Michael E. Bernard 
The Strength of Self-Acceptance 
Theory, Practice and Research

​ 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.

Table of Content

​Introduction to Self-Acceptance: Theory, Theology and Therapy.- Humanistic Psychology and Self-Acceptance.- Self-Acceptance in Buddhism.- Self-Acceptance and Christian Theology.- The Value of a Human Being.- Psychologically Flexible Self-Acceptance.- Unconditional Positive Self-Regard.- Unconditional Self-Acceptance and Self-Compassion.- Self-Acceptance and Happiness.- Measuring and Characterizing Unconditional Self-Acceptance.- Self-Acceptance in the Education and Counseling of Young People.- Self-Acceptance and the Parenting of Children.- Self-Acceptance and Successful Relationships.- Self-Acceptance in Women.- Self-Acceptance and Chronic Illness.- Compassionate Self-Acceptance and Aging.

About the author

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.