Acceptance
Acceptance is the faculty by which a person voluntarily admits another individual, animal, object , thought or action.
It is a term closely linked to the world of Psychology and Self-help. The latter case refers to the idea of self-acceptance, recognizing everything that is good or bad, admitting mistakes and facing problems so that you can learn from them and not have them again.
Acceptance also refers to the process of admitting an event from the past, seeking to overcome it and being able to continue looking to the future.
Finally, another of its meanings refers to admitting the good environment of a person who was previously forbidden and hostile to him.
More about acceptance
Acceptance is an attitude focused on accepting situations that cannot be changed. There are experiences or situations that have no solution and that are usually not pleasant. Adopting an attitude of acceptance will allow them to be assumed and that person will be strengthened, as they will have greater tolerance and responsiveness to this type of experience.
Acceptance is something that can be practiced and improved throughout life. It is a skill possessed by those who accept difficult or compromising situations that have no solution.
Acceptance is also important, because when this step is taken and what happened is presumed, the person is generally prepared to start a process of renewal of the person.
For example, acceptance before resignation from a company. When a person accepts that there is no solution and that the best option is to find another job, he can start a personal process to face his new situation and admit what happened, without paralyzing his life.
Acceptance should not be confused with the term waiver. This can paralyze the person and not lead him to action or other new perspectives in life.
To accept is to assume the situation and face it. Taking sides, acknowledging reality and focusing on experience.
Social acceptance
The desire to be socially accepted is largely the basis of social connections
The American psychologist Abraham Maslow conveyed in his books the idea that the needs of the human being were classified in a hierarchical way, only when a person met the needs of a high level.
Based on this theory, Maslow argued that social acceptance was divided into five different levels. At the first level, we can mention the basic physiological needs, then those related to safety and, at the third level, those related to certain feelings such as love, friendship or affection began to emerge .
Once these needs are met, those related to self-esteem, such as success and prestige, appear. Finally, in the fifth echelon are the needs for self-actualization.
In this way, social acceptance also gives rise to the emergence of different social groups .
As a simple classification, we can distinguish them according to the degree of acceptance they receive from their peers.
Popular: people loved and respected by the majority of the group;
Accepted: are those who have many friendships and are well integrated into the social environment;
Marginal: individuals with serious acceptance problems because of their attitudes;
Climbers: are those who enjoy social acceptance, but are never satisfied with the social group they are in, so they seek access in other more prestigious groups;
Ignored: they are subjects that do not make any kind of impression on the rest of the members of society, do not offer anything new and their comments are considered obvious.
Why is acceptance important?
These are the highlights:
- It improves self-esteem, as it encourages self-value when you are able to assimilate all kinds of situations and adapt to the changes they bring about.
- Those who accept what happens look for solutions, not just a spectator, but act and make decisions.
- It is an opportunity to live in a more balanced way. If something has a solution, action is taken and if not, it is accepted and a way forward is sought.
- By accepting situations that have no solution, new opportunities appear and you are prepared to go through the different stages that make up life changes.
Acceptance example
There are many situations in life that can be sad or unpleasant. Many of them have no solution. For example, the death of a loved one, separation from a partner, or being fired from a job.
However, accepting these experiences allows people to deal with them better. Evaluate existing options, move through and out of grief, or find new career paths.
If a person is fired after 30 years working for the same company, it will certainly be a severe blow. However, assuming this can happen, since nothing is certain or eternal in life, can bring other job prospects.
You can focus on what you’ve learned to start your own project as an entrepreneur, or take a year off to travel or review other offerings. On the other hand, if that individual remains stationary and focused on inaction, he does not accept his situation, he may see his life as limited and not take advantage of the opportunities that appear.