Cognitive Defusion Techniques Flashcards
7 cards from real ACT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cognitive Defusion Techniques flashcards as text
The 'passengers on the bus' metaphor in ACT is primarily used to illustrate which concept?
Answer: Defusion from intrusive thoughts and urges that compete for control
The 'passengers on the bus' metaphor shows clients that thoughts and feelings are like unruly passengers—they may argue, but the driver (the client) still chooses the direction of travel.
In the 'soldiers in the jungle' defusion metaphor, what do the soldiers represent for the client?
Answer: Outdated rules and beliefs that continue to govern behavior long past their usefulness
The 'soldiers in the jungle' (like Hiroo Onoda who kept fighting decades after WWII ended) represents outdated beliefs still controlling behavior long after their usefulness has expired.
Singing a troubling thought to a familiar tune (e.g., 'Happy Birthday') as a defusion technique is designed to accomplish what?
Answer: Reduce the literal believability and emotional impact of the thought
Singing a troubling thought undermines its literal quality and reduces emotional impact through humorous recontextualization, which is the defusion goal.
The 'newspaper headline' defusion exercise involves which of the following?
Answer: Summarizing a troubling thought as a brief headline to create observational distance
Reformatting a thought as a newspaper headline creates psychological distance and highlights the constructed, narrative nature of mental content.
When a client says 'I AM a failure,' an ACT therapist applying defusion would most likely respond by:
Answer: Helping the client reframe it as 'I am having the thought that I am a failure'
Converting 'I am a failure' to 'I am having the thought that I am a failure' is a classic defusion technique that creates observational distance without challenging thought content.
The 'hands as thoughts' metaphor in ACT involves placing hands in front of the face to demonstrate:
Answer: How fused thoughts can block one's full awareness and engagement with life
Holding hands in front of the face demonstrates how fused thoughts block one's view of the world, and moving them aside shows how defusion opens up perspective and engagement.
The 'chessboard' metaphor in ACT most directly relates to which core process?
Answer: Self-as-context and the stable observer perspective
The chessboard metaphor illustrates self-as-context—the board (observer self) contains all the pieces (thoughts, feelings) without being defined by or identified with any one piece.