Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a

process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change

it or protest it. The concept is close in meaning to 'acquiescence', derived from the Latin
'acquiscere' (to find rest in).[1]

Contents

1 Definition

2 Types
o 2.1 Self acceptance
o 2.2 Social acceptance
o 2.3 Conditional or qualified
o 2.4 Expressed
o 2.5 Implied

3 Beliefs

4 References

5 Bibliography

6 External links

Definition
The term acceptance is a noun with three different meanings.[2]
The first is the act of taking or receiving something offered. For example, if someone is giving
you a gift and you receive it, then you have accepted the gift; therefore, having acceptance.
Another definition of acceptance has to do with positive welcome and belonging; favor and
endorsement. For instance, a person could like someone and have acceptance for them due to
their approval of that person.
The third description of acceptance is that it can be an act of believing or assenting.

Acceptance - "An express act or implication by conduct that manifests assent to the terms of an
offer in a manner invited or required by the offer so that a binding contract is formed. The
exercise of power conferred by an offer by performance of some act. The act of a person to
whom something is offered of tendered by another, whereby the offered demonstrates through an
act invited by the offer an intention of retaining the subject of the offer." (Chirelstein, 2001)
This definition overlaps with the definition of the quality known as toleration. Acceptance and
tolerance are not synonyms.
Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now, etc.) defines acceptance as a "this is it" response to anything
occurring in any moment of life. There, strength, peace and serenity are available when one stops
struggling to resist, or hang on tightly to what is so in any given moment. What do I have right
now? Now what am I experiencing? The point is, can one be sad when one is sad, afraid when
afraid, silly when silly, happy when happy, judgmental when judgmental, overthinking when
overthinking, serene when serene, etc.

Types
It should be recognized, before any breakdown to types, that acceptance is treating what
happens, the actual event which is the outcome of all the combined previous events, as on
balance the best outcome. Acceptance typically contains the concept of approval; it is important
to note that the psychospiritual use of the term infers a non-judgmental mindset. Acceptance is
contrasted with resistance, but that term has strong political and psychoanalytic connotations not
applicable in many contexts. By groups and by individuals, acceptance can be of various events
and conditions in the world; individuals may also accept elements of their own thoughts,
feelings, and personal histories. For example, psychotherapeutic treatment of a person with
depression or anxiety could involve fostering acceptance either for whatever personal
circumstances may give rise to those feelings or for the feelings themselves. (Psychotherapy
could also involve lessening an individual's acceptance of various situations.)
Notions of acceptance are prominent in many faiths and meditation practices. For example,
Buddhism's first noble truth, "All life is suffering", invites people to accept that suffering is a
natural part of life. The term "Kabbalah" means literally acceptance. Minority groups in society
often describe their goal as "acceptance", wherein the majority will not challenge the minority's
full participation in society. A majority may be said (at best) to "tolerate" minorities when it
confines their participation to certain aspects of society. Acceptance is the fifth stage of the
Kbler-Ross model (commonly known as the "stages of dying").
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous describes the importance of acceptance in the treatment
of alcoholism. It states that acceptance can be used to resolve situations where a person feels
disturbed by a "person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- [which is] unacceptable
to me". It claims that an alcoholic person cannot find serenity until that person accepts that
"nothing happens in God's world by mistake" and that the condition of alcoholism must be
accepted as a given.[3]
Acceptance (12 Step definition).. To believe as fact...