DClinPsy Portfolio Volume 1 of 3 - University of Hertfordshire ...

ACT - Experiential avoidance
Experiential avoidance is the unwillingness to experience certain internal events and to
attempt to avoid or control these (Hayes, Wilson, Gifford, Follette, and Strosahl, 1996).
This is thought to hinder the achievement of one’s goals, for example, a person who
previously enjoyed going out and who has been invited to a social event decides not to go
because they feel too fat, and thus deprives themselves’ of the opportunity to engage in a
valued activity. ACT holds that ‘negative’ thoughts and affect do not themselves produce
behavioural harm but much of their impact comes from the consequences of failed
attempts to avoid them, such as desperately trying to avoid the thought that one is fat by
restricting food intake. Avoidance may increase the frequency and intensity of the
emotions and involve unhelpful methods (e.g., binge eating and physically avoiding
people, places or things that elicit the emotion). It is when experiential avoidance is
chronic, excessive and/or rigid, that it may lead to psychopathology, (Kashdan, Barrios,
Forsyth and Steger, 2006).
The above will be summarised in a diagram below:
Flexibility Inflexibility
Defusion Acceptance
Figure 1- Diagrammatic presentation of inflexibility
Cognitive
Fusion
Experiential
Avoidance
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