Decoding Unconditional Self-Acceptance: A Qualitative Report

Unconditional self-acceptance (USA) is a philosophy practiced to avoid the consequences of self-esteem in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). It is considered to be one of the determinants of psychological wellbeing. Despite its importance, it is one of the least studied constructs in psychological research. The literature on USA is focused on examining its relationship with various psychological symptoms and in relation to other psychotherapeutic approaches. However, there is little research evidence to understand the construct. To fill this gap, the present study aims to bring more clarity to the existing definition of USA by understanding its nature. The present study is a qualitative study and used an interview technique to collect data. For this purpose, ten mental health professionals were selected through purposive sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for the interview. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis and coding techniques were used to analyze the data. Self-awareness, a positive view toward oneself and others, and social comparison were identified as important aspects of USA. Moreover, the current paper brought more clarity to the construct USA by proposing the nature of USA.