Abstract
Albert Ellis and his colleagues have written about the pernicious effects of self-depreciation on the mental health of children and the need for adults to not only combat young people’s tendencies to negatively self-evaluate but also to explicitly teach self-acceptance. This chapter defines self-acceptance, describes what it looks like in young people, and distinguishes it from self-esteem. Child developmental constraints and facilitators are discussed. Research is presented that examines the relationships between young people’s self-regard and negative self-evaluation with their positive and negative emotions as well as life satisfaction. In teaching a young person self-acceptance, a prerequisite step often involves the disputing of self-depreciation. These strategies are described and illustrated. Practices that can be employed by teachers and parents to promote self-acceptance in younger children are presented.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barrish, I. J. (1997). Teaching children how to feel good without rating themselves. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 15(1), 71–79.
Bernard, M. E. (2004b). The REBT therapist’s pocket companion for working with children and adolescents. New York: Albert Ellis Institute.
Bernard, M. E. (2012). The character strength of self-acceptance: I accept myself no matter what. East Melbourne, VIC: The Bernard Group.
Bernard, M. E. (Ed.). (2013). The strength of self-acceptance (p. 288). New York: Springer.
Bernard, M.E., & Stephanou, (2017). A. Ecological levels of social and emotional wellbeing of young people. Child Indicators Research, 11, 661–679. DOI 10.1007/s12187-017-9466-7.
Bernard, M. E., & Cronan, F. (1999). The child and adolescent scale of irrationality: Validation data and mental health correlates. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 13, 121–132.
Bernard, M. E., & Joyce, M. R. (1984). Rational-emotive therapy with children and adolescents: Theory, treatment strategies, preventative methods. New York: Wiley.
Bernard, M. E., Vernon, A., Terjesen, M., & Kurasaki, R. (2013). Self-acceptance in the educational and counseling of young people. In M. E. Bernard (Ed.), The strength of self-acceptance. Theory, research and application (pp. 155–192). New York: Springer Press.
Brooks, M. (1999). Achievers and underachievers in regular and special education: An examination of their mindset for achievement and foundations for learning. Unpublished master’s thesis, California State University, Long Beach.
Elkind, D. (1967). Egocentrism in adolescence. Child Development, 38, 1025–1034.
Ellis, A., Wolfe, J., & Moseley, S. (1968). How to raise an emotionally healthy, happy child. New York: Albert Ellis Institute.
Ellis, A. (1962; 1994 rev ed.). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy. Secaucus, NJ: Lyle Stuart and Citadel Press.
Ellis, A. (2005). The myth of self-esteem. Amherst, NY: Prometheus.
Ellis, A., & Bernard, M. E. (Eds.). (2006). Rational emotive behavioral approaches to childhood disorders. New York: Springer.
Harter, S. (2012). The construction of the self. Developmental and Sociocultural Foundations (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Kassay, K., Terjesen, M., & Smidt, D. (2010). Measuring irrationality in children: Re-standardization and validation of the CASI. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association 118th Annual Convention (Division 12), San Diego, CA, August 2010.
Knaus, W.J. (1974). Rational emotive education: A manual for elementary school teachers. New York: Albert Ellis Institute.
Laurent, J., Catanzaro, S. J., Joiner, T. E., Rudolph, K. D., Potter, K. I., Lambert, S., et al. (1999). A measure of positive and negative affect for children: Scale development and preliminary validation. Psychological Assessment, 11, 326–338.
Maxwell, M. A., & Cole, D. A. (2012). Development and initial validation of the adolescent responses to body dissatisfaction measure. Psychological Assessment, 24(3), 721–737. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026785
Pannes, E. (1963). The relationship between self-acceptance and dogmatism in junior-senior high school students. Journal of Educational Sociology, 36, 419–426.
Vernon, A. (2002). What works when with children and adolescents: A handbook of individual counseling techniques. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Vernon, A. (2009). More what works when with children and adolescents: A handbook of individual counseling techniques. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Appendix 1
Appendix 1
Child and Adolescent Survey of Self-Acceptance (Bernard, 2012)
Gender: (circle one): boy girl School: __________________ Grade/Class: _________
When you are ready to begin, please reach each sentence below and pick your answer by circling a number from “1” to “5.” The five possible answers for each sentence are:
-
1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree 3 = not sure 4 = agree 5 = strongly agree
For example, if you were given the sentence “I like to read comic books,” you would circle a “1” if you strongly disagree. If you were given the sentence “I like to keep my room neat and tidy,” you would circle a “5” if you strongly agree. Please be sure to answer all of the questions.
Strongly disagree | Disagree | Not sure | Agree | Strongly agree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. When I think about me, I am proud of whom I am | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
2. Saying something stupid in front of others shows I am an idiot | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
3. When my father or mother criticizes me for doing the wrong thing, I know that I still have my good points | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
4. I am someone who needs my friends to like me to feel important and to be worthwhile | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
5. When a classmate treats me unfairly, I think I must be a hopeless person | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
6. When a classmate teases me about the way I look or talk or what I say, I think it is okay to be different | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
7. When my friends don’t ask me to do things with them, I think I’m a loser | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
8. When I get a lower grade than I want, I am good at reminding myself that I am capable | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
9. When I think about what I cannot do very well, I still proud of who I am | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
10. People would like me more if I wasn’t such a loser | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
11. When I don’t succeed in school in a subject that is important to me, I am likely to think I’m a complete failure | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
12. I know a lot about my positive qualities | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
13. When things are boring, I think I’m a dull and uninteresting person | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
14. When I look in the mirror and see something I don’t like (e.g., my hair, my skin, my nose), I know I still have good things about me | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
15. When I make mistakes in my schoolwork, I can think of things I am good at | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
16. I am someone who needs to get good grades to feel important and worthwhile | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
- Positive self-regard:
- Negative self-evaluation:
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bernard, M. (2020). Self-Acceptance: REBT as the Psychological Armor that Protects Children and Adolescents. In: Bernard, M., Terjesen, M.D. (eds) Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Theory, Practice, Research, Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53901-6_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53901-6_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-53900-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-53901-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)