Cognitive Defusion Techniques Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Cognitive Defusion Techniques flashcards as text
What is the primary goal of cognitive defusion in ACT?
Answer: Creating psychological distance by changing one's relationship with thoughts
Cognitive defusion involves changing one's relationship with thoughts so they have less influence on behavior, rather than eliminating or replacing their content.
Which ACT metaphor is commonly used to illustrate cognitive defusion by observing thoughts as transient events?
Answer: Leaves on a stream
The 'leaves on a stream' metaphor helps clients observe thoughts flowing by without getting caught up in them, demonstrating defusion from thought content.
In ACT, cognitive defusion is the direct antidote to which problematic psychological process?
Answer: Cognitive fusion
Cognitive fusion is the process where thoughts are treated as literal truths directly controlling behavior, and defusion creates distance from that literality.
Adding the phrase 'I'm having the thought that...' before a troubling belief is an example of which ACT technique?
Answer: Cognitive defusion
Adding 'I'm having the thought that...' creates observational distance from a thought, which is the hallmark of cognitive defusion.
According to ACT theory, when a person is 'fused' with a thought, what occurs?
Answer: The thought is experienced as literally true and directly controls behavior
Cognitive fusion occurs when thoughts are taken as literal reality and directly influence behavior without the person recognizing them as mental events.
Which best describes the goal of defusion techniques compared to cognitive restructuring in traditional CBT?
Answer: To change the function of thoughts rather than their content
ACT defusion aims to change how thoughts function (their impact on behavior) rather than modifying their content, which is the key distinction from CBT cognitive restructuring.
The 'milk, milk, milk' word repetition exercise adapted for ACT primarily demonstrates which defusion principle?
Answer: How rapid repetition of a word can reduce its emotional impact and literality
Titchener's word repetition exercise shows that rapidly repeating a word strips it of meaning and emotional charge, illustrating how language can lose its literal quality through defusion.