Self-acceptance
Self-acceptance is exactly what its name suggests: the state of complete acceptance of oneself. True self-acceptance is embracing who you are, without any qualifications, conditions, or exceptions (Ackerman, 2018).
Self-acceptance is the ability to accept both your strengths and your personal faults without judgment.
These are some of the characteristics of self-acceptance:
Being able to see yourself fairly accurately and recognize what you are and aren’t good at.
Embracing all the parts of yourself—even the negative ones—and being happy with who you are.
Accepting your values, preferences, resources, feelings, intuitions, and actions—both past and present.
Recognizing your strengths and accomplishments without being overly vain about them.
Learning to acknowledge your weaknesses and faults without beating yourself up over them or engaging in overly excessive negative self-talk
Having a positive attitude toward yourself and holding yourself in high regard, without the need for others’ approval.
Seeing yourself as a whole human being, rather than defining yourself by any one characteristic, incident, ability, or weakness.
Being able to love and respect yourself (Gupta, 2022).
Self-acceptance is the act of accepting yourself and all your personality traits exactly as they are. You accept them no matter whether they are positive or negative. This includes your physical and mental attributes.
Self-acceptance is the ability to embrace and acknowledge yourself fully, including your strengths, weaknesses, emotions, and experiences, without undue judgment or self-criticism. It means recognizing and valuing your inherent worth, regardless of external achievements, failures, or others' opinions (Halasgikar, 2025).
Self-acceptance is the recognition and affirmation of one’s own worth and value, acknowledging and embracing all aspects of oneself, including strengths, weaknesses, and imperfections.
It’s not about ignoring your flaws, but rather, recognizing and embracing your entire being—strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between. It’s about realizing that you’re enough, exactly as you are right now. This concept, while seemingly straightforward, is often misunderstood and even more often, neglected.
Self-acceptance is intimately connected to self-esteem and self-worth. Accepting oneself, flaws and all, fosters a healthy sense of self-esteem. In contrast, individuals who struggle with self-acceptance often grapple with low self-esteem and self-worth.
Self-acceptance can significantly influence personal and professional relationships. People who accept themselves tend to have healthier, more positive relationships as they are less likely to project their insecurities onto others. They are also more open and genuine in their interactions, leading to deeper connections with those around them (Rose, 2023).
Self-acceptance is about accepting that you are who you are, flaws and all. Accepting your full self might seem simple enough, but it’s easier said than done. In fact, self-acceptance can be difficult for many of us.
Self-acceptance is not the same as self-esteem or self-confidence. While your self-esteem might rise and fall based on the way you perceive your worth, self-acceptance remains consistent no matter how you view yourself (Ferguson, 2022).
Ackerman, C. E. (2018, July 12). What Is Self-Acceptance? 25 Exercises + Definition & Quotes. PositivePsychology. Retrieved from: https://shorturl.at/m3yoK.
Ferguson, S. (2022). Self-Acceptance: Why Can It Be So Hard? Why Is Self-Acceptance So Hard? PsychCentral. Retrieved from: https://shorturl.at/OCcgl.
Gupta, S. (2022, September 13). How to Embrace Self-Acceptance. Verywell Mind. Retrieved from: https://shorturl.at/uxssr.
Halasgikar, M. (2025, January 14). How to Build Self-Acceptance and Embrace Your True Self. Practical ways to build self-acceptance and let go of negativity. Retrieved from: https://shorturl.at/9BHtV.
Rose, S. (2023). What is Self-Acceptance? Steve Rose PhD counselling. Retrieved from: https://shorturl.at/S2QUB.