ACT Model of Psychopathology

Model of Psychopathology (ACT Theory)

• Dominated by conceptualized past and future
• Experiential avoidance occurs
• Cognitive fusion may be present
• Attached to the conceptualized self
• Inaction or unworkable action occurs
• Lack of values clarity or contact

Healthy Normality Assumption

• Western psychology commonly believes every individual is healthy by nature
• Psychological health is the natural state for everyone
• Abnormalities are driven by pathologies/diseases or traumatic events that disrupt health
• Individuals facing abnormality may be burdened as a "sick" member of society

Pain as Inevitable

• ACT therapy challenges health normality, stating pain is inevitable
• Psychological suffering is an active sign of personal growth
• The mind evolved for problem-solving and survival, not happiness
• It detects threats, judges, remembers pain, and worries
• These processes can cause anxiety, depression, shame, or fear
• One in two people consider suicide seriously at some point
• Pain exists because people care about other's welfare
• Emotional pain is the price of a meaningful life

Inappropriate Ways to Deal with Pain

• Suppression or denial
• Distraction
• Addictive behaviors
• Avoiding people or situations

Inside World Rule Outside World Rule and Experiential Avoidance

• These statements refer to the fact that human cognition is guided by identifying problems and rapidly figuring out how to eliminate them
• Examples include: "If I feel sad, I should get rid of the sadness," "If I have a bad thought, I must stop thinking it," "If I break something, I must fix it," and "Feel good, don't feel bad"
• This approach is useful in the outside world, but destructive internally
• Inner work is unlike external fixes.
• Feelings cannot be fixed like broken appliances
• Experiential avoidance can be running from feelings or sensations via suppression
• Using a "problem-solving mind" on the internal world can worsen maladaptive responses
• Trying to control or eliminate unpleasant internal experiences can block a meaningful life

Cognitive Fusion

• It's the human tendency to be guided by the literal content of thoughts
• It involves not actively learning from direct experiences
• Thoughts are seen as definitive truths, dominating sources of behavioral regulation
• "You're not having thoughts. The thoughts are having you."
• Thoughts and feelings cause belief or disbelief (incongruence)
• Evaluation or contradictory evidence is dismissed
• The situation is seen as rational, despite more effective alternatives

Conceptualized Self

• It's the verbal content used to define oneself
• It's a narrative that makes sense of our identity based on memories, roles, and labels
• It's the mental construct of who we are based on past conditioning
• Attachment to the conceptualized self occurs when people buy self-descriptions
• Their behavior becomes beholden to language, restricting flexibility
• They might believe: "This is who I really am, and I must act in line with it."
• Even positive identities can result in being limited:
  • "I'm always the helper" leads to burnout
  • "I'm the strong one" means never asking for help
  • "I'm not creative" means not trying new things

Psychological Flexibility Model

• It's counterparts to psychopathology factors in ACT
• Components:
  • Present Moment
  • Acceptance
  • Values
  • Defusion
  • Self-as-Context
  • Committed action

Acceptance and Values within ACT

• Acceptance involves opening up to thoughts, emotions, memories, and sensations
• This occurs without avoiding, suppressing, or controlling them
• It's not resignation or liking pain - just making space for what matters
• It's the opposite of experiential avoidance Instead of: “I can't feel this anxiety—it has to go before I move forward."
• Say: "This anxiety is here. I don't like it, but I'm willing to feel it while I take this important step."
• Since running from pain leads to more pain, accept it to regain energy
• Face challenges that may have resulted in higher psychological distress
• Values are freely chosen helpful directions to achieve goals
  • Goal: Improve sleep, nutrition, exercise / Value: Live a healthy, sustainable lifestyle
  • Goal: Explore philosophies for personal meaning / Value: Strengthen sense of purpose
• Unlike outcomes, goals are ongoing directions
• Values are like a compass, helping deal with situations

Interaction of Emotions, Thoughts, and Behaviors (REBT)

• Humans have interrelated emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and thinking
• These form a dynamic cycle when facing environmental stimuli
• A person "perceives-moves-feels-THINKS-about,” rather than just “thinks”
• Cognitions, emotions, and behaviors interact and have reciprocal causation
• A Major premise is that Thoughts, Emotions, and Behaviors are interdependent and influence one another
• These factors are not isolated events that act independently of one another

Ellis on Tendency to Define Ourselves

• People spend lives trying to impress, meet expectations, and outdo others
• Self-definition is based on actions, achievement, approval, or ideals
• It is considered “good” or “worthwhile” when accepted/approved by others
• People become enslaved to social desirability
• Due to human's social nature, conversations may end up leading us to look "good" or "acceptable" to those cared about
• This becomes maladaptive if turned into an obsession
• Self-worth becomes tied to how others value us
• If self-worth depends on success, approval, or perfection, people constantly feel anxious, ashamed, or depressed when falling short
• Overgeneralization is overly defining ourselves via others viewpoints
• People are convincing minds that "I can't stand adversity,” “I am worthless if I can't get rid of this feeling.”, or "I failed at this, so I'm a total failure.”
• These are irrational because it takes one event and applies it to identity

