Understanding Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Context: A History of Similarities and Differences with Other Cognitive Behavior Therapies

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT (said as a word, not as letters) is a contemporary member of the general family of cognitive behavior therapies (CBTs). It is both similar to and different from CBTs that preceded it, just as those therapies are both similar to and different from the behavior therapies (BTs) that preceded them. The CBT movement is, and always has been, multifaceted and evolving. In fact, the name CBT is itself an evolution that arose when the near-ubiquitous attention to cognition among these therapies made CBT a more apt name for them than BT. Ocean waves are apt metaphors for describing the development of CBT, especially in that waves all arise from the same sea. Questions about distinction and discreetness invariably arise in the wake of any new therapy: Is there enough new stuff in it to merit mention, warrant a name, and mark a new chapter in the history of the discipline? As ever, those who believe ACT deserves these distinctions must make the case to their fellows. Ultimately, the community of scientists will decide.