Humanistic psychology, it could be maintained, was the first psychological theory that gave serious consideration to the value and implications of self-acceptance in psychology, at least in its more explicit and positive constructions. As... more
Humanistic psychology, it could be maintained, was the first psychological theory that gave serious consideration to the value and implications of self-acceptance in psychology, at least in its more explicit and positive constructions. As will be discussed, humanistic psychology began by advocating for radical self-acceptance that embraced a view of oneself, and human nature, as essentially good. Over time, the understanding of self-acceptance became more nuanced, particularly with the introduction of existential psychology as a school of thought within the humanistic tradition. In this chapter, we provide an overview of important humanistic views on self-acceptance, emphasizing how these emerge from a particular understanding of human nature as well as the implications for psychotherapy.