Nonattachment to self in Buddhism and self-as-context in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) share conceptual similarities in letting go of a fixed and absolute view of oneself. Both self-as-context and nonattachment to self have been independently investigated with depression symptoms (Godbee & Kangas, 2020; Whitehead, Bates, Elphinstone, et al., 2018; Whitehead et al., 2021). No empirical studies have investigated the associations between nonattachment to self, self-as-context, and depression symptoms. The purpose of the study was to examine how nonattachment to self and self-as-context explained variances in depression scores. Participants (n = 193) completed an online survey, with demographic questions, the Nonattachment to Self scale (NTS), the Self-as-Context Scale (SACS), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Results from a hierarchical linear regression revealed that education level and self-as-context significantly predicted depression scores. Nonattachment to self did not account for variance in depression scores, after entering self-as-context in the final model. Findings provide insight into the relationship among the variables and adds to the limited research literature on NTS and SACS. Implications for the use of ACT interventions in the treatment of depression in clinical practice are discussed. Limitations and areas for future research investigating nonattachment to self and self-as-context are also discussed.

This diploma thesis presents a new concept of nonattachment to self. The theoretical part consists of the introduction of a different conceptualization of the self in Western and Buddhist psychology and describes the historical background of nonattachment. It further describes the concept of nonattachment, on which the concept of nonattachment to self is based. This concept is further introduced in relation to self-related processes and its possible impact on mental health. The last chapter presents Czech and foreign scales measuring nonattachment (NAS, NAS-30-CZ, NAS-SF, NAS-SF-CZ) and nonattachment to self (NTS, NTS-CZ). The aim of the empirical part of the work was to perform a validation study of the Scale of Nonattachment to Self (NTS-CZ) on a Czech sample to verify its psychometric properties. A total of 125 respondents were administered an online questionnaire battery, which consisted of a total of 8 questionnaires: Nonattachment to Self Scale (NTS-CZ), Nonattachment Scale-Short Form (NAS-SF-CZ), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-CZ), Patients Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Short Form (FFMQ-15-CZ), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-SF (DERS-SF-CZ) and Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS-CZ). Overall, the scale showed...