Self-acceptance of negative emotions: The positive relationship with effective cognitive reappraisal

Whereas some theories of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) propose that acceptance and reappraisal conflict with one another, we propose that one component of acceptance, self-acceptance of negative emotions (being nonjudgmental of oneself for experiencing negative emotions), and reappraisal may facilitate one another. We hypothesized that emotion regulation (self-efficacy and frequency of suppression and reappraisal) would be associated with a stronger correlation between self-acceptance and more positive/less negative affect. We also examined whether self-acceptance is associated with a stronger correlation between emotion regulation and affect. Participants (n = 267) completed measures of self-acceptance, affect, and emotion regulation. Use of emotion regulation strategies was associated with stronger relationships between self-acceptance and affect, and self-acceptance was associated with stronger relationships between emotion regulation and affect. This suggests that self-acceptance and emotion regulation can facilitate, rather than conflict with one another. Clinically, self-acceptance may improve outcomes when integrated into CBT in addition to reappraisal.