychology Program. From 1995-2005, he was a tenured professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Administration and Counseling, College of Education, at California State University, Long Beach. Professor Bernard has worked as a consultant school psychologist helping families and schools address the educational and mental health needs of school-age children. He has spent extensive time counselling children with emotional, behavioural, or academic difficulties. Professor Bernard is a co-founder of the Australian Institute for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy and is the author of many books on REBT. For eight years, he was the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy. He is the author of over 50 books, 15 book chapters, and 30 journal articles in the area of children’s early childhood development, learning and social-emotional well-being, as well as parent education, teacher professional development, and school improvement.

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