Ellis's A-B-C-D Theory

• A - Activating Event: Any relevant environmental or life event
  • Eg: Not getting the job you interviewed for, failing an exam for which you've been studying, partner rejection
• B - Beliefs: Interpretation and sensations after the event
  • Often regarded as unrealistic, dogmatic, irrational & unexamined
    • Eg: "It is awful to get rejected” |“This proves I'm a total failure. I must succeed or I'm worthless.", or "I will never be accepted by a desirable partner"
• C - Consequences: Emotional, behavioral, cognitive reaction domains due to beliefs
  • Anxiety, depression, isolation, and feeling unlovable
• D - Dispute: Actively challenging beliefs to intervene and address maladaptive beliefs
  • Where is the evidence?
  • Is it consistent with social reality?
  • Does making a mistake condemn you to being “horribleness?”
• The therapist's role is to be an active force who challenges preconceptions, develops emotional resilience, and attains self-acceptance
• Striving to teach clients that emotions largely depend on personal beliefs
• Help clients to identify, challenge, and replace the irrational behaviors with rational ones.
• Promote unconditional life and self acceptance
• Encourage clients to adopt active, philosophical ,and philosophical means for making change
• People do not need to be loved, the therapist can teach clients to feel sad and not depressed

Automatic Thoughts

• Personalized, short-term cognitions triggered by external stimuli, causes emotional response
• These thoughts can be rational or distorted
• “No one is interested in what I'm saying" or "It's all my fault."
• Automatic thoughts can be a natural part of cognition but can negatively affect a person's way of dealing with stress
• This is relevant is REBT where distorted cognitions are challenged
• Cognitive distortions like catastrophizing or overgeneralizing cloud a person's outlook on stress
• Self-talk like "I'm stupid..." can distort distorted thought's with negative emotions
• Self-doubt and low self-esteem can prevent a person's perception of how they regard strength

Ellis's View of Human's Innate Nature

• Can change emotions, cognitions, and behaviors
• Accomplished via avoiding fixation on A and by noting futile emotional consequences at C

Rational Thinking

• Growth and change is an important facet of a human being that makes them special
• According to Ellis, humans have personal agency to determine how they respond when external stimuli occur
• Humans have the ability to think rationally and logically, they just allow irrational, beliefs to cloud such ability
• Learning and applying rational thinking leads to emotional and mental wellbeing

Ellis on Trauma and Psychoanalysis

• REBT states people learn irrational behaviors from others during childhood and try to recreate throughout the life-span of life
• Trauma over emphasized and these irrational beliefs over childhood may result in someone adopting psychoanalytical perspectives over his traumas.
• People are very good at reinforcing self-defeating mentalities due the auto-suggestion and self-repetition
• Hence it its the person's belief over those parents which keep the the dysfunctional way of thinking alive
• It is the belief about others or the environment that shapes the emotional responses
• Blaming lies at the core of emotional disturbance
• To be psychologically healthy, a person needs to unconditionally stop pinning the blame on themselves
• Transference doesn't support those values but it assists a therapist to look into someone's mental condition over time

Musturbation and “Shoulds”

• Attitudes and behaviors are the result of demanding certain realities that tend to be unrealistic such as ''I must be perfect."
• Those mentalities result in frustration, and anxiousness
• Identifying maladaptive belief over some, can show an irrational belief

How the Cycle of ABCD Perpetuates into A2 B2C2

• ABCD theory helps illustrate causes and effects on how maladaptive behaviors can stem from initial cognitive and emotional processes.
• An Active event can cause one to be ashamed due to project failure
• Belief over one's self, an act can be associated with a previous experience in order to avoid in a future scenario to elude future scenarios and build self confidence

Identifying Irrational Beliefs.

• Recognizing dogmatic demands from one or another is essential to identify where the illogical action began.
• Demands and awful/Catastrophic thoughts are good indicators on recognizing when emotions get negatively impacted from such ways of thought.
• Being aware about irrational beliefs can assist someone to determine what triggered such actions

Describe the inside world rule and the outside world rule and what experiential avoidance and "believing” our thoughts means and their effects?

• Experiential avoidance can be avoided with feelings through the means of suppression over an active effort.
• That also refers to the fact that humans get pulled into negative mentalities and the beliefs of one's self and how they view actions
• When someone's views are shifted, it makes them rely toward truth, making their true-colors fade and their mental compass of which becomes a disaster

Explain the psychological rigidity model of psychopathology. Label all six parts and give a definition of at least four of the six.

• The psychological model focuses on which and what process individuals go through and it serves as the core of emotional turmoil
  • Cognitive Fusion predisposes consumption
  • Experiential Avoidance attempts to suppress feelings and thoughts.