"Self-as-context" in the Russian psychological tradition: theoretical foundations and points of integration

The subject is the Self-as-Context (SAC) construct within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The object comprises points of theoretical convergence and substantive divergence between SAC and the Russian psychological tradition. The aim of the article is to identify these convergences and divergences, treating Russian psychological concepts as independent theoretical systems capable of illuminating the phenomenology of the subject's observing stance. The article examines the relationship between the observing stance in SAC and Rubinstein's principle of subjectness, A.N. Leontiev's activity-based conception of consciousness, Myasishchev's theory of attitudes, and D.A. Leontiev's conception of personal potential. Particular attention is given to Znakov's concept of self-understanding and Stolin's research on the self-consciousness of personality as independent theoretical systems illuminating distinct aspects of the observing stance. The methodological basis of the analysis is comparative theoretical analysis conducted at two levels: phenomenological and theoretical-methodological. The comparison was designed not only to identify conceptual parallels but also to document meaningful differences between the frameworks — in theoretical genesis, methodological foundations, and principles of operationalization — thereby avoiding the reduction of one scientific system to another. This analysis yields the following conclusions. The observing self in SAC exhibits functional analogies with key constructs in Russian psychology, while retaining substantial differences in foundational assumptions and modes of description. The observing stance emerges as a phenomenon independently described across traditions, whereas SAC operationalizes a phenomenon that Russian psychology has addressed primarily in theoretical terms. The study contributes a two-level comparison of SAC with key Russian psychological concepts, attending explicitly to both analogies and divergences, without asserting their theoretical identity. The Russian tradition thereby gains an analytical resource for theorizing the observing stance in practice, while SAC gains theoretical grounding within the Russian psychological tradition.